Multi-UAV Airborne UV Area Coverage and Task Assignment Method

Abstract

To address the area coverage problem in large-scale reconnaissance and detection tasks, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAVs) utilize Ultraviolet(UV) light for flight guidance. Additionally, a UV light power control method is implemented to assist UAVs in adapting to various terrains. Based on the flight characteristics of quadrotor UAVs, the target area is divided into a grid-like format. This transformation helps convert the area coverage task into a multi-UAV path planning problem on a raster map. To address this, constraints are established for assigning tasks to multiple UAVs. An algorithm is proposed to assign the target area uniformly based on the initial position of the UAV, ensuring full coverage. Additionally, the algorithm considers the differences in endurance among multiple UAVs. This improved algorithm is highly suitable for real-life application scenarios. The simulation results demonstrate the power control changes in wireless UV-guided UAV flight. Moreover, the assignment results of the improved algorithm align closely with the theoretical assignment results, considering different parameters like the number of UAVs, initial position, and endurance capacity.