Using LTE Networks for UAV Command and Control Link: A Rural-Area Coverage Analysis
Using LTE Networks for UAV Command and Control Link: A Rural-Area Coverage Analysis
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DOI：
10.1109/vtcfall.2017.8287894
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发表时间：
2017-09
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影响因子：
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通讯作者：
H. Nguyen;R. Amorim;J. Wigard;I. Kovács;P. Mogensen
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作者：
H. Nguyen;R. Amorim;J. Wigard;I. Kovács;P. Mogensen
在本文中，我们调查的长期演进（LTE）网络的能力，提供覆盖无人机（UAV）在农村地区，特别是指挥和控制（C2）下行链路。该研究考虑了大规模路径损耗对无人机高度的依赖性，该高度来自实际测量以及真实世界的蜂窝网络布局和配置。结果表明，干扰是影响无人机下行链路蜂窝覆盖的主要因素，满载条件下，干扰中断率从1.5m高度的4.2%增加到120m高度的51.7%。较低的网络负载或较大的站点间距离可降低干扰，从而显著提高覆盖范围：例如，在25%的网络负载下，120 m处的停电率仅为1.9%。通过静态或动态干扰协调方案预期可实现类似效果。此外，理想的干扰消除（IC）方案，能够完全消除占主导地位的干扰显示出对无人机比地面用户更有效。另一方面，宏网络多样性对无人机具有很好的潜力，因为它不仅可以提高覆盖范围，还可以提高C2链路的可靠性。
In this paper we investigate the ability of Long- Term Evolution (LTE) network to provide coverage for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in a rural area, in particular for the Command and Control (C2) downlink. The study takes into consideration the dependency of the large-scale path loss on the height of the UAV, which is derived from actual measurements, and a real-world cellular network layout and configuration. The results indicate that interference is the dominant factor limiting the cellular coverage for UAVs in the downlink: outage level increases from 4.2% at 1.5m height to 51.7% at 120m under full load condition. Lower network loads or larger inter-site distances reduces the interference and thus improves the coverage significantly: outage at 120m is reduced to only 1.9% under network load of 25% for example. Similar effects are expected to be achievable by static or dynamic interference coordination schemes. In addition, ideal Interference Cancellation (IC) scheme with ability to remove completely the dominant interferer shows less effective for UAVs than for users on the ground. On the other hand, macro network diversity has very good potential for drones, as not only it improves the coverage, but also the reliability of the C2 link.