UAV, Healthcare transportation, Imperial competition algorithm, Blood transportation, Path planning model, Computer engineering. Computer hardware, TK7885-7895, Computer software, QA76.75-76.765

Abstract In response to the path planning problem of using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for blood transportation, with the objective of minimizing the total distance travelled by the UAV, a multi-constraint drone blood transportation path planning model is established. Taking into account the limited number of drone take-off and landing platforms and the safety time intervals for continuous drone take-off and landing, a drone take-off scheduling strategy is designed to reduce the total time spent by UAV completing transportation tasks. Additionally, an Imperial Competition Algorithm based on Imperialist Competitive Algorithm is proposed to solve this problem. This algorithm introduces a sine disturbance strategy and adds Imperial Reform stages to improve the search accuracy of the algorithm. It utilizes acceptance criteria related to solution quality to maintain the diversity of the population. Validation is conducted using benchmark examples and instances of drone blood transportation. The results indicate that the proposed algorithm can provide transportation solutions for drone blood transportation tasks that meet various constraints without any conflicts in drone take-off and landing. The drone take-off scheduling strategy effectively reduces the total time spent by UAV in completing tasks.