Optimal Airborne Trajectories for Data Collected from Emplaced Ground Sensor Arrays
Nidal M. Jodeh, Timothy E. Coon, Tadeusz J. Masternak, Richard G. Cobb, Jeremy S. Agte · 2014
The optimal flight trajectory of an unmanned aerial vehicle acting as a primary central communication node for multiple randomly placed unattended ground sensors in minimum time is considered. An algorithm is developed to ensure minimum required data transfer between an airborne agent and a sparse unattended ground sensor network. In this modified travelling salesman problem, the control policy enables the airborne vehicle to change altitude, heading and velocity to best communicate with each ground sensor via an on-board omni-directional antenna. Optimal flight trajectory planning algorithms are proposed to ensure the unmanned aerial vehicle successfully receives the required data transmission from each ground sensor in minimum time.