Coverage Path Planning
Automated Planning of Efficient Area Coverage Paths
Coverage Path Planning is the process of calculating a path that enables a vehicle or robot to cover a given area as completely as possible. The generated trajectory takes both the vehicle’s characteristics and the geometry of the operating environment into account. The goal is not only to achieve complete area coverage, but also to do so as efficiently as possible by minimizing travel time, energy consumption, and resource usage.
Our Coverage Path Planning solution automatically generates feasible and efficient coverage paths for a wide range of applications. Obstacles, no-go zones, and complex area geometries are reliably considered throughout the planning process, ensuring safe and robust operation even in challenging environments. The result is a production-ready trajectory that maximizes coverage while reducing unnecessary travel, overlaps, and operational costs.
Our solution
Our mathematically founded solution is based on a four-stage planning strategy. This approach ensures robust, efficient, and feasible coverage paths even in complex scenarios.
1. Area Decomposition
The operating area is divided into easily traversable cells. Boundary regions and headlands can be treated separately.
Benefits
- Handling of complex geometries
- Reliable consideration of obstacles
- Scalable for large operational areas
2. Track Generation
For each cell, parallel tracks are generated according to the working width.
Benefits
- Complete coverage
- Reduced overlaps
- Optimizable working direction
3. Sequence Optimization
The sequence of tracks and the connections between the cells are then optimized.
Benefits
- Shorter overall paths
- Reduced energy consumption
- Increased operational efficiency
4. Path Smoothing and Feasibility
The generated paths are smoothed while taking vehicle-specific constraints into account.
Benefits
- Realistically feasible trajectories
- Compliance with curvature constraints
- Production-ready results
Why TOPAS?
Mathematically Sound: Every planning step is based on scientifically proven methods.
Robust and ready for production: Our algorithms have been developed for use in autonomous systems.
Customizable: The solution can be adapted to different vehicles and operational scenarios.
High Success Rate: In extensive testing, successful solutions were generated for more than 97% of the evaluated use cases.
Application Examples
Agriculture
In agriculture, Coverage Path Planning enables the efficient planning of tracks for seeding, fertilization, crop protection, and other field operations. The generated paths take field boundaries, obstacles, and machine-specific requirements into account to minimize overlaps and uncovered areas. This allows resources to be used more effectively, reduces operating time, and increases the productivity of modern agricultural machinery.
Drones & UAVs
For surveying, inspection, and monitoring applications, Coverage Path Planning supports the automatic generation of efficient flight routes. The system ensures the most complete coverage possible of the target area while simultaneously taking obstacles, no-fly zones, and the drone’s limited flight range into account. This enables large-scale missions to be planned reliably and makes optimal use of valuable flight time.
Maritime Applications
In hydrographic surveying, environmental monitoring, and autonomous maritime missions, Coverage Path Planning helps ensure the systematic and efficient coverage of large operational areas. Optimized routes reduce unnecessary travel distances and enable reliable data collection, even in complex environments. This improves the utilization of available resources and increases the overall efficiency of maritime operations.
Industrial Surface Processing
In industrial applications such as spray painting, milling, or laser cleaning, Coverage Path Planning ensures uniform and complete surface treatment. Automated planning of optimized tool paths helps reduce processing times, improve material efficiency, and maintain consistently high process quality. Even complex workpiece geometries can be processed reliably and efficiently.
Partners
Adlerblix
ADLERBLIX stands for innovative drone surveying, advanced photogrammetry, and highly accurate aerial imaging. With many years of experience and state-of-the-art drone and fixed-wing aircraft technology, the company provides professional surveying solutions for the construction, infrastructure, agriculture, environmental conservation, and public sectors.
Founded by engineer Yannick Roßkamp, ADLERBLIX combines technical expertise with practical, real-world solutions. Using autonomous flight systems, the company generates georeferenced aerial imagery, orthophotos, 3D terrain models, point clouds, and precise site plans quickly, efficiently, and with an accuracy of up to ±2 centimeters.
From small-scale projects to areas covering several hundred hectares, ADLERBLIX delivers reliable data to support informed planning and decision-making. Numerous successfully completed projects demonstrate the company’s expertise and commitment to the highest standards of quality.
Ardudeck
ArduDeck is a modern ground control station for any platform. A native application for ArduPilot, iNav, and Betaflight on Windows, macOS, and Linux, it provides mission planning, telemetry, parameter management, firmware flashing, and log analysis. It is open source and free to use.
We develop software and build drones, both entirely in-house. ArduDeck is our ground station: an open-source application for ArduPilot, iNav, and Betaflight, running natively on Windows, macOS, and Linux, with support for mission planning, telemetry, firmware flashing, Software-in-the-Loop (SITL) simulation, and log analysis.
In addition, we develop complete UAV systems, from airframes and companion computers to payload integration. By building both the hardware and software sides ourselves, we eliminate compromises at the interface and deliver seamless, highly integrated solutions.
Do You Have a Specific Use Case?
We tailor our Coverage Path Planning solution to your individual application requirements – from autonomous vehicles and drones to industrial automation systems.