Safe and Saving: A Joint Learning and Energy-Efficient Scheduling Scheme of UAV Assisted Hierarchical Federated Learning for Remote Inspection Within Large Scale IIoT

In Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), timely detection of equipment failures and predictive maintenance are crucial. Leveraging federated learning (FL) allows for distributed model training on inspection devices, enabling predictive maintenance without compromising data privacy. However, Traditional FL faces communication and scalability challenges in large scale industrial scenarios. While hierarchical FL (HFL) improves flexibility, it struggles in signal-unstable scenarios. This article proposes a UAV-assisted HFL framework for distributed remote inspection in IIoT, where UAVs enhance communication via high-altitude links and act as edge servers to collect and aggregate model parameters, reducing the central server’s communication burden and improving training efficiency. In this framework, energy-constrained edge clients face challenges of energy efficiency and data silos, while UAV deployment and energy limitations must also be addressed. To optimize fair and energy-saving training, we formulate an optimization problem to minimize energy consumption based on communication and training costs. This is decomposed into two subproblems: 1) client selection, tackled as a multiobjective optimization using a MAB-based algorithm with a customized reward function balancing energy use and fairness and 2) UAV scheduling, addressed with a heuristic algorithm to optimize edge server deployment. Combining these schemes enables efficient scheduling for large-scale IIoT inspections. Finally, simulation experiments demonstrate the proposed strategy’s significant advantages in reducing system energy consumption, enhancing model accuracy, and improving fairness.