Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Relay Research Articles

Wireless routeing scheme for UAV-assisted access networks based on the link path loss

ABSTRACT In this work, a group of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is aimed to function as relay nodes that provide a multi-hop wireless link between ground users. The communication route between the sender and receiver is established with awareness of the link path loss between the cooperating UAV relay nodes. Then, Dijkstra’s shortest path algorithm is used to find the optimal route that has the minimum total path loss among all other possible routes. MATLAB simulation results show a high-performance gain when using Dijkstra’s algorithm for establishing the communication route compared with the baseline approach in which the route is formed based on the shortest-distance path through the UAV relay nodes. It is worth mentioning that both shadow fading and nonfading radio environments were taken into account. Moreover, the performance is further improved when the standard deviation of shadow fading increases. The work also investigates the probability of selecting each of the UAV nodes in forming the multi-hop link considering the total simulated realizations. Here, it is shown that more variability is observed in the indexes of the traversed UAV nodes when routeing through a random fading environment compared to a nonfading environment.

Clustering based strategic 3D deployment and trajectory optimization of UAVs with A-star algorithm for enhanced disaster response

A broad spectrum of communication and information technologies is currently being investigated for their potential applications in disaster management. A high level of situational awareness, combined with a prompt and accurate response, is essential for the preservation of life during catastrophe scenarios. This study presents a novel communication strategy employing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as aerial base stations for providing connectivity to the affected area. The system takes advantage of the flexibility and quick deployment characteristics of UAVs. The main focus is to determine the optimal UAV deployment along with trajectory planning to ensure connectivity in areas where conventional base stations are inaccessible. The proposed system employs two types of UAVs: cluster UAVs which act as stationary base stations and relay UAVs acting as mobile base stations. A three-step strategy is proposed to find the suitable location of cluster UAVs, optimize their height and power, and find the optimal trajectory of the relay UAVs to maximize the percentage of users served. Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) clustering is employed to determine the optimal horizontal location of cluster UAVs. An optimization problem is framed for finding out the optimal height and power for cluster UAVs. Heuristic-based A-star algorithm is used to find out the trajectory of the relay UAVs which can efficiently minimize the overall path length while avoiding obstacles. The simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach and demonstrate the performance enhancement by comparing it with the benchmark schemes.

Deep Reinforcement Learning based running-track path design for fixed-wing UAV assisted mobile relaying network

This paper studies a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) assisted mobile relaying network (FUAVMRN), where a fixed-wing UAV employs an out-band full-duplex relaying fashion to serve a ground source-destination pair. It is confirmed that for a FUAVMRN, straight path is not suitable for the case that a huge amount of data need to be delivered, while circular path may lead to low throughput if the distance of ground source-destination pair is large. Thus, a running-track path (RTP) design problem is investigated for the FUAVMRN with the goal of energy minimization. By dividing an RTP into two straight and two semicircular paths, the total energy consumption of the UAV and the total amount of data transferred from the ground source to the ground destination via the UAV relay are calculated. According to the framework of Deep Reinforcement Learning and taking the UAV's roll-angle limit into consideration, the RTP design problem is formulated as a Markov Decision Process problem, giving the state and action spaces in addition to the policy and reward functions. In order for the UAV relay to obtain the control policy, Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) is used to solve the path design problem, leading to a DDPG based algorithm for the RTP design. Computer simulations are performed and the results show that the DDPG based algorithm always converges when the number of training iterations is around 500, and compared with the circular and straight paths, the proposed RTP design can save at least 12.13 % of energy and 65.93 % of flight time when the ground source and the ground destination are located 2000 m apart and need to transfer 5000bit/Hz of data. Moreover, it is more practical and efficient in terms of energy saving compared with the Deep Q Network based design.

UAV aided NOMA relaying with energy harvesting architecture: Performance analysis

In this work, we consider a dual hop Non Orthogonal Miltiple Access (NOMA) based communication network between Source S and two destination users UA , UB which is aided by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) relay R. The energy constrained UAV relay harvests energy from signal transmitted by the source through Power Splitting (PS) and further transmits the signal using Amplify and Forward (AF) protocol to the destination users through NOMA. For the proposed network, we derive analytical expressions for outage probability and ergodic capacity. The impact of parameters like PS ratio and UAV altitude is studied on the overall system performance. Further, the performance of the proposed system is also compared with Orthogonal Multiple Access (OMA) scheme. The results obtained show that the energy harvesting capacity of UAV is significantly affected under Linear and Non Linear EH models. The numerical analysis done is verified through Monte Carlo Simulations.

