Intelligent Matching Algorithm with Density-Based Clustering for UAV Swarm Networking

As an emerging and powerful technology, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have tremendous potential applications in real-time monitoring, instant communication, data transmission, and more, providing ground terminal users with more efficient services and support. In this paper, we analyze the optimal networking scheme for user association with UAVs based on matching algorithms, which offer higher throughput and satisfaction. Particularly, to minimize algorithm complexity and enhance the efficiency of user devices, we propose a novel approach for stable UAV–user device pairing. This framework combines the concepts of density-based clustering algorithms and utility-driven matching algorithms. Firstly, we address the issue of large-scale scenarios with numerous and unevenly distributed user devices by proposing a clustering algorithm. This clustering algorithm divides the geographical area into multiple grids and clusters based on local density and relative distance within each grid. Next, we introduce a hierarchical matching game, where user clusters and UAVs are the players in the game. Each player ranks the other based on their individual utility functions, constructing preference lists of UAVs for users and vice versa. The network resource balancing and efficiency maximization are achieved through the matching process of bilateral selection. Simulation results demonstrate that this method exhibits low average required transmit power per user and the highest throughput among the five compared schemes under hotspot user distributions.