A Framework for Automatic Coordination of Request-Oriented Deployment of Multi-UAV with Cost Optimization

Multi-UAV applications can be analyzed from the point of view of a complex system. Request-oriented deployment is a category of complex systems, in which the UAVs (the set of resources) are used to meet demands of the task requests (the set of needs). Task requests require aircrafts to attend to an occurrence location, perform a task on it and, finally, return and land on an available location. Literature proposes centralized, decentralized and hybrid strategies to coordinate such systems. This paper proposes a centralized framework, in which a single coordinator handles the task requests and assign UAVs to answer to these requests by means of the ground control station. The strategy aims at cost optimization, relying on mission partitioning and the analysis of multi-variables (such as wind bearing, battery state-of-charge, maneuvers and spatial position). The communication interface of the UAVs with the coordinator is formally defined by automata, which are generated on-the-fly based on configuration parameters provided by the human operator. Simulation results show that the framework is functional, safe and versatile in terms of custom cost optimization.