Analysis of dynamic cluster head selection for mission-oriented flying Ad hoc network

Abstract

In recent years, the functions and roles of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been rapidly developed with evolution of technologies such as communication and networking, sensors, and robotic systems. In addition, Flying Ad hoc Networks (FANETs), ad-hoc networks for Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), increase the coverage and ability to transmit/receive data in an extended range. For these reasons, a UAS promise new application areas for military and specific missions, such as search and rescue operations, target detection and attacks. However, due to three dimensional mobility with high speed and dynamic topology changes of UAVs in the air, a stable connection between UAV and Ground Control Station (GCS) for data exchange in ad-hoc mode is one of the biggest issues in FANET. The energy consumption is also an important issue, which ensures sufficient flight time of UAVs to perform assigned missions from a GCS. In this paper, we introduce the cluster head selection algorithms for FANET to achieve stable connection of UAS and reduction of energy consumption. Finally, the cluster head selection techniques which are suitable for mission-oriented FANET environments are discussed.