A 3D path planning method of near ground UAV based on digital terrain smoothing and artificial potential field
According to the special requirements of a UAV in the terrain following and avoidance missions,a new 3D flight path planning method based on the digital terrain smoothing technique is presented.The devised method has two steps:1)the first step is to access the SRTM digital terrain model and smooth it by setting safe altitude,reducing slopes and curvatures,so that a safe flight surface is generated;2)in the second step,an improved vector field method is designed to search the optimal flight path from a given starting point to a specified destination on the basis of the obtained safe flight surface,taking into account the maneuver constraints and threat indicators of the UAV.Simulation experiments were conducted using the designed 3D path planning simulation program,and the simulation results show that the designed path planning method can obtain the best 3D flight path while avoiding threat sources with good feasibility and effectiveness.
near ground flightSRTM digital terrainartificial potential field method3D path planning