Optimal Cooperative Control of Multiple MAV's

Mesut Yavuz, Leader

An extension of the MAV Technologies for Border Surveillance research falls into the area of Optimal Cooperative Control of Multiple Micro Air Vehicles. Assuming each UAV is capable of autonomously detecting and tracking a trespasser, the overall performance of the fleet can be poor if cooperation among the UAVs is missing. For instance, two or more UAVs can track the same trespasser, thereby reducing the coverage of the entire patrol area. Therefore, the UAVs should share information continuously. An optimization problem arising in this context addresses the re-organization of the UAVs upon an event. More specifically, how to adjust the number and speed of the remaining UAVs when (i) a UAV is tracking a trespasser, (ii) a UAV is lost or (iii) the number of trespassers detected is too high or too low. In all these scenarios, an optimal re-organization will yield a better coverage and/or a lower operation cost.