Improving Lateral Safety Distance-Based on Feature Detection and Probabilistic Roadmaps for Unmanned Vehicle Path Planning

Abstract

Most of the existing path-planning algorithms do not consider lateral safe distance requirements in practical applications. Hence, in this study, a new path point selection algorithm is proposed for path planning. The algorithm first used the Harris and Line Segment Detector(LSD) algorithms to detect and obtain the corner and edge information of obstacles. A vertical line was provided to the edge of the surrounding obstacles along each corner successively. In this process, the narrow impassable area in the map was filtered and removed by setting a safety threshold, and the foot of the vertical coordinates were simultaneously obtained. The corresponding midpoint coordinates were solved by using the corner coordinates and the foot of the corresponding perpendicular coordinates. The midpoint coordinates were used as candidate points to generate path points. These candidate points are screened and relaxed using the Probabilistic Roadmaps(PRM) algorithm to obtain the series of path points required. Finally, the path was planned according to these path points and smoothed using the Quadratic polynomial interpolation method(QPMI). Through simulation experiments, the method proposed in this study can solve a unique path without randomness under given conditions, and the probability of a collision in practical applications was reduced.

Software Architecture for Autonomous and Coordinated Navigation of UAV Swarms in Forest and Urban Firefighting

“…Despite the advantages presented, path generation through PRM-based probabilistic exploration presents the drawback that the paths generated tend to present a Zig-Zag pattern that can affect the flight dynamics of UAVs [27,28]. For this reason, the implemented path planner combines, in a final phase, with a path smoothing algorithm responsible for removing unnecessary path points, thus improving the pattern of the paths, favoring the achievement of long stretches of straight lines and, in addition, optimizing the total distance traveled by the swarm and, with it, response times and efficiency when completing a mission.…”