Reactive route selection from pre-calculated trajectories – application to micro-UAV path planning

Abstract

Abstract Operating micro-UAVs autonomously in complex urban areas requires that the guidance algorithms on-board are robust to changes in the operating environment. Limited endurance capability demands an optimal guidance algorithm, which will change as the environment does. All optimal path-planning routines are computationally intensive, with processor load a function of the environmental complexity. This paper presents a new algorithm, the reactive route selection algorithm, for storing a bank of optimal trajectories computed off-line and blending between these optimal trajectories as the operating environment changes. An example is presented using a mixed-integer linear program to generate the optimal trajectories.