A Task-Oriented Distributed Assignment Algorithm for Collaborative Unmanned Aerial Systems

In this paper, we propose a new distributed algorithm for task assignment problems for unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Inspired by the Hungarian method, the proposed algorithm, namely, the task-oriented distributed assignment algorithm (TODAA), uses a mechanism that updates the label and the slack variables in a heuristic manner throughout the assignment process for each individual UAS. We compare the proposed TODAA with the Concensus-Based Auction Algorithm (CBAA) in terms of computational time and cost optimality errors. The results show that the TODAA outperforms the CBAA in assignment cost whereas is outperformed in computational time.