Fast search method for moving targets using multiple UAVs cooperative searching

This paper presents the moving targets fast search method with multiple UAVs cooperative searching. In order to decrease the search duration and improve the search efficiency of moving targets, the dynamic and time-sensitive key area model is formulated according to the target probability map by just searching the key areas instead of searching whole mission area. On this basis, these key areas are allocated to different UAVs and the moving targets searching problem is modeled as the dynamic coupled traveling salesman problem (DC-TSP). The coupled solution framework consisting of the task allocation layer and the path planning layer is designed to solve this problem, where the former confirms the number of tasks and execution order for each UAV to sequential search the key areas using an opposition-based genetic algorithm with the elite strategy, and the latter solves the search path for the UAV to execute its search tasks using depth first search with the receding horizon optimization. The numerical simulation results demonstrate that FSM proposed can significantly reduce the mission duration and find the all moving targets in mission area, outperforming than distributed ant colony optimization and genetic algorithm.