The sustainable tracking strategy of moving target by multi-UAVs in an uncertain environment

This paper presents a strategy of sustainable target tracking and searching by multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (multi-UAVs) when the target lost in the environment with uncertain shelters. The strategy includes target tracking method, target searching method, and switch tactics between them. To continue the tracking when the target is lost, the target state is predicted by the target model with the former target information. To search the lost target in the region which is calculated by the target lost duration time and speed, the multi-UAVs fly around the lost point with desired distance to search the lost target by the method of shrinking annulus. The switch tactics between the target tracking stage and the target searching stage is provided. Simulations demonstrate that the strategy for sustainable target tracking is feasible in uncertain shelters environment and the cooperative multi-UAVs are more efficient than the single UAV.