Title: Unmanned aerial vehicle inspection algorithm for highway maintenance based on 5G network communication

Authors: Dongdong Xie; Qingsong Wan; Meng Chi; Wenjiang Hao; Bo Mi

Addresses: Shandong Hi-Speed Group Co, Ltd., Jinan, 250098, China ' Shandong Hi-Speed Information Group Co, Ltd, Jinan, 250102, China ' Shandong Hi-Speed Information Group Co, Ltd, Jinan, 250102, China ' Shandong Hi-Speed Information Group Co, Ltd, Jinan, 250102, China ' China Mobile Construction Co., Ltd., Beijing, 100038, China

Abstract: This study delves into the potential of drones, supported by 5G network communications, to enhance the success rate of collision avoidance and the rationality of path planning in the context of highway maintenance and inspection. It considers both line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) propagation losses, alongside large-scale spatial losses, to analyse the distribution of 5G network communication signals. By calculating the relative position and velocity between the drone and obstacles, dynamic collision avoidance control for the drone is achieved. Considering four key factors: inspection path length, flight altitude restrictions, risk cost, and smoothness, the study employs the cuckoo search algorithm to optimise and plan the inspection path for highway maintenance drones. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed drone inspection algorithm boasts a high collision avoidance success rate, consistently exceeding 97%, and yields reasonable inspection path planning results, enabling comprehensive inspection of multiple objectives.

Keywords: 5G network communication; highway maintenance; unmanned aerial vehicle inspection; autonomous collision avoidance; line-of-sight; LOS; non-line-of-sight; NLOS.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISTA.2025.151554

International Journal of Intelligent Systems Technologies and Applications, 2025 Vol.23 No.4, pp.443 - 458

Received: 11 Oct 2024
Accepted: 08 Sep 2025
Published online: 05 Feb 2026 *

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