UAV swarm path planning approach based on integration of multi-population strategy and adaptive evolutionary optimizer

Abstract Addressing the optimal path planning problem encountered by swarm of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in three-dimensional space under multiple constraints, the Multi-population Adaptive Cuckoo Search and Grey Wolf Optimizer (MACSGWO) integrates Multi-Population (MP) strategies and adaptive evolutionary optimizer including the enhanced Adaptive Grey Wolf Optimizer (AGWO) and Adaptive Cuckoo Search (ACS).
The optimizer strategically divides the initial population into multiple sub-groups, enabling each sub-group to independently iterate. 
During the iteration process, the algorithm adaptively adjusts parameters based on the optimal fitness values obtained by each sub-group after each iteration. The iteration cycle is divided into two stages: during the global exploration phase, each sub-group autonomously executes AGWO and periodically shares the fitness information of the Alpha wolf with other sub-groups, accelerating convergence.
In the subsequent local optimization phase, MACSGWO dynamically decides whether to initiate ACS based on the disparity in the best fitness of each sub-group after each iteration, assisting the algorithm in escaping local optima. 
In experiments involving various complex benchmark functions and swarm path planning scenarios, MACSGWO demonstrated significant superiority in solution stability, convergence speed, and optimal convergence value compared to multiple existing variant algorithms. The integration of MACSGWO with the best relay UAV selection strategy further optimized the communication efficiency within the swarm. MACSGWO ensures the efficient resolution of UAV swarm path planning problems, providing robust support for optimization challenges in complex, multi-constraint scenarios.

Multi-Node Joint Jamming Scheme for Secure UAV-Aided NOMA-CDRT Systems: Performance Analysis and Optimization

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communication using non-orthogonal multiple access-based coordinated direct and relay transmission (NOMA-CDRT) supports both massive connectivity and wide-area coverage, becoming a key technology for future emergency rescue communications. However, relay forwarding and high-quality line-of-sight links may subject UAV-aided NOMA-CDRT to multiple eavesdropping attempts by saboteurs. Therefore, we propose a multi-node joint jamming scheme using artificial noise (AN) for the UAV-assisted NOMA-CDRT to improve the system’s physical layer security. In the proposed scheme, the base station directly serves a nearby user while using a UAV relay to serve a disaster-affected user, and both the users and the UAV relay utilize AN to jointly interfere with eavesdroppers around the users. To accurately characterize and maximize the ergodic secrecy sum rate (ESSR) of the proposed scheme, we derive the corresponding closed-form expressions and design a joint power allocation and interference control (JPAIC) algorithm using particle swarm optimization. Simulations verify the correctness of the theoretical analysis, the ESSR advantage of the proposed scheme compared with the conventional NOMA-CDRT, and the effectiveness of the proposed JPAIC.

Practical Performance Analysis of MDI-QKD with Orbital Angular Momentum on UAV Relay Platform.

The integration of terrestrial- and satellite-based quantum key distribution (QKD) experiments has markedly advanced global-scale quantum networks, showcasing the growing maturity of quantum technologies. Notably, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as relay nodes has emerged as a promising method to overcome the inherent limitations of fiber-based and low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite connections. This paper introduces a protocol for measurement-device-independent QKD (MDI-QKD) using photon orbital angular momentum (OAM) encoding, with UAVs as relay platforms. Leveraging UAV mobility, the protocol establishes a secure and efficient link, mitigating threats from untrusted UAVs. Photon OAM encoding addresses reference frame alignment issues exacerbated by UAV jitter. A comprehensive analysis of atmospheric turbulence, state-dependent diffraction (SDD), weather visibility, and pointing errors on free-space OAM-state transmission systems was conducted. This analysis elucidates the relationship between the key generation rate and propagation distance for the proposed protocol. Results indicate that considering SDD significantly decreases the key rate, halving previous data results. Furthermore, the study identifies a maximum channel loss capacity of 26 dB for the UAV relay platform. This result is pivotal in setting realistic parameters for the deployment of UAV-based quantum communications and lays the foundation for practical implementation strategies in the field.

Joint optimization of communication and mission performance for multi-UAV collaboration network: A multi-agent reinforcement learning method

In emergency rescue, target search and other mission scenarios with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), the Relay UAVs (RUs) and Mission UAVs (MUs) can collaborate to accomplish tasks in unknown environments. In this paper, we investigate the problem of trajectory planning and power control for the MU and RU collaboration. Firstly, considering the characteristics of multi-hop data transmission between the MU and Ground Control Station, a multi-UAV collaborative coverage model is designed. Meanwhile, a UAV control algorithm named MUTTO is proposed based on multi-agent reinforcement learning. In order to solve the problem of the unknown information about the number and locations of targets, the geographic coverage rate is used to replace the target coverage rate for decision making. Then, the reward functions of two types of UAVs are designed separately for the purpose of better cooperation. By simultaneously planning the trajectory and transmission power of the RU and MU, the mission target coverage rate and network transmission rate are maximized while the energy consumption of the UAV is minimized. Finally, numerical simulations results show that MUTTO can solve the UAV network control problem in an efficient way and has better performance than the benchmark method.

