Channel Model in Urban Environment for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Communications

TL;DR

This paper develops an urban propagation channel model for UAV communications based on measurement campaigns, highlighting differences from suburban environments and proposing a simplified Saleh-Valenzuela model with specific parameters.

Contribution

It introduces a new urban UAV channel model derived from real measurements and adapts the Saleh-Valenzuela model for this environment.

Findings

Urban UAV channels have distinct pathloss characteristics.

The proposed model accurately reflects urban scattering effects.

Comparison shows differences between open lawn and office building scenarios.

Abstract

In order to develop and analyze reliable communications links for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), accurate models for the propagation channel are required. The radio channel properties in the urban scenario are different from those in the suburb scenario and open area due to so many scattering paths from office buildings, especially when the UAV flies in the low altitude. We took some measurement campaigns on the campus of Tsinghua University with crowded apartments and office buildings. Based on the measurement result we extract the main parameters of pathloss model, and propose a simplified Saleh-Valenzuela (SV) model with specific parameters. The typical scene of central lawn is compared with the office buildings in the analysis of K-factor and root-mean-square (RMS) delay spread.