Page 94 - 2023-Vol19-Issue2

Received: 22 March 2023 | Revised: 29 April 2023 | Accepted: 1 May 2023

DOI: 10.37917/ijeee.19.2.11 Vol. 19 | Issue 2 | December 2023

Open Access

Iraqi Journal for Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Original Article

An Efficient Path Planning in Uncertainty Environments

using Dynamic Grid-Based and Potential Field Methods

Suhaib Al-Ansarry *, Salah Al-Darraji, Dhafer G. Honi
Department of Computer Science, College of Education for Pure Sciences, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq

Correspondance
* Suhaib Al-Ansarry
Department of Computer Science,
College of Education for Pure Sciences,
University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq.
Email: suhaib.alansarry@uobasrah.edu.iq

Abstract
Path planning is an essential concern in robotic systems, and it refers to the process of determining a safe and optimal
path starting from the source state to the goal one within dynamic environments. We proposed an improved path
planning method in this article, which merges the Dijkstra algorithm for path planning with Potential Field (PF) collision
avoidance. In real-time, the method attempts to produce multiple paths as well as determine the suitable path that’s
both short and reliable (safe). The Dijkstra method is employed to produce multiple paths, whereas the Potential Field
is utilized to assess the safety of each route and choose the best one. The proposed method creates links between the
routes, enabling the robot to swap between them if it discovers a dynamic obstacle on its current route. Relating to path
length and safety, the simulation results illustrate that Dynamic Dijkstra-Potential Field (Dynamic D-PF) achieves better
performance than the Dijkstra and Potential Field each separately, and going to make it a promising solution for the
application of robotic automation within dynamic environments.

Keywords
Robotic, Path Planning, Dijkstra, Potential Field, Static Obstacle, Dynamic Environment.

I. INTRODUCTION that considers the robot’s motion constraints, obstacle avoid-
ance, and optimality criteria to compute an optimal and safe
Designing the path for an autonomous robot is a crucial task, path.
especially when operating in dynamic environments where ob-
stacles can appear or disappear unexpectedly in real-time. The Several planner algorithms have been discussed in the
objective of planning the robot’s path is to identify a secure previous literatures. A* is a heuristic search algorithm that
and efficient route from the initial location to the desired end- uses a cost function to evaluate the distance from the starting
point, considering the existence of obstacles. [1] In dynamic point to the goal, considering the appearance of obstacles. [2]
environments, the primary challenge is to devise a path that is Dijkstra is a graph-based algorithm that finds the shortest path
both safe and optimal while allowing the robot to adapt to any between two nodes [3], while the Rapidly Exploring Random
changes in the environment and modify its course accordingly. Tree (RRT) is a sampling-based algorithm that generates a
Finding a path that is safe from potential threats and efficient tree structure and finds a path by connecting the starting and
to meet the objective requires an extensive understanding of goal points. [4], [5] Artificial Potential Field (APF) is a tech-
the environment and the robot’s capabilities. This involves nique that uses a potential field to guide the robot away from
analyzing data from various sources such as sensors, cameras, obstacles based on the gradient of the field. [6] Despite the
and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) to detect obstacles success of these traditional path planning algorithms, they
and other hazards, and then employing a suitable algorithm have limitations in dynamic environments. [7] For example,
A* and Dijkstra are computationally intensive and may not

This is an open-access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
©2023 The Authors.
Published by Iraqi Journal for Electrical and Electronic Engineering | College of Engineering, University of Basrah.

https://doi.org/10.37917/ijeee.19.2.11 |https://www.ijeee.edu.iq 90