Energy-Constrained Persistent Coverage Control on Multi-Quadrotor Systems

This paper introduces a novel approach to persistent coverage in environments containing significant regions while considering energy limitations. The strategy takes into account the information value of these regions in the decision-making process for sustained coverage. Coverage cost functions are devised to identify navigation points in a three-dimensional workspace that yield the highest prioritized coverage by incorporating factors like environment importance, coverage quality, and sensor performance. To ensure uninterrupted operation, the strategy includes charging stations, pairing methods, and agent selection based on energy requirements. This enables real-time return path planning and estimation of energy consumption. The method prioritizes agents with critical energy levels for allocating charging stations to prevent energy depletion. Simulations involving multiple quadrotors and various charging station configurations are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.