On-line path planning for the fixed-wing UAV in obstacle environment

On-line path planning for the fixed-wing UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) in polygonal obstacle environment is a very challenging problem due to its high demand of both hard real-time capability and the quality of solutions. This paper describes a rapid incremental on-line path planning scheme for fixed-wing UAVs in an environment cluttered by polygonal obstacles. We first describe an avoidance procedure based on the partition of the polygons. Then a rapid and effective practical on-line planning incremental planning scheme is presented. The on-line planning scheme takes account of size of the fixed wing UAV and path following errors, and it can be applied to the environment with partially known map as well. The performance on-line planning scheme is evaluated and verified through on-line simulations.