Real-Time Motion Planning of UAV for Dynamic Target Tracking in Complex Environments

Abstract

In this paper, the real-time motion planning framework for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is proposed to solve the dynamic target tracking problem in complex environments. The framework is applicable to 3D path planning and trajectory optimization of UAV, which can effectively reduce the unsmoothness during UAV flight and achieve real-time tracking of dynamic targets in 3D space. The framework is divided into two parts: the front-end uses a graph search-based method to find the shortest path for the UAV to approach the dynamic target, while the back-end uses the GP (Gaussian Potential)-B-Spline soft-constrained trajectory optimization method to optimize the shortest path of the front-end, and design the trajectory that conforms to the motion for the UAV. The results show that the method exhibits excellent tracking performance in complex environments and has a wide potential for practical applications. © 2024 IEEE.