Coordination of multiple fixed-wing UAVs traversing intersecting periodic paths

Abstract

This paper addresses the problem of coordinating the motion of multiple fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) following closed intersecting curves. We require that each UAV avoid collisions with its teammates without changing its predefined, periodic path. Also, each robot must keep a minimum speed to avoid stall and a maximum speed determined by its physical constraints. The centralized solution presented in this paper is modeled as a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) problem. The solution to this problem, which maximizes safeness (in the sense of collision avoidance), determines, for each UAV, the start time and the velocity profile over the curve.