Joint Trajectory Optimization and Resource Allocation in UAV-MEC Systems: A Lyapunov-Assisted DRL Approach

Abstract

Mobile Edge Computing (MEC), as a highly promising technology, effectively processes computation-intensive tasks by offloading them to edge servers. Utilizing the advantages of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in deployment flexibility and broad coverage, UAV-assisted edge computing can significantly enhance system efficiency. This paper studies a scenario where a UAV-MEC system serves multiple Mobile Users (MUs) with random task arrivals and movements. We minimize the energy consumption of MUs by jointly optimizing UAV trajectory and resource allocation for MUs subjected to the UAV energy limit. The problem is formulated as a multi-stage Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programming (MINLP) problem. To address this, we propose an algorithm called JTORA integrated Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) and Lyapunov optimization techniques. Specifically, we initially transform the multi-stage MINLP problem into a deterministic optimization problem utilizing Lyapunov techniques and decompose the original problem into two sub-problems in parallel. Through DRL, we solve the first sub-problem of trajectory and communication resources optimization. For the second sub-problem involving computing resource allocation, convex optimization is employed to get the optimal solution. Theoretical analysis and experimental results demonstrate that the JTORA algorithm can effectively reduce the energy consumption of MUs while ensuring UAV endurance.