# Global Path Planning Methods Based on the Relationship Between Traversability Capability and Terrain Matching

## TL;DR

This paper presents a new global path planning method for unmanned ground vehicles in challenging terrains by integrating traversability analysis and terrain matching.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is a unified planning strategy that combines road network expansion with vehicle mobility limits for improved navigation in degraded environments.

## Key findings

- A grid-based traversability evaluation was developed to assess terrain features.
- A road network expansion algorithm was introduced to densify critical segments.
- The proposed framework improves operational efficiency of high-mobility vehicles in unstructured environments.

## Abstract

In contrast to structured urban settings, road networks in post-disaster or unstructured wildland environments are often incomplete or compromised. Navigation in these contexts requires navigating complex terrains and mitigating potential hazards that impede unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). While high-mobility off-road vehicles are specifically designed to traverse challenging features like ditches and steep slopes, traditional path planning algorithms often fail to exploit these capabilities. These algorithms typically suffer from a binary focus, either relying strictly on road networks or ignoring them altogether, thereby neglecting the synergy between infrastructure and vehicle mobility. This chapter introduces a global path planning method based on traversability analysis and terrain matching to bridge this gap. The methodology incorporates a grid-based traversability evaluation, a road network expansion algorithm for densifying critical segments, and a unified planning strategy. By correlating terrain characteristics with vehicle mobility limits and optimizing the road network density, the proposed framework achieves an integrated on-road and off-road planning solution that maximizes the operational efficiency of high-mobility vehicles in degraded environments.