Coalition FormationWith Communication Delays and Maneuvering Targets
Joel George, P. B. Sujit, João Borges de Sousa · 2010
A team of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with limited communication ranges, communication delays and limited resources are deployed to search and prosecute static and maneuvering targets in a region. When a UAV detects a target, depending on the target resource requirement, it has to form a coalition for prosecution. Forming a feasible coalition over a time varying network formed by the UAVs in constant flight and prosecuting a maneuvering target are difficult tasks. In this paper, we develop a mechanism to find potential coalition members over a dynamic UAV network and propose a prosecution method where the UAVs cooperate with each other and strike the target at different time instants until the target is destroyed. Simulation results are presented to show how coalitions are formed over a dynamic network with moving targets. We also carry out Monte-Carlo simulations to study the effects of communication ranges and delays. The results show that, when communication delay is less, finding potential coalition members in the network is beneficial, but when the communication delay is significant, determining coalition members from immediate neighborhood is sufficient.