Elliptical encirclement control capable of reinforcing performances for UAVs around a dynamic target

Most researches associated with target encircling control are focused on moving along a circular orbit under an ideal environment free from external disturbances.However,elliptical encirclement with a time-varying observation radius,may permit a more flexible and high-efficacy enclosing solution,whilst the non-orthogonal property between axial and tangential speed components,non-ignorable environmental perturbations,and strict assignment requirements empower elliptical encircling control to be more challenging,and the relevant investigations are still open.Following this line,an appointed-time elliptical encircling control rule capable of reinforcing circumnavigation performances is developed to enable Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAVs)to move along a specified elliptical path within a predetermined reaching time.The remarkable merits of the designed strategy are that the relative distance controlling error can be guaranteed to evolve within specified regions with a designer-specified convergence behavior.Meanwhile,wind perturbations can be online counteracted based on an unknown system dynamics estimator(USDE)with only one regulating parameter and high computational efficiency.Lyapunov tool demonstrates that all involved error variables are ultimately limited,and simulations are implemented to confirm the usability of the suggested control algorithm.

Distributed Multicircular Circumnavigation Control for UAVs with Desired Angular Spacing

This paper addresses a multicircular circumnavigation control for UAVs with desired angular spacing around a nonstationary target.By defining a coordinated error relative to neighboring angular spacing,under the premise that target information is perfectly accessible by all nodes,a centralized circular enclosing control strategy is derived for multiple UAVs connected by an undirected graph to allow for formation behaviors concerning the moving target.Besides,to avoid the requirement of target’s states being accessible for each UAV,fixed-time distributed observers are introduced to acquire the state estimates in a fixed-time sense,and the upper boundary of settling time can be determined offline irrespective of initial properties,greatly releasing the burdensome communication traffic.Then,with the aid of fixed-time distributed observers,a distributed circular circumnavigation controller is derived to force all UAVs to collaboratively evolve along the preset circles while keeping a desired angular spacing.It is inferred from Lyapunov stability that all errors are demonstrated to be convergent.Simulations are offered to verify the utility of proposed protocol.

Multi-UAVs Collaborative Path Planning in the Cramped Environment

Due to its flexibility and complementarity, the multiUAVs system is well adapted to complex and cramped workspaces, with great application potential in the search and rescue(SAR) and indoor goods delivery fields. However, safe and effective path planning of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs)in the cramped environment is always challenging: conflicts with each other are frequent because of high-density flight paths, collision probability increases because of space constraints, and the search space increases significantly, including time scale, 3D scale and model scale. Thus, this paper proposes a hierarchical collaborative planning framework with a conflict avoidance module at the high level and a path generation module at the low level. The enhanced conflict-base search(ECBS) in our framework is improved to handle the conflicts in the global path planning and avoid the occurrence of local deadlock. And both the collision and kinematic models of UAVs are considered to improve path smoothness and flight safety. Moreover, we specifically designed and published the cramped environment test set containing various unique obstacles to evaluating our framework performance thoroughly. Experiments are carried out relying on Rviz, with multiple flight missions: random, opposite, and staggered, which showed that the proposed method can generate smooth cooperative paths without conflict for at least 60 UAVs in a few minutes.The benchmark and source code are released in https://github.com/inin-xingtian/multi-UAVs-path-planner.

基于DPBBO算法的智慧云仓UAV盘库作业优化

针对智慧云仓货物信息量大、易出现账物不符等库存管理问题,迫切需要将无人机(unmanned aerial vehicle, UAV)和工业物联网(industrial Internet of things, IIoT)集成起来,为仓储精细化管理提供解决方案。首先,分析盘库作业数据采集与信息交互运行机制,以危险避障和数据采集为约束函数,考虑了UAV在加速、减速、匀速、转角等飞行条件下的能耗差异,并以能耗最低和时间最短为目标函数构造UAV盘库作业数学模型;然后,设计了差分迁移-分段变异生物地理学优化(differential migration-piecewise mutation-biogeography-based optimization, DPBBO)算法对上述模型进行优化解算;最后,进行了仿真实验验证。结果表明:DPBBO算法对解决该盘库作业问题的效果较优,可以提升库存抽检任务的时效性和库存管理的准确性。

A binary gridding path-planning method for plant-protecting UAVs on irregular fields

The use of plant-protecting unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs)for pesticide spraying is an essential operation in modern agriculture.The balance between reducing pesticide consumption and energy consumption is a significant focus of current research in the path-planning of plant-protecting UAVs.In this study,we proposed a binarization multi-objective model for the irregular field area,specifically an improved non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm–II based on the knee point and plane measurement(KPPM-NSGA-ii).The binarization multi-objective model is applied to convex polygons,concave polygons and fields with complex terrain.The experiments demonstrated that the proposed KPPM-NSGA-ii can obtain better results than the unplanned path method whether the optimization of pesticide consumption or energy consumption is preferred.Hence,the proposed algorithm can save energy and pesticide usage and improve the efficiency in practical applications.

