Analytical Control for Connectivity Maintenance in Multi-UAV Networks under Continuous Nonsmooth Constraints

Analytical Control for Connectivity Maintenance in Multi-UAV Networks under Continuous Nonsmooth Constraints | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Analytical Control for Connectivity Maintenance in Multi-UAV Networks under Continuous Nonsmooth Constraints Xiang Lian, Chenggang Wang, Bochen Li, Dan Huang, Lei Song, Huaping Liu This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9523670/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Connectivity maintenance is a fundamental requirement in multi-UAV coordination, since persistent information exchange is essential for cooperative aerial missions such as coverage, surveillance, and exploration. This paper studies analytical control for connectivity maintenance in multi-UAV networks through a continuous design of the nonsmooth connectivity constraint. Unlike existing approaches that mainly rely on online optimization to enforce conditions for connectivity maintenance, the proposed framework exploits the structure of the algebraic-connectivity-based constraint to derive an explicit feedback law. By retaining the intrinsic nonsmooth nature of the connectivity condition while constructing a continuous constraint representation, the proposed method avoids the regularity loss caused by repeated eigenvalues and mitigates undesirable oscillatory behavior in controller implementation. Based on this representation, an analytical minimum-deviation controller is further developed to maintain connectivity without repeated online optimization, thereby improving controller transparency and real-time implementability for onboard deployment. Theoretical analysis establishes controller continuity and forward invariance of the connectivity-maintenance safe set. Numerical simulations in a representative aerial coverage mission validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, and comparisons across UAV systems of different scales further demonstrate its advantages in smooth control inputs and computational efficiency. multi-UAV networks connectivity maintenance algebraic connectivity nonsmooth continuous constraints analytical control control barrier functions Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9523670","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":641622636,"identity":"af7bc458-5976-4cdc-8ee8-059788f7da9a","order_by":0,"name":"Xiang Lian","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shanghai Jiao Tong University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xiang","middleName":"","lastName":"Lian","suffix":""},{"id":641622637,"identity":"fefc2df1-8664-4b43-be8a-a5df681d54b5","order_by":1,"name":"Chenggang Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shanghai Jiao Tong 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This paper studies analytical control for connectivity maintenance in multi-UAV networks through a continuous design of the nonsmooth connectivity constraint. Unlike existing approaches that mainly rely on online optimization to enforce conditions for connectivity maintenance, the proposed framework exploits the structure of the algebraic-connectivity-based constraint to derive an explicit feedback law. By retaining the intrinsic nonsmooth nature of the connectivity condition while constructing a continuous constraint representation, the proposed method avoids the regularity loss caused by repeated eigenvalues and mitigates undesirable oscillatory behavior in controller implementation. Based on this representation, an analytical minimum-deviation controller is further developed to maintain connectivity without repeated online optimization, thereby improving controller transparency and real-time implementability for onboard deployment. Theoretical analysis establishes controller continuity and forward invariance of the connectivity-maintenance safe set. 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