Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Path Planning in Complex Dynamic Environments Based on Deep Reinforcement Learning

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Path Planning in Complex Dynamic Environments Based on Deep Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Jiandong Liu, Wei Luo, Guoqing Zhang, Ruihao Li
Source: Machines ; Volume 13 ; Issue 2 ; Pages: 162
Publisher Information: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Publication Year: 2025
Collection: MDPI Open Access Publishing
Subject Terms: UAV obstacle avoidance, artificial potential field, dynamic environment, DQN algorithm, Yolov8
Description: In this paper, an enhanced deep reinforcement learning approach is presented for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) operating in dynamic and potentially hazardous environments. Initially, the capability to discern obstacles from visual data is achieved through the application of the Yolov8-StrongSort technique. Concurrently, a novel data storage system for deep Q-networks (DQN), named dynamic data memory (DDM), is introduced to hasten the learning process and convergence for UAVs. Furthermore, addressing the issue of UAVs’ paths veering too close to obstacles, a novel strategy employing an artificial potential field to adjust the reward function is introduced, which effectively guides the UAVs away from proximate obstacles. Rigorous simulation tests in an AirSim-based environment confirm the effectiveness of these methods. Compared to DQN, dueling DQN, M-DQN, improved Q-learning, DDM-DQN, EPF (enhanced potential field), APF-DQN, and L1-MBRL, our algorithm achieves the highest success rate of 77.67%, while also having the lowest average number of moving steps. Additionally, we conducted obstacle avoidance experiments with UAVs with different densities of obstacles. These tests highlight fast learning convergence and real-time obstacle detection and avoidance, ensuring successful achievement of the target.
Document Type: text
File Description: application/pdf
Language: English
Relation: Automation and Control Systems; https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/machines13020162
DOI: 10.3390/machines13020162
Availability: https://doi.org/10.3390/machines13020162
Rights: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Accession Number: edsbas.5BBA5E48
Database: BASE
Description
Abstract:In this paper, an enhanced deep reinforcement learning approach is presented for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) operating in dynamic and potentially hazardous environments. Initially, the capability to discern obstacles from visual data is achieved through the application of the Yolov8-StrongSort technique. Concurrently, a novel data storage system for deep Q-networks (DQN), named dynamic data memory (DDM), is introduced to hasten the learning process and convergence for UAVs. Furthermore, addressing the issue of UAVs’ paths veering too close to obstacles, a novel strategy employing an artificial potential field to adjust the reward function is introduced, which effectively guides the UAVs away from proximate obstacles. Rigorous simulation tests in an AirSim-based environment confirm the effectiveness of these methods. Compared to DQN, dueling DQN, M-DQN, improved Q-learning, DDM-DQN, EPF (enhanced potential field), APF-DQN, and L1-MBRL, our algorithm achieves the highest success rate of 77.67%, while also having the lowest average number of moving steps. Additionally, we conducted obstacle avoidance experiments with UAVs with different densities of obstacles. These tests highlight fast learning convergence and real-time obstacle detection and avoidance, ensuring successful achievement of the target.
DOI:10.3390/machines13020162