DroneEngage SWARM

The DroneEngage SWARM system is designed to facilitate the coordination and management of drone formations. Each swarm comprises a single leader drone and multiple follower drones, enabling efficient operation in various scenarios.

SWARM Formation Hierarchy

The following diagram shows the main logic of SWARMS in DroneEngage.

SWARM Logic

Features

  • SWARM Composition: Each swarm consists of one leader drone and multiple follower drones.

  • Formation Management: Each swarm maintains a specific formation, with each follower assigned a unique position referred to as its index.

  • Hierarchical Structure: Follower drones can assume the role of leaders within their own sub-SWARMS, creating a hierarchical organization. This allows for complex operational strategies where each follower can have its own set of followers.

  • Independent Operation: Grandchildren followers operate independently from their grandparent leader. This allows for flexibility and autonomy during missions.

  • Dynamic Formation: The swarm formation can be adjusted dynamically during execution, enabling real-time adaptations to changing circumstances.

Formation Types

The DroneEngage SWARM supports the following formation patterns:

  • No Swarm (0): Default state, no active formation

  • Thread Formation (1): Followers follow in a line behind the leader, maintaining a rope-like distance effect based on their index position

  • Arrow Formation (2): Followers form a V-shaped pattern behind the leader, alternating left and right sides

  • Vector Formation (3): Formation based on vector direction (requires angle parameter)

Technical Architecture

The swarm system is implemented using three main C++ classes:

CSwarmManager

  • Central manager handling leader/follower relationships

  • Manages swarm state and formation configuration

  • Handles message routing between leader and followers

  • Maintains lists of follower units with their indices

CSwarmLeader

  • Leader-specific logic for sending updates to followers

  • Broadcasts position and attitude data to followers

  • Implements formation-specific update logic

  • Runs at 1Hz update rate (configurable)

CSwarmFollower

  • Follower-specific logic for receiving leader data

  • Calculates target positions based on formation type and index

  • Processes MAVLink messages from leader

  • Implements rope-effect for thread formation and V-pattern for arrow formation

Distance Parameters

The swarm system uses configurable distance parameters:

  • KNODE_LENGTH: Default distance unit (100m)

  • Min Horizontal Distance: Minimum horizontal spacing between drones (default: 100m)

  • Min Vertical Distance: Minimum vertical spacing between drones (default: 100m)

These parameters can be configured via message commands (h: horizontal, v: vertical) when making a swarm or joining as a follower.

Unit Roles

Unit-1 is a DroneEngage unit that should be a leader of the swarm. Unit-2 is a DroneEngage unit that should be a follower of the swarm.

Transition to Leader

The process for establishing Unit-1 as the leader is as follows:

  • User clicks on SWARM Leader button to make Unit-1 a leader of the swarm.

  • WebClient Sends AndruavMessage_Make_Swarm Message to Unit-1.

  • Unit-1 receives the message and starts the SWARM Leader mode.

  • Unit-1 sends an updated AndruavMessage_ID to confirm that it is a leader.

Transition to Follower

The process for establishing Unit-2 as a follower is as follows:

  • The user selects Unit-1 as the leader for Unit-2.

  • The WebClient sends an AndruavMessage_Join_Swarm message to Unit-2.

  • Unit-2 receives the message and performs necessary validations, including disassociating from any previous leader, before sending a request to Unit-1 to join the SWARM.

  • Unit-1 receives the request and determines the appropriate location (index) for Unit-2 within the current swarm configuration.

  • Unit-1 responds to Unit-2 with the relevant configuration details (formation shape and location within the formation).

  • Unit-2 receives the configuration reply and, if accepted, sends a confirmation back to Unit-1.

  • Unit-2 then sends an updated AndruavMessage_ID to confirm its status as a follower.