← Back to list of papers of the 2026 EuroGNC conference

CEAS EuroGNC 2026

A 3D Mixed-Integer Linear Optimization Problem for Bridge Inspection by a UAV Swarm with LOS Connectivity Constraints
Jean-Luc Sarvadon Ph.D. Student, Politecnico di Torino,, Torino, Italy.
Pierantonio Bertuccio Ph.D. Student, Politecnico di Torino,, Torino, Italy.
Petre Ricioppo Ph.D. Student, Politecnico di Torino,, Torino, Italy.
Giorgia Giacalone Research Fellow, Politecnico di Torino,, Torino, Italy.
Riccardo Enrico Ph.D. Student, Politecnico di Torino,, Torino, Italy.
Fausto Francesco Lizzio Assistant Professor, Politecnico di Torino,, Torino, Italy.
Abstract:
In this paper, a motion planning mission is considered for a swarm of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. In particular, a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming optimization problem is formulated to maximize the number of visited targets and minimize the total control effort, while avoiding obstacles and inter-agent collisions. A Line-Of-Sight constraint is enforced in the optimization procedure to ensure visibility-based inter-agent connectivity for the whole mission duration. Different from similar approaches in the literature, the present work extends the treatment to a 3D configuration and exploits a different graph topology constraint based on a multi-commodity flow model. This graph formulation allows more versatility in the feasible topologies. A bridge inspection mission is selected to frame the algorithm in a real-world scenario. The results show that the proposed algorithm consistently generates feasible multi-agent trajectories with steady connectivity, whereas the baseline approach may fail due to the stronger limitations in the graph formulation.
Keywords: mixed-integer optimization; UAV swarm; LOS constraint; bridge inspection
 View PDF CEAS-GNC-2026-058 doi: 10.82124/CEAS-GNC-2026-058


Jean-Luc Sarvadon, Pierantonio Bertuccio, Petre Ricioppo, Giorgia Giacalone, Riccardo Enrico, Fausto Francesco Lizzio: A 3D Mixed-Integer Linear Optimization Problem for Bridge Inspection by a UAV Swarm with LOS Connectivity Constraints. Proceedings of the 2026 CEAS EuroGNC conference. Madrid, Spain. May 2026. doi: 10.82124/CEAS-GNC-2026-058.
BibTeX entry (UTF-8):

@Incollection{CEAS-GNC-2026-058,
    author = {Sarvadon, Jean-Luc and Bertuccio, Pierantonio and Ricioppo, Petre and Giacalone, Giorgia and Enrico, Riccardo and Lizzio, Fausto Francesco},
    title = {A 3D Mixed-Integer Linear Optimization Problem for Bridge Inspection by a UAV Swarm with LOS Connectivity Constraints},
    booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2026 {CEAS EuroGNC} conference},
    address = {Madrid, Spain},
    month = may,
    year = {2026},
    doi = {10.82124/CEAS-GNC-2026-058}
}