Path Planning for Substation Inspection Robot via Improved A* Algorithm

In this work, a composite path planning strategy is presented for the substation inspection robot. Specifically, a genetic algorithm (GA)-improved A* algorithm is proposed for global path planning, while the dynamic window approach (DWA) is employed for local path planning. Initially, the occupancy grid model of the substation environment and the kinematics model of the differential-drive robot are constructed. Subsequently, by incorporating collision cost and augmenting the heuristic cost, an enhanced A* algorithm is proposed to improve the safety and planning efficiency of the path. Concurrently, the fundamental framework of the GA is devised to boost both the search efficiency and quality. Moreover, DWA employed in this paper is a local path planning algorithm with the advantages of rapid search speed and smooth planned path. Finally, the algorithm developed in this paper is compared with several existing algorithms. The simulation results validate its effectiveness and superiority.