Heterogeneous Aerial Platform Adaptive Mission Planning Using Genetic Algorithms

Abstract

The focus of this study was to examine an automated mission planner that utilized a heterogeneous set of small aerial assets simultaneously surveying several Points of Interest (POI). The concept mission was to aerially search for an unknown Target of Interest (TOI) located amongst a set of POIs. In order to develop a planning system that is capable of meeting mission requirements, an adaptive mission planner, based on a Genetic Algorithm (GA), was investigated that seeks to task a heterogeneous set of unmanned aerial vehicles. Initially, a set of fixed wing UAVs were tasked to survey a set of POIs in search of a TOI, a POI that requires additional or long term surveillance. Once a TOI was located, a multi-rotor UAV was deployed to visit the TOI and additional POIs. Remaining POIs that were not tasked to the multi-rotor UAV were then re-tasked amongst the fixed wing aircraft set. The mission planner was implemented using a GA that planned initial and post TOI identification UAV paths. Mission simulations were conducted and the mission time increase was analyzed against different TOI locations and number of UAVs searching. Simulation results indicated that the deployment of a multi-rotor UAV not only provided additional surveillance of the TOI, but reduced overall mission times as well.