Cooperative path planning with reconnaissance duration time constraints

When performing reconnaissance tasks, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) keep reconnoitering the targets during different reconnaissance time for acquiring effective target information. It is assumed that UAVs fly in a straight line, which is suitable for better reconnaissance results during reconnaissance missions. A new simultaneous reconnaissance scheme was proposed by geometrical analysis for less than or equal to three reconnaissance mission overlapping. For the purpose of minimizing cooperative reconnaissance path length, modified hybrid particle swarm optimization algorithm with elitism mechanism was used to optimize the reconnaissance sequence, and the path planning was implemented between consecutive reconnaissance missions by Dubins path, with consideration of reconnaissance missions overlapping and reconnaissance duration time constraints. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. © 2016, Editorial Board of JBUAA. All right reserved.