Placement optimisation method for multi‐UAV relay communication

With the popularisation of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, relay communication based on multi‐UAVs has advantages and application prospects. However, determining the location of UAV relay nodes is a fundamental problem. In particular, when multiple UAVs are required, it is important to design an efficient node placement method that optimises the layout of UAV nodes to minimise the number of required UAVs and provide reliable connectivity for all ground terminals. In this study, the node placement models for multi‐UAV relay communication are constructed based on the non‐linear constraint optimisation problem for typical application scenarios, and the solving algorithm of the models is proposed based on the smallest enclosing circle and genetic algorithm. Through the new placement method, the authors can locate UAV relay nodes and optimise the network topology with the minimum number of UAVs required. Finally, the implementation process and results are validated by simulation.