A Path Planning Algorithm for UAV Based on Improved Q-Learning

In this paper, a new learning algorithm based on improved Q-learning is proposed using for path planning of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in an unknown antagonistic environment. According to the optimized object of UAV's task, the reward function is designed, and a new action selection strategy and a Q-function initialization method are used to improve the performance of the proposed algorithm. We use the STAGE Scenario simulation software as the training and validation environment, and a plug-in is designed to build up the link between the environment and learning algorithms. Finally, the experimental results show that the improved method is more effective than the original method, and the proposed algorithm is feasible and effective for UAV path planning.