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Advances of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Communication

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A special issue of Drones (ISSN 2504-446X). This special issue belongs to the section "Drone Communications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 August 2023) | Viewed by 30968

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Emmanouel T. Michailidis

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Guest Editor

Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, University of West Attica, Ancient Olive Grove Campus, 250 Thivon & P. Ralli Str, 12241 Egaleo, Greece
Interests: UAV-based communications; wireless and satellite communications; software-defined radio (SDR); Internet of Things (IoT); physical-layer security (PLS); machine learning (ML)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Demosthenes Vouyioukas

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Guest Editor

Department of Information and Communication Systems Engineering, School of Engineering, University of the Aegean, 83200 Samos, Greece
Interests: mobile and wireless communication systems; channel characterization and propagation models; performance modeling of wireless networks; opportunistic mobile networks; cooperative communications; satellite and aerial networks
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Petros Bithas

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Guest Editor

Department of Digital Industry Technologies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 157 72 Athens, Greece
Interests: wireless communication systems; wireless channel modeling; performance analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Enhanced reliability, ubiquitous connectivity, and long-range radio coverage are required in fifth-generation (5G) and beyond 5G (B5G) communication services in the civilian and military domain; therefore, supplementing and extending the terrestrial and satellite communication infrastructure is of paramount importance. In this direction, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), widely known as drones, can act as autonomous communicating nodes, aerial relays, or even aerial base stations (BSs), and strongly support the conventional networks in propagation scenarios with obstacles and highly mobile and remote network nodes. By flying at modest altitudes, at high elevation angles, and across urban, suburban, and rural terrains, UAVs can facilitate the establishment of an adaptable and reliable multi-hop communication backbone, thus enabling the provision of challenging applications, including disaster and crisis management, agricultural, transportation, environmental monitoring, remote sensing, and healthcare services. Nevertheless, several scientific and technical challenges exist for enabling the successful and long-term operation of UAV-aided communication networks in highly dynamic and heterogeneous environments. Therefore, advanced communication, antenna, networking, sensor, and computing technologies should be proposed, revised, and developed.

This Special Issue aims to disseminate the latest research results and innovations in the ambiguous landscape of UAV-aided communication networks.

Both original research and review articles are welcome. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) the following:

Channel modeling for air-to-ground and air-to-air communications;
Channel measurements, prototype results, and testbeds for UAV-aided communication networks and reliable UAV operation;
Network architectures and protocols for UAV-aided communication networks;
Hybrid satellite–aerial–terrestrial network architectures;
Routing and scheduling for UAV-aided communication networks;
Resource management and energy efficiency in UAV-aided communication networks;
Positioning and trajectory optimization for UAV-aided communication networks;
Interference mitigation techniques for UAV-aided communication networks;
Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) schemes for UAV-aided communication networks;
Wireless powered transfer (WPT) and energy harvesting for UAV-aided communication networks;
Free-space optical (FSO) communications for UAV-aided networks;
UAV-aided networks with reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) units;
Machine learning (ML) techniques for UAV-aided communication networks, decision-making, and autonomous UAVs;
Cloud, fog, and mobile edge computing (MEC) in UAV-aided communication networks;
Software-defined radio (SDR), software-defined networking (SDN), and network function virtualization (NFV) in UAV-aided communication networks;
Security, privacy, and forensics in UAV-aided communication networks;
Covert communications and physical layer (PHY) security in UAV-aided communication networks;
Blockchain-based UAV-aided communication networks;
Navigation, detection, and localization for UAV-aided communication networks;
Standardization advancements, policies, and regulation for cellular-supported UAVs.

Dr. Emmanouel T. Michailidis
Prof. Dr. Demosthenes Vouyioukas
Dr. Petros Bithas
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Drones is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
drones
5G and beyond
trajectory optimization
resource management
channel modeling
security
machine learning
interference mitigation
mobile edge computing

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1599 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Simulation of the Effect of Correlated Packet Loss for sUAS Platforms Operating in Non-Line-of-Sight Indoor Environments

by Edwin Meriaux, Jay Weitzen and Adam Norton

Drones 2023, 7(7), 485; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7070485 - 24 Jul 2023

