Deviation flow refueling location model for continuous space: commercial drone delivery system for urban area

Recently, drones, which refer a range of small-size unmanned aerial vehicles propelled by multiple rotors, have been utilized for various purposes, such as for military, surveillance, photography, and entertainments. Commercial delivery service for small products is one of the potential applications, and optimal path planning is essential for operational efficiency of the delivery service. As a drone’s movement is not limited to existing transportation network, path planning needs to be conducted in continuous space with taking into account obstacles for flight. However, due to limited flight range of battery-powered drones, multiple recharging stations are required to complete delivery without running out of the power in large urban area. In this research, we developed a new coverage model that can optimize location of recharging stations for delivery drones, as well as ensure construction of a feasible delivery network that connects the stations and covered demands based on continuous space shortest paths. A heuristic solution technique is utilized for the optimization of station location. Application results show the effectiveness of our model for construction of drone delivery network that covers large urban area.