On UAV source seeking with complex dynamic characteristics and multiple constraints: A cooperative standoff monitoring mode

Abstract

Aiming at the source-seeking problem with complex dynamic characteristics and multiple constraints in a three-dimensional (3-D) environment, a cooperative standoff monitoring mode that uses unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is proposed in this paper. First, the dynamic pollutant field is modeled by a 3-D advection-diffusion partial differential equation (PDE), and quantifiable indexes are proposed for source seeking around multiple constraints, which consist of UAV kinematics, no-fly zones and cumulative exposure to the high concentration of pollutants. Second, to eliminate the essential gradient information in source seeking of the dependence on known advection and diffusion coefficients in the PDE, UAVs cooperatively estimate the spatial gradient of the pollutant field by the least squares method. Third, a cooperative standoff monitoring mode for source seeking is proposed based on dynamic level set tracking and an interfered fluid dynamical system (IFDS), and receding horizon control (RHC) is introduced to improve the source-seeking effect. Finally, source localization is achieved by the UAVs with the multiple constraints being satisfied, and the effectiveness of the proposed method is validated by the simulation results.