Game Theoretical Distributed Task Offloading for Tethered Aerial Vehicles Communication Network
Zhaohui Yang, Fengling Huang, Xuqi Su, Pingfang Zhou, Fusen Guo, Yuhao Jing · 2024
This paper introduces a game-theoretic framework aimed at enhancing offloading decisions within a network of multiple tethered aerial vehicles (TAVs) employed as communication base stations and relay platforms. Given their advantageous low deployment costs and extensive coverage areas, TAVs represent an innovative solution for dynamic air-ground communication networks. We address the inherent challenges associated with the mobility of ground users and consider across multiple temporal intervals. We initially segment offloading decisions into discrete time slots and model them within a strategic game principle. Subsequently, we prove that this game constitutes an exact potential game and introduce a distributed algorithm based on best response iteration. This algorithm is designed for decentralized deployment across individual tethered aerial vehicles. Through simulation studies, we demonstrate that our proposed methodology enhances network throughput relative to conventional random offloading strategies. It advances the theoretical understanding of offloading in dynamic network environments and offers practical algorithms for real-world applications.