Trajectory Optimization and Power Allocation Scheme for a UAV Relay-aided Network in the Presence of an Eavesdropper

The information theoretical security for a cellular network in the presence of an eavesdropper is investigated in this research. The network is single-input-single-output (SISO) in nature. A small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is aiding the network as a relay that follows the decode-and-forward (DF) protocol. The relay decodes the transmitted signal and retransmits it to the destination while repositioning itself if required. The allotted power of the UAV may not be enough for long-distance and long-duration travel. This article deals with the power needed for the data transmission so that the UAV can operate as a relay with less transmit power. However, the confidential data transmission between a base station and a mobile device is being intercepted by a passive eavesdropper. The security issue affects the transmit power and the outage situation. The theory of physical layer security is employed to ensure a secure wireless transmission. The secrecy parameters, namely, the secrecy capacity and the secrecy outage probability are investigated via mathematical derivations and computer programming. Additionally, optimizing the trajectory and allocation of the transmit power budget of the UAV will increase the network’s reliability. Our results show that the UAV relay can handle a secure transmission with its limited resources if a budget power allocation can be achieved along with an optimized trajectory.

Outage performance analysis of antenna selection schemes in UAV-assisted networks

In this paper, we investigate the performance of various antenna selection (AS) techniques in an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted relay communication system, wherein a UAV is deployed as a flying relay to establish and sustain a communication link between source and destination nodes. The AS schemes under study encompass transmit antenna selection/maximal ratio combining (TAS/MRC), joint transmit and receive antenna selection (JTRAS), and maximum ratio transmission/receive antenna selection (MRT/RAS). We present a unified outage probability (OP) performance analysis of AS techniques in UAV relay networks. We initially derive a closed-form expression for the OP under Nakagami-m fading channels. Subsequently, an asymptotic expression elucidating the array and diversity gain is derived to offer deeper insights into the performance of the studied system. Finally, Monte Carlo simulations are conducted to validate the theoretical results.

On performance analysis of non-orthogonal multiple access downlink for cellular-connected unmanned aerial vehicle relaying assisted vehicle-to-everything system

This paper presents the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) relays’ assisted vehicle-to-everything (V2X) network to implement the internet of things (IoT) systems with improvement in the coverage area. Such a network benefits from many advantages of the non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) scheme. We have implemented a decode-and-forward (DF) scheme for these UAVs. Then, we characterize the channels as Nakagami-m fading to evaluate the performance of the system. We derive closed-form expressions of outage probability (OP), ergodic capacity (EC), and throughput. The results show that the performance of the system depends on the transmitted signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the base station and the heights of the UAV relays. Target rate and power allocation factors are two main parameters that can be adjusted to achieve better performance. The results also compare to the system without UAV and OMA technique that shows the advantages of deploying UAV-assisted NOMA. Therefore, the design of NOMA for UAV relay-assisted V2X systems provides sufficient demand. The simulation results verified the effectiveness of the proposed UAV network and the precision of the theoretical analysis.

An Advanced Path Planning and UAV Relay System: Enhancing Connectivity in Rural Environments

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is increasing in transportation applications due to their high versatility and maneuverability in complex environments. Search and rescue is one of the most challenging applications of UAVs due to the non-homogeneous nature of the environmental and communication landscapes. In particular, mountainous areas pose difficulties due to the loss of connectivity caused by large valleys and the volumes of hazardous weather. In this paper, the connectivity issue in mountainous areas is addressed using a path planning algorithm for UAV relay. The approach is based on two main phases: (1) the detection of areas of interest where the connectivity signal is poor, and (2) an energy-aware and resilient path planning algorithm that maximizes the coverage links. The approach uses a viewshed analysis to identify areas of visibility between the areas of interest and the cell-towers. This allows the construction of a blockage map that prevents the UAV from passing through areas with no coverage, whilst maximizing the coverage area under energy constraints and hazardous weather. The proposed approach is validated under open-access datasets of mountainous zones, and the obtained results confirm the benefits of the proposed approach for communication networks in remote and challenging environments.

