Distributed MPC-Based Path Planning for UAVs under Radio Communication Path Loss Constraints

In this paper we address the Model Predictive Control (MPC)-based path planning problem for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Our goal is to find trajectories that are safe with respect to grounding and collision, fuel efficient and satisfy criteria for communication such that the UAVs form a chain with a given radio communication capacity. A centralized MPC and a distributed MPC approach to solve the path planning problem are proposed. Both approaches explicitly incorporate constraints on radio communication path losses, computed by using SPLAT!. In order to enhance the MPC problem computation, the terrain below each UAV and the communication path losses are approximated with linear functions. The control performance and the computational efficiency of the distributed MPC and the centralized MPC approaches are compared based on a simulation case study with two UAVs.