An RRT* Optimization-based Path Planning Method for Ground Module of Air-ground Vehicle

Path planning is one of the core technologies to realize air-ground vehicle docking. In order to plan a smooth and collision-free path, an RRT* optimization-based path planning method for the ground module of the air-ground vehicle is proposed in this paper. Considering the planned path for docking should be collision-free, effective and smooth, the path planning problem is formulated as an optimization problem with the optimization objective and constraints, in which kinematics constraints are considered to smooth the path and collision-free constraints are accurately formulated. For that the optimization problem is nonlinear, a reasonable and feasible initial guess generated by modified RRT* with Bezier curve is provided to assist in solving the optimization problem. The proposed method is verified under the general docking scene. The results show that the method can plan a smooth, safe and efficient path, which can effectively improve the safety and efficiency of the air-ground vehicle docking task.