A Path Planning Model for Intercepting a Moving Target with Finite Obstacle Avoidance

TL;DR

This paper presents a geometric optimal control model for UAV path planning to intercept moving targets while avoiding multiple static obstacles, validated through numerical experiments and a real-world geographic case study.

Contribution

It introduces a novel geometric framework for optimal UAV interception paths considering obstacle avoidance and target interception constraints.

Findings

Effective path planning with obstacle avoidance demonstrated in numerical simulations.

Model successfully applied to real geographic data for practical scenarios.

Proposed method ensures optimality under geometric and dynamic constraints.

Abstract

This paper investigates the problem of computing a two-dimensional optimal curvature straight line (CS) shortest path for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to intercept a moving target, with both the UAV (pursuer) and target travelling at constant speeds. We formulate an optimal control problem that integrates two critical objectives: avoiding static obstacles and successfully intercepting the target. The approach introduces constraints derived from obstacle avoidance and target interception requirements. A geometric framework is developed, along with sufficient conditions for path optimality under the imposed constraints. The problem is initially examined in the presence of a single obstacle and later extended to scenarios involving a finite number of obstacles. Numerical experiments are carried out to evaluate the performance and efficiency of the proposed model using illustrative examples. Finally, we present a realistic case study using actual geographic data, including obstacle placement, target trajectory, and heading angles, to demonstrate the practical applicability and effectiveness of the proposed method in real-world scenarios.