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Article

A Flexible Combinatorial Auction Algorithm (FCAA) for Multi-Task Collaborative Scheduling of Heterogeneous UAVs

1
Chinese Aeronautical Establishment, Beijing 100012, China
2
School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Drones 2025, 9(12), 870; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones9120870
Submission received: 29 October 2025 / Revised: 11 December 2025 / Accepted: 14 December 2025 / Published: 16 December 2025

Abstract

To address the inefficiency of collaborative scheduling of heterogeneous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles under resource constraints, particularly in large-scale multi-tasking scenarios, an improved Flexible Combinatorial Auction Algorithm is proposed, leveraging the bidding mechanism of simultaneous ascending auctions. This algorithm is designed with a candidate solution generation mechanism and an addition mechanism, which collectively reduce the number of candidate solutions generated prior to combinatorial auctions. It allows tasks to flexibly combine resources and submit bids. By calculating each candidate solution’s benefit based on real-time resource prices, it dynamically adjusts their priorities to search for the overall optimal multi-task scheduling scheme. It effectively addresses the inability of traditional auction algorithms to dynamically form resource clusters via flexible resource combination to collaboratively complete tasks. Meanwhile, it overcomes the technical bottleneck that existing heuristic algorithms struggle to handle highly complex heterogeneous resource scheduling cases. Simulation experiments show that in small-scale multi-tasking scenarios, the FCAA achieves a scheduling success rate of over 88%, with the maximum solution benefit proportion reaching 83.9%; in multi-tasking scenarios, it achieves a scheduling success rate of 98%, with the maximum solution benefit proportion reaching 93%. Its time efficiency and solution quality are significantly superior to those of traditional algorithms, providing an efficient and stable solution for heterogeneous resource scheduling problems in complex operational environments.
Keywords: flexible combinatorial auction algorithm; simultaneous ascending auctions; heterogeneous resource scheduling flexible combinatorial auction algorithm; simultaneous ascending auctions; heterogeneous resource scheduling

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

He, L.; Gong, X.; Zheng, J.; Wang, Y.; Cui, Y. A Flexible Combinatorial Auction Algorithm (FCAA) for Multi-Task Collaborative Scheduling of Heterogeneous UAVs. Drones 2025, 9, 870. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones9120870

AMA Style

He L, Gong X, Zheng J, Wang Y, Cui Y. A Flexible Combinatorial Auction Algorithm (FCAA) for Multi-Task Collaborative Scheduling of Heterogeneous UAVs. Drones. 2025; 9(12):870. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones9120870

Chicago/Turabian Style

He, Leiming, Xudong Gong, Jiangan Zheng, Yue Wang, and Yunsen Cui. 2025. "A Flexible Combinatorial Auction Algorithm (FCAA) for Multi-Task Collaborative Scheduling of Heterogeneous UAVs" Drones 9, no. 12: 870. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones9120870

APA Style

He, L., Gong, X., Zheng, J., Wang, Y., & Cui, Y. (2025). A Flexible Combinatorial Auction Algorithm (FCAA) for Multi-Task Collaborative Scheduling of Heterogeneous UAVs. Drones, 9(12), 870. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones9120870

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