Viewed by 991

Abstract

The current state of the art in small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS) testing and evaluation exists mainly in the realm of outdoor flight. Operating small flying sUAS in constrained indoor or subterranean environments places different constraints on their communication links (control links and camera/sensor links). Communication loss in these environments is much more severe due to the proximity of obstacles. This paper examines how correlated packet loss (burst errors) occurring on both the control and camera communication links affects the ability of pilots to fly and navigate small sUAS platforms in constrained Non-Line of Sight (NLOS) environments. A software test bench called AirSim, a UAV simulator, allows us to better understand the effects of correlated packet loss on flyability without damaging multiple sUAS units by flight testing. The simulation was designed to support the design of test methodologies for evaluating the robustness of the communication links and to understand performance without damaging flight tests. Throughout the simulations, it is observed how different levels of packet loss affect the pilot and the number of simulated crashes into the obstacles placed through space. The simulations modeled packet loss both on the video link and the control link to display how packet loss affects ability to pilot and control the sUAS. The utility of using a simulated environment rather than flight testing prevents damage to the fragile and expensive drones being used. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Communication)

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25 pages, 5559 KiB

Open AccessArticle

UAV Communication Recovery under Meteorological Conditions

by Mengan Song, Yiming Huo, Zhonghua Liang, Xiaodai Dong and Tao Lu

Drones 2023, 7(7), 423; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7070423 - 26 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1074

Abstract

Our study proposes a UAV communications recovery strategy under meteorological conditions based on a ray tracing simulation of excessive path loss in four distinct three-dimensional (3D) urban environments. We start by reviewing the air-to-ground propagation loss model under meteorological conditions, as well as the specific attenuation of rain, fog, and snow, and we propose a new expression for line-of-sight (LoS) probability. Using the two frequency bands of 28 GHz and 71 GHz, we investigate the impact of specific attenuation caused by different weather conditions and analyze the relationship between the radius of the UAV coverage area and the elevation angle. Furthermore, we investigate the effects of the rainfall rate, liquid water density, and snowfall rate on the maximum coverage area and optimal height of the UAV. Eventually, we propose a strategy that involves compensating for the maximum path loss and adjusting the UAV’s position to recover the coverage of the UAV to ground users. Our results show that rain has the greatest impact on the UAV’s coverage area and optimum height among the three types of weather conditions. For various weather conditions, relative to Region 1, the percentage reduction in the maximum coverage radius of Region 2 to Region 4 increases gradually, and the extent of each increase is approximately 10%. Moreover, after adding the compensated path loss, the coverage radius of the UAV in the four regions is restored to a value slightly larger than that before the rain. In addition, rain caused the greatest reduction in UAV coverage for suburban environments and the lowest for high-rise urban environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Communication)

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21 pages, 1288 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Minimal Energy Routing of a Leader and a Wingmate with Periodic Connectivity

by Sai Krishna Kanth Hari, Sivakumar Rathinam, Swaroop Darbha and David Casbeer

Drones 2023, 7(6), 388; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7060388 - 10 Jun 2023

Viewed by 939

Abstract

We consider a route planning problem in which two unmanned vehicles are required to complete a set of tasks present at distinct locations, referred to as targets, with minimum energy consumption. The mission environment is hazardous, and to ensure a safe operation, the UVs are required to communicate with each other at every target they visit. The problem objective is to determine the allocation of the tasks to the UVs and plan tours for the UVs to visit the targets such that the weighted sum of the distances traveled by the UVs and the distances traveled by the communicating signals between them is minimized. We formulate this problem as an Integer program and show that naively solving the problem using commercially available off-the-shelf solvers is insufficient in determining scalable solutions efficiently. To address this computational challenge, we develop an approximation and a heuristic algorithm, and employ them to compute high-quality solutions to a special case of the problem where equal weights are assigned to the distances traveled by the vehicles and the communicating signals. For this special case, we show that the approximation algorithm has a fixed approximation ratio of 3.75. We also develop lower bounds to the optimal cost of the problem to evaluate the performance of these algorithms on large-scale instances. We demonstrate the performance of these algorithms on 500 randomly generated instances with the number of targets ranging from 6 to 100, and show that the algorithms provide high-quality solutions to the problem swiftly; the average computation time of the algorithmic solutions is within a fraction of a second for instances with at most 100 targets. Finally, we show that the approximation ratio has a variable ratio for the weighted case of the problem. Specifically, if

