Static targets' track path for UAVs meeting the revisit interval requirement

Abstract

This paper addresses the problem of autonomous tracking a set of ground static targets using minimal fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs). Each target is tracked loosely and has its desired revisit interval. Due to the UAV's dynamic constrains of fixed wing, it is modeled as a Dubins car. The motion planing of UAVs is a NP hard problem to find the shortest path, i.e. Dubins path. Because of the constraint of revisit interval, the decomposition of targets can not be done only based on the distance between each other as the classic method does. Based on the algorithm of computing Dubins path, an algorithm is thus introduced for sub-optimal track path which can bring a closed-loop path for UAVs continuously tracking this set of targets within the desired revisit interval. To test the algorithm, simulations are given. © 2013 IEEE.