Path planning and obstacle avoidance algorithm for UAV formation based on sliding mode predictive control

This paper introduces a spatiotemporally coupled coordination framework to address the limitations of conventional navigation strategies for UAV swarm operations, particularly with respect to dynamic obstacle avoidance and formation stability. The approach integrates an improved A* algorithm with dynamic potential field fusion, thereby ensuring global path optimality and local control feasibility. A sliding mode predictive control (SMPC) scheme is developed to guarantee exponential convergence of formation errors. Extensive experimental evaluations demonstrate an 81.5% reduction in path redundancy, a 100% success rate in dynamic obstacle avoidance, and an 86.5% enhancement in trajectory smoothness. These findings validate the superior effectiveness of the proposed method in complex and dynamic environments.