Minimum Paths to Interception of a Moving Target When Constrained by Turning Radius

Abstract : Entities in some simulations of military operations move unrealistically from point to point and are not constrained by their turning radius. The fidelity of this representation may be insufficient for operations research studies. In this paper a pursuer intercepting a target is considered, where the pursuer and target are moving at constant speeds in two dimensions and the target has a constant velocity. The minimum feasible path to interception for a given turning radius is sought. A rigorous analysis of the model constraints produced an algorithm that can be used to systematically search the feasible region for the minimum path to interception. At the core of the algorithm is a single implicit equation for the minimum time to interception. This enables the effect of turning radius to be incorporated as a constraint into simulations of military operations, improving their fidelity. The algorithm is also straightforward to implement when compared with, for example, a traditional flight dynamics model, and has a broad range of applications in path optimization problems, the development of computer games and robotics.

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