Robust Multi-Path Communications for UAVs in the Urban IoT

TL;DR

This paper presents a robust multi-path communication framework for UAVs in urban environments, enhancing control reliability amidst spectrum congestion and interference through dynamic path selection based on real-world testing.

Contribution

It introduces a novel multi-path communication system that continuously evaluates and selects optimal wireless paths for UAV control in urban settings.

Findings

Framework effectively maintains UAV control during interference

Real-world experiments validate robustness against congestion

Dynamic path selection improves communication reliability

Abstract

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems are being increasingly used in a broad range of scenarios and applications. However, their deployment in urban areas poses important technical challenges. One of the most prominent concerns is the robustness of communications between the ground stations and the UAVs in a highly dynamic and crowded spectrum. Indeed, competing data streams may create local or temporary congestion impairing the ground stations to control the UAVs. The main contribution of this paper is a robust multi-path communication framework for UAV systems. The framework continuously probes the performance of multiple wireless multi-hop paths from the ground stations to each UAV, and dynamically selects the path providing the best performance to support timely control. Numerical results, based on a real-world implementation and extensive field experimentation, demonstrate the ability of the proposed framework to provide robust control against exogenous interference and network congestion.