Distributed sensing units deploying on group unmanned vehicles

Abstract

This study aims to use two unmanned vehicles (aerial vehicles and ground vehicles) to implement multi-machine cooperation to complete the assigned tasks quickly. Unmanned aerial/ground vehicles can call each other to send instant inquiry messages using the proposed cooperative communication protocol to hand over the tasks between them and execute efficient three-dimensional collaborative operations in time. This study has demonstrated integrating unmanned aerial/ground vehicles into a group through the control platform (i.e. App operation interface) that uses the Internet of Things. Therefore, pilots can make decisions and communicate through App for cooperative coordination, allowing a group of unmanned aerial/ground vehicles to complete the tasks flexibly. In addition, the payload attached to unmanned air/ground vehicles can carry out multipurpose monitoring that implements face recognition, gas detection, thermal imaging, and video recording. During the experiment of unmanned aerial vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicle will plan the flight path and record the movement trajectory with global positioning system when it is on duty. As a result, the accuracy of the planned flight path achieved 86.89% on average.