Three-Dimensional Path Planning of UAV Based on Improved A* Algorithm

In this paper, an improved A* algorithm is proposed to solve the problem that the traditional A* algorithm has too many expanded redundant nodes and low search efficiency in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) path planning within the 3D environment. By selecting an appropriate heuristic function, a balance between search speed and path optimality is achieved. To address the issue of redundant searches when equal-cost paths exist, a tie breaker is introduced. Finally, an improved bidirectional search strategy is employed to further enhance overall search efficiency. Through the simulation comparison experiments with Dijkstra algorithm, traditional A* algorithm and Jump Point Search (JPS) algorithm under different sizes of maps and different obstacle densities, the results show that the improved A* algorithm can significantly reduce the generation of redundant expanded nodes and greatly improve the search efficiency compared with the traditional A* algorithm.