Skip to main content
Log in

Resource Welfare Based Task Allocation for UAV Team with Resource Constraints

  • Published:
Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper addresses a task allocation problem for a team of UAVs that cooperatively performs a search and attack mission in an unknown region. The UAVs are heterogeneous carrying different types and amounts of munition resources, and limited in communications and sensing capabilities. The environment is highly uncertain and dynamic where no prior information is available and dynamic events such as UAV failures unpredictably occur. The objective of the mission is to maximize total reward obtained by destroying targets within a given mission horizon. A group of UAVs may need to be formed to attack a target because individual UAVs may not have sufficient resources for the execution of attack tasks. Instantaneous task allocation approaches that seek for optimal solution for current tasks cannot effectively account for the unpredictability of future tasks in the uncertain dynamic environment. In this paper, we propose a distributed task allocation scheme based on resource welfare of which concept is adopted from economics. The approach we present enables the UAV team to effectively utilize resources by balancing resource depletions and consequently be capable of smoothly responding to dynamic events by retaining more UAVs available. Simulation experiments were conducted in various conditions to evaluate the performance of the proposed approach in comparison with the instantaneous task allocation method. The results show that our approach improves the performance by up to 29.3 % with respect to the instantaneous task allocation method.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Office of Secretary of Defense: Unmanned Aircraft Systems Roadmap 2005–2030. (2005). https://www.fas.org/irp/program/collect/uav_roadmap2005.pdf

  2. Shumacher, C., Chandler, P., Pachter, M., Pachter, L.: UAV task assignment with timing constraints via mixed-integer linear programming. Proceedings of AIAA 3 rd Unmanned Unlimited Systems Technical Conference, Workshop and Exhibit, Chicago (2004)

  3. Shima, T., Rasmussen, S., Sparks, A., Passino, K.: Multiple task assignments for cooperating uninhabited aerial vehicles using genetic algorithms. Comput. Oper. Res. 33, 3252–3269 (2006)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  4. Shetty, V., Sudit, M., Nagi, R.: Priority-based assignment and routing of a fleet of unmanned combat aerial vehicles. Comput. Oper. Res. 35, 1813–1828 (2008)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  5. Lemaire, T., Alami, R., Lacroix, S.: A distributed task allocation scheme in multi-UAV context. In: Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics, New Orleans (2004)

  6. Gurfil, P.: Evaluating UAV flock mission performance using Dudek’s taxonomy. In: Proceedings of the Amer. Contr. Conf, Portland (2005)

  7. Jin, Y., Liao, Y., Minai, A., Polycarpou, M.: Balancing search and target response in cooperative Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) team. IEEE T. Syst. Man. Cy. B 36, 571–587 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Yang, Y., Minai, A., Polycarpou, M.: Decentralized cooperative search by networked UAVs in an uncertain environment. In: Proceedings of the Amer. Contr. Conf, Boston (2004)

  9. Sujit, P., Sinha, A., Ghose, D.: Multiple UAV task allocation using negotiation. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems, Hakodate, Hokkaido (2006)

  10. Sujit, P., Beard, R.: Distributed sequential auctions for multiple UAV task allocation. In: Proceedings of the Amer. Contr. Conf, New York City (2007)

  11. Sujit, P., George, G., Beard, R.: Multiple UAV coalition formation. In: Proceedings of the Amer. Contr. Conf, Seattle (2008)

  12. Li, C., Sycara, K.: A stable and efficient scheme for task allocation via agent coalition formation. Theory and Algorithms for Cooperative Systems. World Scientific, 193–212 (2004)

  13. Gerkey, B., Matarić, M.: Sold! Auction methods for multi-robot coordination. IEEE T Robotic Autom. 18(5), 758–756 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Dias, M.: TraderBots: A new paradigm for robust and efficient multirobot coordination in dynamic environment. Ph.D. dissertation, The Robotics Institute. Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburg (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Zhang, D., Xie, G., Yu, J., Wang, L.: Adaptive task assignment for multiple mobile robots via swarm intelligence approach. Robot. Auton. Syst. 55(7), 411–415 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Khare, V.R., Wang, F.Z., Wu, S., Deng, Y., Thompson, C.: Ad-hoc network of unmanned aerial vehicle swarms for search and destroy tasks. In: Proceedings of the International IEEE Conference on Intelligent Systems, Varna (2008)

  17. Arslan, G., Marden, J.R., Shamma, J.S.: Autonomous vehicle-target assignment: A game-theoretical formulation: a Game Theoretical Formulation. J. Dyn. Sys., Meas., Control 129(5), 584–596 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Peng, H., Li, Y., Wang, L., Shen, L.: Hormone-inspired cooperative control for multiple UAVs wide area search. Lect. Notes Comput. Sci. 5226, 808–816 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Gerkey, B., Matarić, M.: A formal analysis and taxonomy of task allocation in multi-robot systems. Int. J. Robot. Res. 23(9), 939–954 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Vig, L., Adams, J.: Multi-robot coalition formation. IEEE T. Robot. 22(4), 637–649 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Vig, L., Adams, J.: Coalition formation: From software agents to robots. J. Intell. Robot. Syst 50(4), 85–118 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Lin, L., Zheng, Z.: Combinatorial bids based multi-robot task allocation method. In: Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Automation, Barcelona (2005)

  23. Sariel, S., Balch, T., Erdogan, N.: Robust multi-robot cooperation through dynamic task allocation and precaution routines. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics, Setúbal (2006)

  24. Ok, C., Lee, S., Jeong, B.: Toward socially agreeable aggregate functions for group recommender systems. J. Korean Oper. Res. Man 32(4), 61–75 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Ok, C., Lee, S., Mitra, P., Kumara, S.: Distributed routing in wireless sensor networks using energy welfare metric. Inform. Sci. 180(9), 1656–1670 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Chevaleyre, Y., Endriss, U., Estivie, S., Maudet, N.: Multiagent resource allocation in k-additive domains: preference representation and complexity. Ann. Oper. Res. 163(1), 49–62 (2008)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  27. Kim, M., Lee, S.: Resource welfare based distributed task allocation scheme for multiple UAVs. In: Proceedings of the Industrial Engineering Research Conference, Cancun (2010)

  28. Lee, S.: The role of preparedness in ambulance dispatching. J. Oper. Res. Soc. 62, 1888–1897 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Sen, K.: Choice, welfare, and measurement. Basil Blackwell, Oxford (1982)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  30. Dagum, C.: On the relationship between income inequality measures and social welfare functions. J. Econ. 43(1-2), 91–102 (1990)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Atkinson, A.B.: On the measurement of inequality. J. Econ. Theory 2(3), 244–26 (1970)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Sen, K., Foster, J.: On economic inequality. Clarendon Press, Oxford (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  33. Manathara, J., Sujit, P., Beard, R.: Multiple UAV coalition for a search and prosecute mission. J. Intell. Robot. Syst. 62(1), 125–158 (2011)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  34. George, J., Sujit, P., Sousa, J.: Search strategies for multiple UAV search and destroy missions. J. Intell. Robot. Syst. 61(3), 355–367 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Min-Hyuk Kim.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kim, MH., Baik, H. & Lee, S. Resource Welfare Based Task Allocation for UAV Team with Resource Constraints. J Intell Robot Syst 77, 611–627 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-014-0088-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-014-0088-8

Keywords

Navigation