通信约束下UAV集群协同拦截任务分配算法

针对多无人机协同拦截多机动目标的任务分配问题,同时考虑到真实战场环境中存在的通信约束以及探测范围约束条件,本文提出了分步一致性拍卖算法(SCBAA)。首先,对真实战场环境中存在的通信约束以及探测范围约束等问题进行了描述分析,构建了多无人机协同拦截任务分配模型,设计了综合效能函数以及相应约束条件。其次,为解决多无人机协同打击单一目标的不平衡任务分配以及冲突消解问题,将原任务分配过程分为主要任务分配以及次要任务分配两部分,通过多次拍卖以及冲突消解实现多无人机对单一目标的任务分配。仿真结果表明,该算法可有效解决通信约束条件下的分布式多无人机协同拦截问题,并适应动态环境中任务分配对实时性的要求。

UAV-Assisted Dynamic Avatar Task Migration for Vehicular Metaverse Services: A Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach

Avatars, as promising digital representations and service assistants of users in Metaverses, can enable drivers and passengers to immerse themselves in 3D virtual services and spaces of UAV-assisted vehicular Metaverses. However, avatar tasks include a multitude of human-to-avatar and avatar-to-avatar interactive applications, e.g., augmented reality navigation,which consumes intensive computing resources. It is inefficient and impractical for vehicles to process avatar tasks locally. Fortunately, migrating avatar tasks to the nearest roadside units(RSU)or unmanned aerial vehicles(UAV) for execution is a promising solution to decrease computation overhead and reduce task processing latency, while the high mobility of vehicles brings challenges for vehicles to independently perform avatar migration decisions depending on current and future vehicle status. To address these challenges, in this paper, we propose a novel avatar task migration system based on multi-agent deep reinforcement learning(MADRL) to execute immersive vehicular avatar tasks dynamically. Specifically, we first formulate the problem of avatar task migration from vehicles to RSUs/UAVs as a partially observable Markov decision process that can be solved by MADRL algorithms. We then design the multi-agent proximal policy optimization(MAPPO) approach as the MADRL algorithm for the avatar task migration problem. To overcome slow convergence resulting from the curse of dimensionality and non-stationary issues caused by shared parameters in MAPPO, we further propose a transformer-based MAPPO approach via sequential decision-making models for the efficient representation of relationships among agents. Finally, to motivate terrestrial or non-terrestrial edge servers(e.g., RSUs or UAVs) to share computation resources and ensure traceability of the sharing records, we apply smart contracts and blockchain technologies to achieve secure sharing management. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms the MAPPO approach by around 2% and effectively reduces approximately 20% of the latency of avatar task execution in UAV-assisted vehicular Metaverses.

Real-time Rescue Target Detection Based on UAV Imagery for Flood Emergency Response

Timely acquisition of rescue target information is critical for emergency response after a flood disaster.Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAVs)equipped with remote sensing capabilities offer distinct advantages,including high-resolution imagery and exceptional mobility,making them well suited for monitoring flood extent and identifying rescue targets during floods.However,there are some challenges in interpreting rescue information in real time from flood images captured by UAVs,such as the complexity of the scenarios of UAV images,the lack of flood rescue target detection datasets and the limited real-time processing capabilities of the airborne on-board platform.Thus,we propose a real-time rescue target detection method for UAVs that is capable of efficiently delineating flood extent and identifying rescue targets(i.e.,pedestrians and vehicles trapped by floods).The proposed method achieves real-time rescue information extraction for UAV platforms by lightweight processing and fusion of flood extent extraction model and target detection model.The flood inundation range is extracted by the proposed method in real time and detects targets such as people and vehicles to be rescued based on this layer.Our experimental results demonstrate that the Intersection over Union(IoU)for flood water extraction reaches an impressive 80%,and the IoU for real-time flood water extraction stands at a commendable 76.4%.The information on flood stricken targets extracted by this method in real time can be used for flood emergency rescue.

