A project report presenting a framework for generating quadrotor flight trajectories that account for cellular network quality.
Abstract
The diverse uses of Unmanned Aerial Systems continue to grow, especially for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) applications, and cellular-assisted UASs have emerged as a potential solution. But the idea is still early: there's a lack of 3D cellular simulation systems for UAVs, and a lack of 3D trajectory-generation systems that optimize for overall network quality specifically. This work addresses both gaps.
The framework
- A 3D environment with both static and dynamic objects
- A cellular base station coverage and network-quality simulation layer
- A network-quality-optimal 3D trajectory generator for quadrotors
- An evaluation harness for trajectory realism and experienced network quality
Results
Generated trajectories were relatively realistic, not just optimal on paper, and produced a significant, measurable increase in the network quality experienced by the quadrotor compared to naive path choices.
Mohammad Hameed, University of Calgary. Project Final Report.