ρ

denotes the ratio of the weights assigned to the distances representing the communication and travel costs, the algorithm has an a posteriori ratio of

3 + \frac{3 ρ}{4}

when

ρ \geq 1

, and

\frac{3}{ρ} + \frac{3}{4}

when

ρ \leq 1

. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Communication)

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19 pages, 928 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Empowering Adaptive Geolocation-Based Routing for UAV Networks with Reinforcement Learning

by Changmin Park, Sangmin Lee, Hyeontae Joo and Hwangnam Kim

Drones 2023, 7(6), 387; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7060387 - 09 Jun 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1431

Abstract

Since unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as drones, are used in various fields due to their high utilization and agile mobility, technologies to deal with multiple UAVs are becoming more important. There are many advantages to using multiple drones in a swarm, but, at the same time, each drone requires a strong connection to some or all of the other drones. This paper presents a superior approach for the UAV network’s routing system without wasting memory and computing power. We design a routing system called the geolocation ad hoc network (GLAN) using geolocation information, and we build an adaptive GLAN (AGLAN) system that applies reinforcement learning to adapt to the changing environment. Furthermore, we increase the learning speed by applying a pseudo-attention function to the existing reinforcement learning. We evaluate the proposed system against traditional routing algorithms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Communication)

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15 pages, 1935 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Convex Hull Obstacle-Aware Pedestrian Tracking and Target Detection in Theme Park Applications

by Yumin Choi and Hyunbum Kim

Drones 2023, 7(4), 279; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7040279 - 21 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1212

Abstract

Barriers are utilized for various tasks in security, environmental monitoring, penetration detection and reconnaissance. It is highly necessary to consider how to support pedestrian tracking and target detection in theme park areas having multiple obstacles. In this paper, we create security barriers through cooperation between mobile robots and UAVs for use in theme park areas where multiple obstacles of undetermined forms are placed. We formally define the problem and the goals. The goals are the following: to maximize the number of convex hull obstacle-aware tracking barriers using mobile robots and UAVs, to satisfy given detection accuracy, and to ensure that all environments are protected by convex hull obstacle-aware tracking barriers without disturbance from irregular obstacles. To address the problem, we propose two different algorithms, to improve security barriers and avoid various forms of obstacles, in a bid to work towards a 6G-enabled virtual emotion environment. Then, the proposed schemes are executed through simulations with various settings, and the numerical results evaluated with detailed discussions and demonstrations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Communication)

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18 pages, 7622 KiB

Open AccessArticle

5G-NR Physical Layer-Based Solutions to Support High Mobility in 6G Non-Terrestrial Networks

by Chaitali J. Pawase and KyungHi Chang

Drones 2023, 7(3), 176; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7030176 - 04 Mar 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 5109

Abstract

Non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems can offer wide area coverage for applications requiring high mobility, which is expected in the sixth generation (6G) of telecommunication systems. This paper proposes a high-mobility support system based on the 5G-NR physical layer components for NTN connectivity. In this paper, we propose the optimization of 5G-NR numerologies and the impact of various modulation and coding schemes (MCS), 3GPP NR-NTN channel models, and MIMO/beamforming schemes with link-level simulation under pilot-aided-based perfect and DM-RS-based practical channel estimation at stationary UE and high mobility of 500 km/h, respectively. This paper also develops a link-level simulation of the 5G-NR physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) under the 3GPP NR-NTN tapped delay line (TDL) channel model to support UE mobility up to 500 km/h. The bit error rate (BER), maximum achievable throughput (Mbps), and spectral efficiency (bps/Hz) are analyzed for the 5G-NR-based potential elements to be utilized in the evolution of NTN. Furthermore, the denser DM-RS symbol pattern is proposed for utilization in channel estimation to support high mobility, as simulation results prove their capability of fast decoding while using the front-loaded symbol structure. The simulation results show that the large 5G-NR numerologies, such as 120 kHz and DM-RS-based channel estimation, support the high UE mobility by providing high link reliability and the maximum achievable throughput of 368.832 Mbps and spectral efficiency of 3.68 bps/Hz under 64-QAM for TDL-E (LOS) channel model, which can also be a potential solution to support transonic speed mobility in the NTN of 6G services. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Communication)

