Cooperative Path Planning for Multi-UAVs with Time-Varying Communication and Energy Consumption Constraints

In the field of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) path planning, designing efficient, safe, and feasible trajectories in complex, dynamic environments poses substantial challenges. Traditional optimization methods often struggle to address the multidimensional nature of these problems, particularly when considering constraints like obstacle avoidance, energy efficiency, and real-time responsiveness. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm, Dimensional Learning Strategy and Spherical Motion-based Particle Swarm Optimization (DLS-SMPSO), specifically designed to handle the unique constraints and requirements of cooperative path planning for Multiple UAVs (Multi-UAVs). By encoding particle positions as motion paths in spherical coordinates, the algorithm offers a natural and effective approach to navigating multidimensional search spaces. The incorporation of a Dimensional Learning Strategy (DLS) enhances performance by minimizing particle oscillations and allowing each particle to learn valuable information from the global best solution on a dimension-by-dimension basis. Extensive simulations validate the effectiveness of the DLS-SMPSO algorithm, demonstrating its capability to consistently generate optimal paths. The proposed algorithm outperforms other metaheuristic optimization algorithms, achieving a feasibility ratio as high as 97%. The proposed solution is scalable, adaptable, and suitable for real-time implementation, making it an excellent choice for a broad range of cooperative multi-UAV applications.