On energy conservation for fixed-wing UAV assisted practical full-duplex relaying with service requirement and bank angle limit

This paper studies a full-duplex (FD) amplify-and-forward relaying, where a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is dispatched as a mobile relay to serve a source-destination communication pair so as to satisfy their service requirement. Here, the UAV relay flies in a circular path and hence it must continuously change its heading of flight which leads to a bank angle of the aircraft. In order to ensure flight safety, therefore, a bank angle limit is imposed on the UAV relay. By considering a practical FD relaying, namely, there exists both residual loop interference (RLI) and processing time-delay at the relay side, novel signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) received at the destination is analyzed, giving a closed-form expression in addition to a concise lower-bound. Armed with the SINR analysis, the size of data received by the destination during a period of flight time of the UAV is calculated, leading to a closed-form lower-bound of the size of data. Taking bank angle limit into consideration and using the calculated lower-bound of the size of data, an optimization problem with the purpose of energy conservation is solved, leading to a novel method for joint adjustment of the UAV's flight parameters. Computer simulation experiments are conducted, and the results demonstrated that the proposed optimization method performs better in terms of energy conservation compared to the benchmark techniques regardless of the value of RLI and/or the service requirement of the source-destination communication pair.

UAV-assisted fair communications for multi-pair users: A multi-agent deep reinforcement learning method

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) plays an important role in scenarios like search and rescue, remote communication relay, battlefield mobile networks, etc. In this paper, we investigate multiple UAV relays providing real-time transmission for multi-pair ground users (GUs) in the absence of ground-based stations (GBSs). Due to the limited load capacities and energy resources on-board, fairness between multi-pair users, throughput maximization, as well as the connectivity maintenance between UAVs are jointly considered. We formulate the energy-efficient fair throughput objective function, which turns to be non-convex with hybrid variables. To solve this intractable problem, we utilize the power of neural networks in function approximation and propose a multi-agent deep reinforcement learning (MADRL)-based algorithm. Different from traditional MADRL algorithms, we utilize the method, named independent proximal policy optimization (IPPO), which allows agents to update according to their own observations memory and encourages more explorations to some extend, as the base of our solution. Simulation results demonstrate that our algorithm outperforms some baselines in terms of fairness, throughput as well as energy consumption.

Outage and throughput performance analysis of smart UAV‐assisted full‐duplex NOMA‐based energy harvesting cognitive radio networks

SummaryIn this paper, the throughput and outage performance for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)‐assisted non‐orthogonal multiple access (NOMA)‐based hybrid cognitive radio (CR) network are examined under m‐Nakagami fading channel. To be more specific, a secondary source transmitter ( ) broadcasts a NOMA‐enabled mixed signal to secondary destinations via UAV relay, which operates in full‐duplex (FD) mode and employs decode‐and‐forward protocol. In our approach, an energy harvesting (EH) circuit is employed at both and UAV to harvest energy from the PU radio frequency (RF) signals. These secondary transmitters are also incorporated with energy detector (ED) circuit as well, which detects the activity of the primary user (PU). The status of PU to be busy or idle is confirmed on the basis of the energy detector's results. In turn, this drives and UAV to switch between underlay and overlay protocols in an adaptive manner to increase spectrum efficiency (SE). The closed form mathematical expressions of the secondary outage probability for NOMA‐based UAV equipped CR networks under imperfect successive interference cancellation (i‐SIC) conditions have been evaluated. The administration of the power allocation policy at the and UAV is assessed while maintaining the PU quality of service (QoS). Finally, MATLAB simulation testbed has been used to verify all the analytical closed form expressions.

UAV Relay Energy Consumption Minimization in an MEC-Assisted Marine Data Collection System

Recently, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted maritime communication systems have drawn considerable attention due to their potential for broadband maritime communication applications. However, their limited energy resources remains a critical issue in providing long-term data transmission support for maritime applications. In this study, an integrated sea–air–terrestrial communication system was constructed for marine data collection, where several unmanned surface vessels (USVs) are deployed to collect marine data from underwater sensors (UWSs), and a UAV hovers above these USVs as a relay node, transmitting marine data from USVs to an onshore base station (BS). To prolong the lifetime of the UAV relay, mobile edge computing technology is applied in USVs for partial data computing, which reduces the to-be-relayed data volume from UAVs to USVs to onshore BS as well as the relay energy consumption of UAV. A parallel data computing and transmission scheme was developed for simultaneous local data computing and relaying in the proposed system. Accordingly, a UAV energy consumption minimization problem was formulated with constraints on the USV’s computational ability, the USV’s transmission power budget, the UAV transmission power budget, and the maximum system latency. To effectively solve this nonconvex optimal problem, an energy optimal partial data computing and relaying strategy was constructed by successively optimizing the data partial computational offloading ratio, USV transmit power allocation, and UAV transmit power. Numerical simulations were used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.

