Impact of Uncertain Flight Time on Heterogeneous UAVs’ Task Planning with Temporal Constraints

Abstract

Heterogeneous multi-UAV systems offer distinct advantages through their complementary and coordinated use of their diverse capabilities. However, this complexity poses significant challenges in task planning, particularly in considering temporal constraints among tasks. As task dependencies evolve from simple linear chains to complex networked associations, uncertainties in flight times can have a substantial impact on the overall schedule. To address these challenges, this study introduces a rapid estimation method that recursively calculates task completion times, derives their probability distributions, and assesses the robustness of the plan. Furthermore, a neighborhood search algorithm guided by dynamic time windows is designed to effectively evaluate the consequences of task insertions, precisely to adjust high-risk tasks, and reduce blindness in enumerative neighborhood exploration. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed approach effectively accounts for inherent randomness in the problem and exhibits strong adaptability to changes in the problem scale, flight time fluctuations, and variations in time window constraints.