Drone delivery from trucks: Drone scheduling for given truck routes

Boysen, N., Briskorn, D., Fedtke, S., & Schwerdfeger, S. · 2018

citation-level

This paper isolates the problem of scheduling drone launches, recoveries, and customers when the truck route is already fixed. It is cited to justify approximations that do not optimize the route and the schedule together. The card is citation-level.

Given a fixed sequence of truck stops, the task is to choose drone trips so that every customer is served and the tour duration is minimized. Cases differ by one drone or several, and by whether launch and landing must be the same stop. Complexity and mixed-integer programs are given, and the cases are compared for their potential to shorten the last mile.

A good truck route is assumed from outside the model. An optimal drone schedule on a poor truck route is not a joint optimum. Energy and regulation are simplified.