Area Allocation Algorithm for Multiple UAVs Area Coverage Based on Clustering and Graph Method

Coverage problem has variety of applications such as area allocation for surveillance and reconnaissance of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which can be converted into multiple traveling salesmen problem. To formulate the area coverage problem for UAV mission assignment, obstacles in the given area should be considered. In this study, area allocation algorithm is proposed for area coverage problem. Area allocation algorithm consists of area partitioning and area revision. Area partitioning produces collision free subareas for the UAV, and area revision reassigns nearly uniform coverage area to each UAV. The proposed algorithm is based on clustering method and graph method. To demonstrate the performance of the proposed algorithm, numerical simulation is performed.