A Novel Cluster-Based Location-Aided Routing Protocol for UAV Fleet Networks

Abstract

With the extensive applications of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), there is an urgent need for building UAV fleet networks to enhance the overall operational efficiency, in which the architecture of mobile Ad Hoc network (MANET) should be adopted. In this paper, we propose a novel routing protocol to address the issues of routing in UAV fleet networks, referred to as Cluster-Based LocationAided Dynamic Source Routing (CBLADSR). CBLADSR forms stable cluster architecture of UAV fleet as the basis and then performs route discovery and route maintenance by using the geographic location of UAVs. The clustering process utilizes Node-Weight heuristic algorithm to elect cluster heads and form clusters, while the routing process is a combination of Intra Cluster Routing and Inter Cluster Routing, which employs short-range transmission and long-range transmission respectively. Simulation results have shown that CBLADSR outperforms DSR and GRP significantly in successful delivery ratio and average end-to-end delay, as well as in scalability and dynamic performance, which make it more suitable to be applied in UAV fleet networks.