Navigation of a Team of UAVs for Covert Video Sensing of a Target Moving on an Uneven Terrain

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become essential tools with diverse applications across multiple sectors, including remote sensing. This paper presents a trajectory planning method for a team of UAVs aimed at enhancing covert video sensing in uneven terrains and urban environments. The approach...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Talal S. Almuzaini, Andrey V. Savkin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Remote Sensing
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/22/4273
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850147225915621376
author Talal S. Almuzaini
Andrey V. Savkin
author_facet Talal S. Almuzaini
Andrey V. Savkin
author_sort Talal S. Almuzaini
collection DOAJ
description Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become essential tools with diverse applications across multiple sectors, including remote sensing. This paper presents a trajectory planning method for a team of UAVs aimed at enhancing covert video sensing in uneven terrains and urban environments. The approach establishes a feasible flight zone, which dynamically adjusts to accommodate line of sight (LoS) occlusions caused by elevated terrains and structures between the UAVs’ sensors and the target. By avoiding ‘shadows’—projections of realistic shapes on the UAVs’ operational plane that represent buildings and other obstacles—the method ensures continuous target visibility. This strategy optimizes UAV trajectories, maintaining covertness while adapting to the changing environment, thereby improving overall video sensing performance. The method’s effectiveness is validated through comprehensive MATLAB simulations at both single and multiple UAV levels, demonstrating its ability to prevent LoS occlusions while preserving a high level of camouflage.
format Article
id doaj-art-196de772586143318f15765eaadc19f5
institution OA Journals
issn 2072-4292
language English
publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Remote Sensing
spelling doaj-art-196de772586143318f15765eaadc19f52025-08-20T02:27:38ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922024-11-011622427310.3390/rs16224273Navigation of a Team of UAVs for Covert Video Sensing of a Target Moving on an Uneven TerrainTalal S. Almuzaini0Andrey V. Savkin1School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, AustraliaSchool of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, AustraliaUnmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become essential tools with diverse applications across multiple sectors, including remote sensing. This paper presents a trajectory planning method for a team of UAVs aimed at enhancing covert video sensing in uneven terrains and urban environments. The approach establishes a feasible flight zone, which dynamically adjusts to accommodate line of sight (LoS) occlusions caused by elevated terrains and structures between the UAVs’ sensors and the target. By avoiding ‘shadows’—projections of realistic shapes on the UAVs’ operational plane that represent buildings and other obstacles—the method ensures continuous target visibility. This strategy optimizes UAV trajectories, maintaining covertness while adapting to the changing environment, thereby improving overall video sensing performance. The method’s effectiveness is validated through comprehensive MATLAB simulations at both single and multiple UAV levels, demonstrating its ability to prevent LoS occlusions while preserving a high level of camouflage.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/22/4273unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)remote sensingcovert video sensingline of sight (LoS)uneven terrainsfeasible flight zone
spellingShingle Talal S. Almuzaini
Andrey V. Savkin
Navigation of a Team of UAVs for Covert Video Sensing of a Target Moving on an Uneven Terrain
Remote Sensing
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
remote sensing
covert video sensing
line of sight (LoS)
uneven terrains
feasible flight zone
title Navigation of a Team of UAVs for Covert Video Sensing of a Target Moving on an Uneven Terrain
title_full Navigation of a Team of UAVs for Covert Video Sensing of a Target Moving on an Uneven Terrain
title_fullStr Navigation of a Team of UAVs for Covert Video Sensing of a Target Moving on an Uneven Terrain
title_full_unstemmed Navigation of a Team of UAVs for Covert Video Sensing of a Target Moving on an Uneven Terrain
title_short Navigation of a Team of UAVs for Covert Video Sensing of a Target Moving on an Uneven Terrain
title_sort navigation of a team of uavs for covert video sensing of a target moving on an uneven terrain
topic unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
remote sensing
covert video sensing
line of sight (LoS)
uneven terrains
feasible flight zone
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/22/4273
work_keys_str_mv AT talalsalmuzaini navigationofateamofuavsforcovertvideosensingofatargetmovingonanuneventerrain
AT andreyvsavkin navigationofateamofuavsforcovertvideosensingofatargetmovingonanuneventerrain