Research on autonomous interval maintenance in collaborative flight of unmanned aerial vehicles

This study investigates the use of the Vicsek model for maintaining autonomous intervals in the cooperative flight of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Although the Vicsek model effectively simulates group movement, it does not inherently maintain safe intervals between drones. To address this limitation, we propose an enhanced approach that incorporates a speed adaptive mechanism and a repulsive force mechanism. The speed adaptive mechanism dynamically adjusts the drone's speed based on its proximity to neighboring drones, slowing down when in close proximity and speeding up when further apart, thus preventing collisions. Additionally, the repulsive force mechanism ensures that drones maintain a safe distance from each other, even in high-density areas, thereby avoiding clustering and maintaining formation stability. Our simulation results indicate that drones equipped with these mechanisms achieve direction and speed consistency more rapidly, effectively avoid collisions in dense environments, and enhance overall movement speed and task execution efficiency. This approach provides a robust solution for autonomous interval maintenance in UAV swarms, ensuring safe and efficient collaborative operations in complex environments. The findings of this study contribute significantly to the field of UAV collaborative flight, offering practical implications for military reconnaissance, agricultural management, logistics, and disaster relief applications.