Two Tier Search Scheme Using Micro UAV Swarm

Herein, we propose a method for utilizing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarm when communication infrastructure is disabled due to war or natural disaster such as earthquake. The method involves using UAV swarm to perform a quick search, to locate the target by selecting main locations within the search area at which the target may be located, and to manipulate the swarm to establish continuous communication network to the base station. UAVs will first conduct the search of the whole area at high altitude to plan overall movement paths. They will then select N main locations within the searched area at which the target may be located, and divide into N groups to perform close search. The group that locates the target during the search will move toward the base station to transmit the information about the target, and the groups that did not locate the target also return to the base station. The groups that return to the base station receives information about the target then moves to the position between the target and the base station to maintain connectivity between the target and the base station. The proposed method was validated and its performance was evaluated using NS-2 simulation.