Received Power Based Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) Jamming Detection and Nodes Classification Using Machine Learning

This paper presents a machine-learning method for detecting jamming UAVs and classifying nodes during jamming attacks onWireless Sensor Networks(WSNs).Jamming is a type of Denial of Service(DoS)attack and intentional interference where a malicious node transmits a high-power signal to increase noise on the receiver side to disrupt the communication channel and reduce performance significantly.To defend and prevent such attacks,the first step is to detect them.The current detection approaches use centralized techniques to detect jamming,where each node collects information and forwards it to the base station.As a result,overhead and communication costs increased.In this work,we present a jamming attack and classify nodes into different categories based on their location to the jammer by employing a single node observer.As a result,we introduced a machine learning model that uses distance ratios and power received as features to detect such attacks.Furthermore,we considered several types of jammers transmitting at different power levels to evaluate the proposed metrics using MATLAB.With a detection accuracy of 99.7%for the k-nearest neighbors(KNN)algorithm and average testing accuracy of 99.9%,the presented solution is capable of efficiently and accurately detecting jamming attacks in wireless sensor networks.

DQN-Based Proactive Trajectory Planning of UAVs in Multi-Access Edge Computing

The main aim of future mobile networks is to provide secure,reliable,intelligent,and seamless connectivity.It also enables mobile network operators to ensure their customer’s a better quality of service(QoS).Nowadays,Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAVs)are a significant part of the mobile network due to their continuously growing use in various applications.For better coverage,cost-effective,and seamless service connectivity and provisioning,UAVs have emerged as the best choice for telco operators.UAVs can be used as flying base stations,edge servers,and relay nodes in mobile networks.On the other side,Multi-access EdgeComputing(MEC)technology also emerged in the 5G network to provide a better quality of experience(QoE)to users with different QoS requirements.However,UAVs in a mobile network for coverage enhancement and better QoS face several challenges such as trajectory designing,path planning,optimization,QoS assurance,mobilitymanagement,etc.The efficient and proactive path planning and optimization in a highly dynamic environment containing buildings and obstacles are challenging.So,an automated Artificial Intelligence(AI)enabled QoSaware solution is needed for trajectory planning and optimization.Therefore,this work introduces a well-designed AI and MEC-enabled architecture for a UAVs-assisted future network.It has an efficient Deep Reinforcement Learning(DRL)algorithm for real-time and proactive trajectory planning and optimization.It also fulfills QoS-aware service provisioning.A greedypolicy approach is used to maximize the long-term reward for serving more users withQoS.Simulation results reveal the superiority of the proposed DRL mechanism for energy-efficient and QoS-aware trajectory planning over the existing models.

Combat situation suppression of multiple UAVs based on spatiotemporal cooperative path planning

Aiming at the suppression of enemy air defense(SEAD)task under the complex and complicated combat sce-nario,the spatiotemporal cooperative path planning methods are studied in this paper.The major research contents include opti-mal path points generation,path smoothing and cooperative rendezvous.In the path points generation part,the path points availability testing algorithm and the path segments availability testing algorithm are designed,on this foundation,the swarm intelligence-based path point generation algorithm is utilized to generate the optimal path.In the path smoothing part,taking ter-minal attack angle constraint and maneuverability constraint into consideration,the Dubins curve is introduced to smooth the path segments.In cooperative rendezvous part,we take esti-mated time of arrival requirement constraint and flight speed range constraint into consideration,the speed control strategy and flight path control strategy are introduced,further,the decoupling scheme of the circling maneuver and detouring maneuver is designed,in this case,the maneuver ways,maneu-ver point,maneuver times,maneuver path and flight speed are determined.Finally,the simulation experiments are conducted and the acquired results reveal that the time-space cooperation of multiple unmanned aeriel vehicles(UAVs)is effectively real-ized,in this way,the combat situation suppression against the enemy can be realized in SEAD scenarios.

对抗条件下基于SAC-Lagrangian的UAV智能规划

无人机因其低成本、可消耗、分布部署、敏捷灵活的优势,在多个民用领域大放异彩。但受其智能化程度限制,如何在复杂对抗条件下自主安全完成任务仍存在巨大挑战。针对目前无人机任务规划存在的智能性和安全性问题,提出一种基于安全强化学习算法的无人机智能规划方法(SAC-Lagrangian)。考虑了雷达威胁、禁飞区安全约束和地导对抗条件,将任务规划问题建模为约束马尔可夫决策过程(CMDP),通过拉格朗日乘子法变为对偶问题,采用最大熵柔性行动者-评论家(SAC)算法近似求解最优策略,保证了智能体在遵守安全约束条件下最大化期望回报。仿真结果表明,与其他基线算法相比,所提方法能在保证任务性能的同时确保安全性,适应动态变化的场景,任务完成率达到96%,因此,具有高效、鲁棒和安全的优势。

