Tactical Route Planning

The goal of a route planning system is to analyze all available information to produce a route that is optimal in light of predetermined constraints. Two levels of planning are always involved. First, high-level information in the form of a terrain map with identified constraint and threat areas must be analyzed to produce a global route. This level focuses on exploiting terrain data while ignoring smaller obstacles such as trees and rocks. Second, low level information in the form of sensory data (e. g. visual imagery) must be analyzed in order to (1) produce a local route through individual terrain map pixel areas and (2) validate proposed global routes. This section describes high level route planning in the Autonomous Helicopter System (AHS).