Research on path planning methods for autonomous dump trucks in open-pit mines

To address the requirements for left-side driving and the issue of smoothing efficiency for long-distance transportation routes of mining dump trucks in open-pit mine environments, a path planning method that combines a left-side driving hybrid A* algorithm based on Clothoid curve expansion with a smoothing algorithm that minimizes the diagonal vector norm of discrete points is proposed. Initially, Clothoid curves are used instead of traditional circular arcs in the hybrid A* node expansion search process, ensuring the continuity of curvature and meeting the requirements for curvature change rate limitations in the hybrid A* search path. The left-side driving rules are then applied to improve both the cumulative cost and heuristic cost within the hybrid A* framework, incorporating left-turn costs and collision attraction costs to ensure the path veers leftward and follows along the left side of the map border. The heuristic cost is adjusted based on the relation of the expansion direction to the nearest point