Optimal Path Planning for Aerial Load Transportation in Complex Environments using PSO-Improved Artificial Potential Fields

In this article, we investigate the optimal path planning for aerial load transportation in complex, dynamic, and static environments using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). A hierarchical optimal control system is designed for a quadrotor equipped with a cable-suspended payload, employing Euler-Lagrange equations of motion. To navigate through obstacles, an improved artificial potential field combined with the PSO algorithm is used to determine the shortest path for a virtual point, acting as a leader. This leader guides the system toward the target point while avoiding collisions with both fixed and moving obstacles. The gravitational and repulsion coefficient forces using various PSO methods are fine-tuned to achieve the best trajectory and minimize time duration. The identified point serves as the desired location for quadrotor position control, based on a sliding mode strategy. Finally, we present numerical results to demonstrate the successful transportation of the payload by the system.