Interference modeling and analysis in 3-dimensional directional UAV networks based on stochastic geometry

Abstract In this paper, we model and characterize interference of directional unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) networks based on stochastic geometry, where each UAV is equipped with a directional antenna and it communicates with another UAV that is located in the three dimensional (3D) space. In particular, the 3D location of UAVs is assumed to be uniformly distributed in a certain volume, which is modeled by Poisson point process. Given a beamwidth, we first design an ideal 3D directional antenna beam pattern with a constant gain of both main-lobe and side-lobe. To model the interference in the UAV network, we analyze the effect of elevation and azimuth between a typical UAV receiver and an interfering UAV transmitter with spherical coordinate system. Then, we investigate distribution of the aggregate interference at a typical UAV receiver from multiple UAVs in terms of side-lobe gain, beamwidth, height of UAV, and distance of a UAV transmitter–receiver pair.