A bi-level planning approach of logistics unmanned aerial vehicle route network

Abstract

The rapid growth of e-commerce in urban areas has put incremental pressure on delivery. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has great potential in the logistics field with the aggravation of ground congestion. This study proposes a logistics UAV route network planning approach based on the bi-level program, which from the perspectives of network managers and users. The upper model focuses on the macro network configuration, while the lower model focuses on the UAV traffic flow distribution. The two-layer Simulated Annealing (SA) is presented to deal with the iterative process of network topology and traffic flow balance allocation. A case study is carried out using a region from Nanjing, to introduce the application of this bi-level approach. The results suggest that there is a positive correlation between the network overall length and the flow entropy, a negative correlation between the network overall length and the nonlinear coefficient. When the maximum transit time of UAV is 3, the comprehensive performance of network operation is optimal. This study provides a new way for logistics UAV network planning in urban areas, which is significant to regulate the operation of large-scale UAVs.