Research on obstacle avoidance path planning of UAV in complex environments based on improved Bézier curve

Abstract

Obstacle avoidance path planning is considered an essential requirement for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to reach its designated mission area and perform its tasks. This study established a motion model and obstacle threat model for UAVs, and defined the cost coefficients for evading and crossing threat areas. To solve the problem of obstacle avoidance path planning with full coverage of threats, the cost coefficients were incorporated into the objective optimization function and solved by a combination of Sequential Quadratic Programming and Nonlinear Programming Solver. The problem of path planning under threat full coverage with no solution was resolved by improving the Bézier curve algorithm. By introducing the dynamic threat velocity obstacle model and calculating the relative and absolute collision cones, a path planning algorithm under multiple dynamic threats was proposed to solve the difficulties of dynamic obstacle prediction and avoidance. Simulation results revealed that the proposed Through-out method was more effective in handling full threat coverage and dynamic threats than traditional path planning methods namely, Detour or Cross Gaps. Our study offers valuable insights into autonomous path planning for UAVs that operate under complex threat conditions. This work is anticipated to contribute to the future development of more advanced and intelligent UAV systems.