Solving the length constrained K-drones rural postman problem

2021

[EN] In this paper we address the Length Constrained K-Drones Rural Postman Problem (LC K-DRPP). This is a continuous optimization problem where a fleet of homogeneous drones have to jointly service (traverse) a set of (curved or straight) lines of a network. Unlike the vehicles in classical arc routing problems, a drone can enter a line through any of its points, service a portion of that line, exit through another of its points, then travel directly to any point on another line, and so on. Moreover, since the range of the drones is restricted, the length of each route is limited by a maximum distance. Some applications for drone arc routing problems include inspection of pipelines, railwa…