Integrated Communication, Positioning, and Sensing for UAV Swarms in Unknown Complex Environments

In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarm technology has gained significant attention for its adaptability and effectiveness in complex environments. However, in Global Navigation Satellite System-denied (GNSS-denied) scenarios such as mines and dense forests, UAV swarms face major challenges due to unreliable positioning and a lack of environmental awareness. To address these issues, this article proposes a novel integrated communication, positioning, and sensing (ICPS) architecture that enables robust and autonomous navigation for UAV swarms. Specifically, we design a unified physical-layer signal framework, where each UAV is equipped with dual phased array antennas that separately transmit the communication-positioning integrated signal and the sensing signal. On this basis, we develop a lightweight relative positioning mechanism using a small number of anchor UAVs, and a sensing-based obstacle avoidance mechanism for dynamic trajectory planning. These two modules are integrated into a comprehensive navigation system tailored for unknown and complex environments. Experimental results under various noise models demonstrate that the proposed ICPS architecture achieves high positioning accuracy and reliable navigation, validating its feasibility and effectiveness in complex real-world conditions.