Mobile Robot Path Planning Based on Kinematically Constrained A-Star Algorithm and DWA Fusion Algorithm

Path-planning research has been the key to mobile-robot-navigation technology. However, traditional path-planning algorithms have some shortcomings. To solve these problems, this paper proposes a fusion algorithm that combines the kinematical constrained A* algorithm with the Dynamic Window Approach (DWA) algorithm. The kinematical constrained A* algorithm can plan the global path, and then the DWA algorithm can plan the local path under the global path’s guidance. Firstly, combined with robot kinematics, we improve the node-expansion method and heuristic-function model of the A* algorithm, which improves the search efficiency, reduces the number of path bends and lowers the computational cost so that the path generated by the A* algorithm better meets the needs of robot motion. Secondly, we optimize the trajectory-evaluation function of the DWA algorithm so that the local paths planned by the DWA algorithm are smoother and more coherent, which is easier for robot-motion execution. Finally, we extract the key nodes from the global path planned by the A* algorithm to guide the DWA algorithm for local path planning and dynamic-obstacle avoidance and to make the local path closer to the global path. Through simulation and practical experiments, the effectiveness of the fusion algorithm proposed in this paper is verified.