Multiobjective Spherical Vector-Based Particle Swarm Optimisation for 3D UAV Path Planning

With the wide application of UAVs in environmental monitoring, security inspection, and military security, UAV path planning becomes more important. A multiobjective particle swarm optimisation based on spherical vector for 3D UAV path planning is proposed in this study. The path planning is regarded as a multiobjective problem, where the constrained path length and terrain threat degree are considered simultaneously. An improved spherical vector-based particle swarm optimisation is designed to deal with the multiobjective problem for 3D UAV path planning, where a local search can increase the diversity of solutions and prevent falling into local optimal. Experimental results show that the proposed approach can obtain the short and smooth flight paths at a low cost for different scenarios.