IRS Assisted UAV Communications against Proactive Eavesdropping in Mobile Edge Computing Networks

In this paper,we consider mobile edge computing(MEC)networks against proactive eavesdropping.To maximize the transmission rate,IRS assisted UAV communications are applied.We take the joint design of the trajectory of UAV,the transmitting beamforming of users,and the phase shift matrix of IRS.The original problem is strong non-convex and difficult to solve.We first propose two basic modes of the proactive eavesdropper,and obtain the closed-form solution for the boundary conditions of the two modes.Then we transform the original problem into an equivalent one and propose an alternating optimization(AO)based method to obtain a local optimal solution.The convergence of the algorithm is illustrated by numerical results.Further,we propose a zero forcing(ZF)based method as sub-optimal solution,and the simulation section shows that the proposed two schemes could obtain better performance compared with traditional schemes.

Cooperative trajectory optimization of UAVs in approaching stage using feedback guidance methods

This paper mainly studies the problem of using UAVs to provide accurate remote target indication for hypersonic projectiles.Based on the optimal trajectory trends and feedback guidance methods,a new cooperative control algorithm is proposed to optimize trajectories of multi-UAVs for target tracking in approaching stage.Based on UAV kinematics and sensor performance models,optimal trajectory trends of UAVs are analyzed theoretically.Then,feedback guidance methods are proposed under the optimal observation trends of UAVs in the approaching target stage,producing trajectories with far less computational complexity and performance very close to the best-known trajectories.Next,the sufficient condition for the UAV to form the optimal observation configuration by the feedback guidance method is presented,which guarantees that the proposed method can optimize the observation trajectory of the UAV in approaching stage.Finally,the feedback guidance method is numerically simulated.Simulation results demonstrate that the estimation performance of the feedback guidance method is superior to the Lyapunov guidance vector field(LGVF)method and verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.Additionally,compared with the receding horizon optimization(RHO)method,the proposed method has the same optimization ability as the RHO method and better real-time performance.

VTOL UAVs for Forest Monitoring and Management via Remote Sensing: A Case Study in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand

The utilization of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) has experienced a remarkable upsurge in various industries, including forestry. Their capacity to expeditiously and effectively cover large tracts of land has resulted in their widespread adoption as a valuable forest management and monitoring tool. The versatility of UAVs extends to their capability to perform quick and efficient surveys of large areas, inventory of tree species, and monitoring of forest health. This research paper reports on the successful utilization of VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) UAV that was designed and built at the IESSD (Institute of Earth Science and Sustainable Development) located in the AAA (Asia Aviation Academy) at KMITL (King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang) Prince of Chumphon Campus, Thailand. The VTOL UAV is employed for resource and environmental missions, as well as forest monitoring by using remote sensing technology. VTOL UAVs are used for aerial surveillance to conduct air photography, data collection, and processing for resource and environmental missions. This research paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the areas at risk of deforestation and forest encroachment in a particular region of Khao Yai National Park in Thailand, highlighting the potential for the resulting photographs to inform evidence-based decision-making and facilitate sustainable forest management practices. This study offers recommendations to develop VTOL UAVs remote sensing capabilities and mitigate deforestation and forest encroachment in Khao Yai National Park.

基于UAV勘察与层次分析法的安阳许家沟露天矿山地质风险评价

矿产资源是社会经济发展的重要基础,在社会发展与生态建设统筹的背景下,矿山地质风险防治与生态环境修复成为矿业研究的焦点。矿山地质风险的分类和量化是矿山地质风险防治和修复的基础,有利于因地制宜制定治理措施。本文基于UAV勘察和层次分析法对安阳许家沟露天矿山群地质风险进行了评价,根据勘察结果总结出边坡崩塌、矿坑坍塌和水土流失3个主要地质风险,各风险层选取4个因素,共12个评价指标,并利用ArcGIS栅格计算模块对选取的12个评价因素进行叠加分析。研究结果显示:高度风险区、显著风险区、一般风险区和稍有风险区的面积分别为13500 m^(2)、39000 m^(2)、26750 m^(2)、45750 m^(2),分别占研究区总面积的10.8%、31.2%、21.4%、36.6%;综合矿山地质风险排序为河西胜利II区<豫隆I区<豫安III区;从豫隆I区到豫安III区,随着研究子区面积的减少,边坡崩塌风险贡献率逐渐降低,矿坑坍塌风险和水土流失风险逐渐升高。研究结果表明,边坡崩塌评分与矿山地质评分呈现双峰态势,而矿坑坍塌风险和水土流失风险呈单峰态势。本文提出危岩清除、矿渣回填、边坡修整、客土恢复林地和耕地、养护治理等治理措施,从而降低矿山地质风险,修复矿山生态。

