UAV Maritime Search and Rescue Based on Improved A* and RCPP Algorithms for Path Planning

The purpose of this paper is to realize the path planning of the search and rescue process of the UAV at sea. The first part of this paper wonder to find local optimal path planning from the UAV launch base station to the target area. Meanwhile the next part is to find full-coverage optimal path planning of the UAV in the target area, and to ensure the minimum energy consumption in the process of achieving the goal. For local path planning, this paper adopts the A* algorithm as the main algorithm and integrates the DWA algorithm to improve it, for the purpose to reduce the number of UAV turns and turn angles while achieving dynamic obstacle avoidance during the flight. For full-range path planning, this paper adopts the RCPP algorithm to achieve full-area coverage of the UAV on various irregular sea areas, and the energy efficiency of the UAV flight can be improved by determining the best starting and ending points. Through the implementation of the two-part algorithm, it can meet the speed and accuracy requirements of maritime UAV search and rescue, ensure the shortest search and rescue time, and achieve the most efficient energy utilization.