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12 pages, 1384 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cooperative Obstacle-Aware Surveillance for Virtual Emotion Intelligence with Low Energy Configuration

by Seungheyon Lee, Sooeon Lee, Yumin Choi, Junggab Son, Paolo Bellavista and Hyunbum Kim

Drones 2023, 7(3), 159; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7030159 - 24 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1167

Abstract

In this article, we introduce a cooperative obstacle-aware surveillance system for virtual emotion intelligence which is supported by low energy configuration with the minimal wasted communication cost in self-sustainable network with 6G components. We make a formal definition of the main research problem whose goal is to minimize the wasted communication range of system members on condition that the required detection accuracy with the given number of obstacles is satisfied when the requested number of obstacle-aware surveillance low energy barriers are built in self-sustainable network. To solve the problem, we have originally designed and implemented two different approaches, and then thoroughly evaluated them through extensive simulations. Then, their performances based on numerical outcomes are demonstrated with detailed discussions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Communication)

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16 pages, 21603 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Capacity Analysis of Power Beacon-Assisted Industrial IoT System with UAV Data Collector

by Aleksandra Cvetković, Vesna Blagojević and Jelena Manojlović

Drones 2023, 7(2), 146; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7020146 - 20 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1353

Abstract

The performance analysis of an energy constrained Internet of Things (IoT) system with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is provided in this paper. In the considered system, a power beacon is used for the energy supply of a sensor node that has no other power sources, while the UAV is used for the collection of sensor data. The outage and capacity performances are analyzed under the assumption of a Nakagami-m fading environment, for the case when the power and information transfer are performed based on the time-switching protocol and the UAV is randomly positioned at a certain height. Based on the provided analysis we derive the exact closed-form expressions for the outage probability, the outage capacity and the ergodic capacity of the power beacon assisted IoT system. The analytical results are confirmed using an independent simulation method. The performed analysis demonstrates the impact of various system and channel parameters on system performances. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Communication)

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Review

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29 pages, 645 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Cyber4Drone: A Systematic Review of Cyber Security and Forensics in Next-Generation Drones

by Vikas Sihag, Gaurav Choudhary, Pankaj Choudhary and Nicola Dragoni

Drones 2023, 7(7), 430; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7070430 - 28 Jun 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 8638

Abstract

Cyber Security and forensics for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) pose unique requirements, solutions, and challenges. As UAVs become increasingly prevalent for legitimate and illegal use, ensuring their security and data integrity is important. Solutions have been developed to tackle these security requirements. Drone forensics enables the investigation of security incidents involving UAVs, aiding in identifying attackers or determining the cause of accidents. However, challenges persist in the domain of UAV security and forensics. This paper surveys drone threat models, security, and privacy aspects. In particular, we present the taxonomy of drone forensics for investigating drone systems and talk about relevant artifacts, tools, and benchmark datasets. While solutions exist, challenges such as evolving technology and complex operational environments must be addressed through collaboration, updated protocols, and regulatory frameworks to ensure drones’ secure and reliable operation. Furthermore, we also point out the field’s difficulties and potential future directions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Communication)

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20 pages, 1828 KiB

Open AccessReview

Artificial Intelligence-Based Autonomous UAV Networks: A Survey

by Nurul I. Sarkar and Sonia Gul

Drones 2023, 7(5), 322; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7050322 - 16 May 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 6773

Abstract

Recent advancements in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have proven UAVs to be an inevitable part of future networking and communications systems. While many researchers have proposed UAV-assisted solutions for improving traditional network performance by extending coverage and capacity, an in-depth study on aspects of artificial intelligence-based autonomous UAV network design has not been fully explored yet. The objective of this paper is to present a comprehensive survey of AI-based autonomous UAV networks. A careful survey was conducted of more than 100 articles on UAVs focusing on the classification of autonomous features, network resource management and planning, multiple access and routing protocols, and power control and energy efficiency for UAV networks. By reviewing and analyzing the UAV networking literature, it is found that AI-based UAVs are a technologically feasible and economically viable paradigm for cost-effectiveness in the design and deployment of such next-generation autonomous networks. Finally, this paper identifies open research problems in the emerging field of UAV networks. This study is expected to stimulate more research endeavors to build low-cost, energy-efficient, next-generation autonomous UAV networks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Communication)

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