Detection and analysis of landslide geomorphology based on UAV vertical photogrammetry

High-resolution landslide images are required for detailed geomorphological analysis in complex topographic environment with steep and vertical landslide distribution.This study proposed a vertical route planning method for unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs),which could achieve rapid image collection based on strictly calculated route parameters.The effectiveness of this method was verified using a DJI Mavic 2 Pro,obtaining high-resolution landslide images within the Dongchuan debris flow gully,in the Xiaojiang River Basin,Dongchuan District,Yunnan,China.A three-dimensional(3D)model was constructed by the structure-from-motion and multi-view stereo(SfM-MVS).Micro-geomorphic features were analyzed through visual interpretation,geographic information system(GIS),spatial analysis,and mathematical statistics methods.The results demonstrated that the proposed method could obtain comprehensive vertical information on landslides while improving measurement accuracy.The 3D model was constructed using the vertically oriented flight route to achieve centimeter-level accuracy(horizontal accuracy better than 6 cm,elevation accuracy better than 3 cm,and relative accuracy better than 3.5 cm).The UAV technology could further help understand the micro internal spatial and structural characteristics of landslides,facilitating intuitive acquisition of surface details.The slope of landslide clusters ranged from 36°to 72°,with the majority of the slope facing east and southeast.Upper elevation levels were relatively consistent while middle to lower elevation levels gradually decreased from left to right with significant variations in lower elevation levels.During the rainy season,surface runoff was abundant,and steep topography exacerbated changes in surface features.This route method is suitable for unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)landslide surveys in complex mountainous environments.The geomorphological analysis methods used will provide references for identifying and describing topographic features.

Multi-UAV cooperative maneuver decision-making for pursuitevasion using improved MADRL

Aiming at the problem of multi-UAV pursuit-evasion confrontation, a UAV cooperative maneuver method based on an improved multi-agent deep reinforcement learning(MADRL) is proposed. In this method, an improved Comm Net network based on a communication mechanism is introduced into a deep reinforcement learning algorithm to solve the multi-agent problem. A layer of gated recurrent unit(GRU) is added to the actor-network structure to remember historical environmental states. Subsequently,another GRU is designed as a communication channel in the Comm Net core network layer to refine communication information between UAVs. Finally, the simulation results of the algorithm in two sets of scenarios are given, and the results show that the method has good effectiveness and applicability.

Vulnerability assessment of UAV engine to laser based on improved shotline method

Laser anti-drone technology is entering the sequence of actual combat,and it is necessary to consider the vulnerability of typical functional parts of UAVs.Since the concept of"vulnerability"was proposed,a variety of analysis programs for battlefield targets to traditional weapons have been developed,but a comprehensive assessment methodology for targets'vulnerability to laser is still missing.Based on the shotline method,this paper proposes a method that equates laser beam to shotline array,an efficient vulnerability analysis program of target to laser is established by this method,and the program includes the circuit board and the wire into the vulnerability analysis category,which improves the precision of the vulnerability analysis.Taking the UAV engine part as the target of vulnerability analysis,combine with the"life-death unit method"to calculate the laser penetration rate of various materials of the UAV,and the influence of laser weapon system parameters and striking orientation on the killing probability is quantified after introducing the penetration rate into the vulnerability analysis program.The quantitative analysis method proposed in this paper has certain general expansibility,which can provide a fresh idea for the vulnerability analysis of other targets to laser.

UAV倾斜摄影在革命旧址保护中的应用

针对革命旧址保护工作的严峻性,以及在获取革命旧址测区数据中传统测绘方法工作效率低、难以全面获取数据和无法获得高精度三维立体数据等问题,基于UAV倾斜摄影测量技术,以红军长征旧址为研究对象,通过外业数据采集,利用SIFT算法提取匹配影像特征点,再利用SfM-MVS算法构建三维立体场景,采集三维立体场景中的检查点数据。结果表明,三维立体场景满足大比例尺数字地形图成图规范要求;分析线元素精度可知,三维立体场景数据测量结果可达厘米级,满足革命旧址保护中对数据精度的要求;在革命旧址保护工作中还可提供多种基础数据,为今后革命旧址保护工作提供了一种高效获取高精度数据的参考方法。