An Improved A* Algorithm for Ocean-Going Vessels to Avoid Dynamic Time-Varying Obstacle Areas

At present, ocean-going vessels typically rely on static and dynamic environmental information obtained from meteorological forecasts for path planning. However, there is no optimal global path planning algorithm that can balance the computational speed and avoiding of dynamic obstacles. A brief overview of the commonly used A* algorithm and other popular path planning algorithms is given in the paper, and an improved A* algorithm is proposed. By employing the Probabilistic Roadmap Method (PRM) for mapping, the proposed algorithm enhances the capability to handle continuous spaces and increases flexibility in path planning. Furthermore, during the search process, the algorithm incorporates an assessment of the suitability of points to be explored at subsequent steps, enabling ocean-going vessels to rapidly plan the shortest path that avoids dynamic time-varying obstacle areas.