4G UAV communication system and hovering height optimization for public safety

Abstract

When facing with sudden terrorist attacks or natural disasters, in order to avoid the paralysis of communication networks caused by the destruction of partial ordinary 4G cellular base stations in urban area, this paper proposed a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communication system based on 4G technology for public safety and investigated its optimal hovering height for maximizing its effective coverage radius. In this system, collaborative operation, among several airborne 4G cellular base stations, some unmanned aerial vehicle relays and other still worked ordinary 4G cellular base stations, could form a seamless communication coverage in the accident area, and provide the alternate communication links with QoS guarantee to people involved in the disaster relief and rescue. At meanwhile, in different urban environments, the hovering height of UAV equipped with the 4G cellular base station could be quickly optimal adjusted to maximize its effective coverage area by the configuration information sent from the emergency command management center, so as to effectively cut the cost of urban security emergency response system with the limited number of UAVs, ensure its smooth operation, and save people's life and property loss to the greatest extent.