Enhancing the Self-Healing Capability of Cyber-Physical Distribution Systems: An AAV-5G Hybrid Wired/Wireless Communication Method

Autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV)-assisted wireless communication is emerging as a pivotal technique to facilitate the self-healing of cyber-physical distribution systems (CPDSs) after disasters. However, owing to the limited resources of AAVs, wireless communication is unable to cover all the disconnected distribution terminals, which impedes the automatic load pick-up. To tackle this problem, this letter proposes a novel AAV-5G hybrid wired/wireless communication method based on hybrid communication networks and AAV-5G base stations. Numerical studies verify that the proposed method efficiently optimizes AAV utilization for the timely reconnection of intact terminals, further enhancing the self-healing capability of CPDSs.