Topology Control Method for UAV Clusters Based on the Virtual Backbone Network

Abstract

UAV cluster is a powerful tool for the effective execution of complex tasks in the era of intelligence, and the merits of the cluster network topology control method directly affect the performance of the network and the efficiency of cluster task execution. In this paper, a distributed cluster virtual backbone network construction algorithm (DCBNCA) is proposed for the topology control of the UAV cluster network. In this particular approach, the construction of the neighbor set for each node is accomplished through broadcasting instructions. Furthermore, a weight function is designed for network edges, considering physical attributes such as node degree, energy, and bandwidth. The final virtual backbone network is obtained by establishing connectivity based on the weight values within the independent set of the network. This process enables rapid convergence for topology control. Empirical results indicate that the aforementioned algorithm effectively manages the topology of UAV cluster networks, exhibiting significant performance improvements when compared to the original algorithm.