A Distributed Task Allocation Method Based on Improved Contract Network Protocol for Air-Ground Collaboration

This paper proposes a novel distributed task allocation method based on improved contract network protocol for collaborative task allocation of reconnaissance and strike tasks on heterogeneous unmanned aerial platforms. Firstly, considering the heterogeneity and endurance of unmanned aerial platforms, as well as the time-sensitive characteristics of tasks, a task allocation model was established with the goal of maximizing global benefits. In the proposed method, a single unmanned platform satisfies the constraints of the task allocation model by designing the encoding and decoding methods of the existing sparrow search algorithm, and achieves the selection of its local optimal task execution path (similar to the single traveling salesman problem); By sequentially auctioning a single task, conflicts between different unmanned platforms are resolved and global benefits are improved. The bidding method for bidders, task award rules for auctioneers to select winning bidders, and judgment mechanisms for auction termination are designed. The numerical simulation results validate the feasibility of the proposed method and its superiority in global benefits compared to the contract network protocol.