Path planner for unmanned aerial vehicles based on modified PSO algorithm

Most path planning algorithms existed have disadvantages in space representation, constraints handling or computation efficiency. Combining particle swarm optimization with path planning problem for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), a new path planner for aerial vehicles based on modified PSO algorithm is presented. Path planning problem is modeled as a 5-element array. Incorporating constraints into fitness evaluation reduces search space while a modified PSO algorithm is introduced to improve global optimization performance. Experiment results demonstrate that the proposed method is able to solve path planning problem effectively and provide a feasible path in a short time.