Energy Minimization for In-Band Full-Duplex Relaying Using an Amplify-and-Forward UAV Relay

This paper investigates an in-band full-duplex (IBFD) relaying, where a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is dispatched as an amplify-and-forward relay to forward data from a source to a destination. By considering ideal and practical IBFD cases, new received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) expressions at the destination are derived. Armed with the newly derived SNR expressions and the existing one in literature, three different lower-bounds of the size of data received by the destination are calculated. Using the three lower-bounds of the size of data, an optimization problem corresponding to energy minimization of the IBFD relaying system subject to a total data-bit constraint in addition to a mission completion time (MCT) constraint is solved, leading to three sets of solutions. Computer simulation experiments are conducted and the accuracy of the derived SNR expressions and the three sets of solutions of the optimization problem are compared. The results demonstrated that the newly derived SNR expressions are more accurate than the existing one in literature and are more suitable to be utilized for energy minimization, and the proposed optimization method can complete the relaying task with the minimum energy and MCT. When the residual loop-interference channel power is equal to -100dB, the scheme of ideal IBFD only consumes up to 2.5% of the energy of the compared schemes regardless of the value of the total data-bit constraint.

Development and Analysis of Outage Probability and Achievable Rate for UAV Relay Implementation in Disaster Areas

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) coupled with wireless networks have offered the potential for forthcoming mobile communications networks. The UAV-assisted wireless communication technology approach is an option for maintaining communication services, one of which is for disaster areas. This study aims to investigate the deployment of UAV-assisted communications in disaster areas. The simulation in this work is focused on investigating the relationship between the UAV’s height or radius and the outage probability and achievable rate. We identifies a UAV that behaves as a relay in a disaster area connected to two users, identified several critical parameters, such as UAV height, radius, and SNR value, and investigated the impact of changing each of them on outage probability and achievable rate values. Finally, we simulates the effect of these critical parameters on outage probability and achievable rate to maximize the use of UAV-assisted communication as a disaster management solution. According to the simulation results, as the signal to noise (SNR) increases, the probability of network communication interference decreases, and the achievable level increases. Moreover, increasing the range of UAVs can improve communication performance by reducing the probability of outages and increasing the achievable rate.

Toward Optimal Deployment of UAV Relays in UAV-Assisted Internet of Vehicles

The past decade has witnessed an explosive growth of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which have attracted great attention in assisting Internet of Vehicles (IoV) communication systems thanks to the advantages of cost-effectiveness, high maneuverability, and flexible deployment. Yet several issues, such as UAVs' transmit power and energy resources as well as the high-speed mobility of IoV user equipment (VUE), pose challenges to the development of UAVs in UAV-assisted IoV networks. To provide reliable and high-throughput wireless links for VUEs in a given ground area, this paper considers a scenario in which a ground VUE is facing difficulties in receiving service from a ground roadside unit (RSU) owing to possible sudden RSU malfunction or poor signal coverage. In this case, UAVs are generally deployed in the air, serving as relays to establish communication links between uncovered VUE and the neighboring RSU. To maximize the system capacity, we investigate the deployment problem of UAV relays under single-UAV relaying and multi-UAV relaying cases upon considering VUE mobility, and exploit the optimal deployment strategy of UAV relays under fixed total power consumption. Comprehensive simulation results verify that the proposed algorithm can outperform benchmark methods on significant critical indicators such as the average achievable user rate, and the outage probability. Also, evaluations and analyses have highlighted the effects of key system parameters (e.g., altitude, number, and transmit power of UAV relays) on optimal UAV relay deployment position and system performance.

A Distributed Cooperative Continuous Coverage Strategy of UAVs for MEC Services of Smart Grids Considering Energy Consumption

<p>Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) play an essential role in scenarios such as smart grid data collection and power line inspection for their maneuverability and low cost. However, the most obvious defect of UAVs is still the energy problem. The battery life of UAVs is too short of completing long-term tasks. Therefore, this paper proposes a distributed cooperative and continuous coverage strategy for UAVs. When the UAV is short of power, we select the path through the relay algorithm and send backhaul information such as the remaining power to the macro base station (mBS). mBS will send auxiliary UAVs to replace UAVs with weak power to complete the task of UAV replacement. We jointly optimize the relay information transmission path and UAV trajectory to achieve the goal of minimizing the total energy consumption of the system. The simulation results show that the optimization algorithm can significantly reduce the energy consumption of UAVs.</p> <p> </p>