Location-Aware Beamforming for MIMO-Enabled UAV Communications: An Unknown Input Observer Approach

Abstract

Numerous communications and networking challenges prevent deploying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in extreme environments where the existing wireless technologies are mainly ground-focused; and, as a consequence, the air-to-air channel for UAVs is not fully covered. In this paper, we address the crucial problem of beamforming in the UAV-based communications by utilizing a spatial estimation algorithm, which relies on the theory of observers in the control systems literature. The proposed spatial estimation algorithm relies on using a delay-tolerant observer-based predictor, which can accurately predict the positions of the target UAVs in the presence of uncertainties due to factors such as wind gust. The solution, which uses discrete-time unknown input observers (UIOs), reduces the joint target detection and communication complication notably by operating on the same device and performs reliably in the presence of channel blockage and interference. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated using simulation results.