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Globally solving a nonlinear UAV task assignment problem by stochastic and deterministic optimization approaches

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Abstract

In this paper, we consider a task allocation model that consists of assigning a set of m unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to a set of n tasks in an optimal way. The optimality is quantified by target scores. The mission is to maximize the target score while satisfying capacity constraints of both the UAVs and the tasks. This problem is known to be NP-hard. Existing algorithms are not suitable for the large scale setting. Scalability and robustness are recognized as two main issues. We deal with these issues by two optimization approaches. The first approach is the Cross-Entropy (CE) method, a generic and practical tool of stochastic optimization for solving NP-hard problem. The second one is Branch and Bound algorithm, an efficient classical tool of global deterministic optimization. The numerical results show the efficiency of our approaches, in particular the CE method for very large scale setting.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Theoretical and Applied Computer Science, UFR MIM, Paul Verlaine University, Metz, Ile du Saulcy, 57045, Metz, France

    Hoai An Le Thi

  2. Laboratory of Modelling, Optimization and Operations Research, National Institute for Applied Sciences, Rouen, 76801, Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, France

    Duc Manh Nguyen & Tao Pham Dinh

Authors
  1. Hoai An Le Thi
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  2. Duc Manh Nguyen
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  3. Tao Pham Dinh
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Correspondence to Hoai An Le Thi.

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Le Thi, H.A., Nguyen, D.M. & Pham Dinh, T. Globally solving a nonlinear UAV task assignment problem by stochastic and deterministic optimization approaches. Optim Lett 6, 315–329 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11590-010-0259-x

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