Region coverage-aware path planning for unmanned aerial vehicles: A systematic review

Abstract

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to carry out remote aerial surveys has become prominent in recent years. The UAV-based survey faces several operational issues, such as complicated terrain, limited UAV resources, obstacles, sensor limitations, and other environmental factors. In addition, the coverage plan includes numerous objectives, such as lowering path length, maximizing coverage, and limiting survey time, necessitating multi-objective optimization. UAVs require effective coverage path planning (CPP) to generate the ideal route. It involves determining the path which encompasses every point inside the required region under different constraints. The process automates the process of route determination for autonomous operation by considering various environmental constraints. In this paper, we explore and analyze the existing research on the various techniques used in coverage route planning for UAVs. It provides an overview of the current state-of-the-art CPP methods for UAVs. The study discusses the key challenges and requirements of CPP for UAVs and presents various approaches proposed in the literature to tackle these challenges. We explore a variety of geometric flight patterns for the area of interest having UAV deployment. It also features multi-UAV and multi-region coverage strategies, providing a new dimension to UAV-based operations. The energy consumption of UAVs during CPP is an essential factor, as it influences their flight length and mission duration. The design of the CPP algorithm is determined by the unique requirements of the UAV application, such as the size and form of the region to be mapped, the existence of obstacles, and the desired coverage resolution. Path planning strategies in a three-dimensional environment and dynamic coverage are also included in the study. Moreover, we compare the existing strategies using different performance metrics to evaluate the success of covering missions. Finally, the problems and unresolved concerns related to UAV coverage path planning are examined to provide valuable insights to the readers.