Unified Motion Planning Method for Heterogeneous Tracked Vehicles

A motion planning method based on the offline generation and online extension and selection of motion primitives is proposed for planning the motion of heterogeneous tracked vehicles under a unified algorithm framework. The heterogeneous tracked vehicle studied refers to a tracked vehicle equipped with three different steering mechanisms. The optimized generation of motion primitives takes trajectory smoothness as the goal. A motion primitive library that meets the motion planning requirements of heterogeneous tracked vehicles is generated by comprehensively considering the differentiated behavior constraints of heterogeneous tracked vehicles, platform kinematics model constraints, smooth transition constraints, etc. The extension and selection of motion primitives are based on a unified algorithm framework, which comprehensively considers the attributes of the motion primitives, reference lines, expected velocity, obstacles, and other factors. By selecting the appropriate primitives from the motion primitive library to form the primitive sequences, the coordinated motion at the level of trajectory and velocity is planned. The results show that the proposed unified motion planning method for heterogeneous tracked vehicles, with the help of differentiated behavior constraints when primitives are generated, and unequal selection weights set according to primitive attributes, generates a motion planning result that reflects the difference in characteristics of heterogeneous tracked vehicles and meets real-time requirements. © 2022, Editorial Board of Acta Armamentarii. All right reserved.