Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) Drone Communications Relay Technical Roadmap for COVID19 Multi-Function Operations

BVLOS无人机操作可解决为支持COVID-19应对而确定的一组用例，包括：远程向患者提供医疗用品和检测设备。2\.医学样本的收集和转移。超视距操作需要机载平台的指挥和控制（C2）通信以及有效载荷通信。这一连接问题具有挑战性：无人机是移动的;必须在地面高度到400英尺的范围内自主运行，建筑物和地形会阻挡和干扰信号;在农村和城市地区;并且需要Mbps范围内的有效载荷数据速率。现有的通信网络覆盖不完整，可用的无线电频率受到带宽、功率限制或两者的限制。这项研究提出了一种新的架构，以减轻这些挑战，从而提供通信模块，使适当能力的无人机能够提供COVID-19的好处。这项工作包括一个设计研究，使用定义良好的使命用例。输出是所需系统的规范和路线图，为BVLOS通信模块的后续设计和构建做好准备。

A set of use cases identified for supporting the response to COVID-19 is addressable by BVLOS drone operations, including:1\. Delivery of medical supplies and testing equipment remotely to patients.2\. Collection and transfer of medical samples.BVLOS operations requires communications for both Command and Control (C2) of the airborne platform and payload communications. This connectivity problem is challenging: drones are mobile; must operate autonomously from ground level up to 400' with buildings and terrain blocking and disrupting signals; in rural and urban areas; and require payload data rates in the Mbps range. Available communications networks have patchy coverage, available radio frequencies are constrained in bandwidth, power limits or both.This investigation addresses a novel architecture to mitigate these challenges and so provide comms modules to enable suitably capable drones to deliver COVID-19 benefits. The work incorporates a design study using well-defined mission use cases. The output is a specification and roadmap for the required systems, ready for a subsequent design and build of BVLOS comms modules.