Open Source Software Radio Platform for Research on Cellular Networked UAVs: It Works!

Cellular network-connected unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) experience different radio propagation conditions than radio nodes on the ground. Therefore, it has become critical to investigate the performance of aerial radios, both theoretically and through field trials. In this paper, we consider low-altitude aerial nodes that are served by an experimental cellular network. We provide a detailed description of the hardware and software components needed for establishing a broadband wireless testbed for UAV communications research using software radios. Results show that a testbed for innovation in UAV communications and networking is feasible with commercial off-the-shelf hardware, open-source software, and low-power signaling.

[1]  Vuk Marojevic,et al.  Tethered UAV with High Gain Antenna for BVLOS CNPC: A Practical Design for Widespread Use , 2021, 2021 IEEE 22nd International Symposium on a World of Wireless, Mobile and Multimedia Networks (WoWMoM).

[2]  Haichao Wang,et al.  Energy-Constrained Completion Time Minimization in UAV-Enabled Internet of Things , 2020, IEEE Internet of Things Journal.

[3]  Rudra Dutta,et al.  Aerial Experimentation and Research Platform for Mobile Communications and Computing , 2019, 2019 IEEE Globecom Workshops (GC Wkshps).

[4]  Cicek Cavdar,et al.  Direct Air to Ground Communications for Flying Vehicles: Measurement and Scaling Study for 5G , 2019, 2019 IEEE 2nd 5G World Forum (5GWF).

[5]  Raymond Knopp,et al.  Flying Rebots: First Results on an Autonomous UAV-Based LTE Relay Using Open Airinterface , 2018, 2018 IEEE 19th International Workshop on Signal Processing Advances in Wireless Communications (SPAWC).

[6]  Ismail Güvenç,et al.  Software Radios for Unmanned Aerial Systems , 2020, OpenWireless@MobiSys.

[7]  Cheng Zhang,et al.  Autonomous Tracking Using a Swarm of UAVs: A Constrained Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning Approach , 2020, IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology.

[8]  Sergey Andreev,et al.  Aerial Access and Backhaul in mmWave B5G Systems: Performance Dynamics and Optimization , 2019, IEEE Communications Magazine.

[9]  Rui Zhang,et al.  Cellular-Connected UAV: Potential, Challenges, and Promising Technologies , 2018, IEEE Wireless Communications.

[10]  Leonardo Bonati,et al.  SkyCell: A Prototyping Platform for 5G Aerial Base Stations , 2020, 2020 IEEE 21st International Symposium on "A World of Wireless, Mobile and Multimedia Networks" (WoWMoM).

[11]  Alexander M. Wyglinski,et al.  Revolutionizing software defined radio: case studies in hardware, software, and education , 2016, IEEE Communications Magazine.

[12]  Vuk Marojevic,et al.  Securing Mobile Multiuser Transmissions With UAVs in the Presence of Multiple Eavesdroppers , 2020, IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology.

[13]  Vuk Marojevic,et al.  Communications Standards for Unmanned Aircraft Systems: The 3GPP Perspective and Research Drivers , 2020 .