Decentralized UAV-UGV Coordinated Navigation Under Connectivity Constraints

This paper presents a novel decentralized navigation framework for urban environments, integrating an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV). The system is designed such that the UAV aims to reach a predefined destination to perform critical aerial tasks while the UGV maintains proximity to support dynamic charging and continuous operation. The navigation strategy employs a hybrid path planning approach, combining a Probabilistic Roadmap (PRM) with an <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$A^{\ast}$</tex> search algorithm, further optimized by path pruning for the UAV. In contrast, the UGV utilizes the Dynamic Window Approach (DWA) for adaptive navigation. Both unmanned vehicles operate while maintaining a safe distance to ensure uninterrupted communication and prevent connectivity loss. Validated through extensive simulations in ROS2 and Gazebo, this framework enhances mission efficiency and enables real-time coordination for effective decentralized navigation.