Dynamic Quantum Federated Learning for UAV-Based Autonomous Surveillance

Abstract

In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have proven their effectiveness in surveillance due to their superior mobility. By utilizing multiple UAVs with collaborated learning, surveillance of a huge area while consuming minimum resources is possible. However, the performance of UAV collaborative learning systems is still severely limited because the number of parameters in a classical NN is generally very large, which is unsuitable for unstable wireless communication. To address this issue, this paper uses a quantum neural network (QNN), which has large computational capabilities and uses fewer parameters to overcome the problems caused by many parameters. However, it is still difficult to send all the parameters of the QNN to the server under poor channel conditions. Therefore, this paper proposes dynamic quantum federated learning (DQFL), a novel framework designed for UAVs employing quantum computing (QC) and federated learning (FL). The proposed DQFL uses a dynamic quantum neural network (DQNN) with a multi-depth circuit and employs dynamic control of the circuit layer to improve the efficiency of local parameter transmission between UAVs in unstable wireless communication environments. Extensive simulations conducted under real-world autonomous surveillance conditions demonstrate the robustness of DQFL to non-iidness, varying signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), and poor communication channel conditions in the UAV environment.