Dynamic programming applied to UAV way point path planning in wind

Path planning for small unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) becomes a difficult problem when accounting for wind. Wind can affect the path quality in a nonlinear manner requiring extended segment lengths for accurate measurements. Dynamic programming offers an efficient solution to create way point paths justified when settling lengths are linearly interpolated. A database of good turn progressions supports this method and can be composed off-line. The heuristic inherent in dynamic programming provides near optimal paths in very fast computational time because it restricts the search to a small number of candidates. A solution can be guaranteed by including turns over 180°.