Resilient UAV Formation for Coverage and Connectivity of Spatially Dispersed Users

TL;DR

This paper proposes a distributed UAV formation control method using flocking dynamics to ensure coverage and connectivity among dispersed ground users, especially in remote or emergency scenarios, enabling resilient local networks.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, dynamic formation control approach for UAV networks that maintains connectivity and coverage without relying on fixed infrastructure.

Findings

Simulation shows strongly connected UAV networks with sufficient aerial base stations.

The approach effectively provides both backhaul and fronthaul connectivity.

Method can be extended to multi-tier extra-terrestrial networks.

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are a convenient choice for carrying mobile base stations to rapidly setup communication services for ground users. Unlike terrestrial networks, UAVs do not have fiber optic back-haul connectivity except when they are tethered to the ground, which restricts their mobility. In the absence of back-haul, e.g., in remote areas, emergency situations, or in battlefields, there is a need to ensure connectivity among UAVs in addition to coverage of ground users for creating local area networks. This paper provides a distributed and dynamic approach for UAV formation-based control for coverage and connectivity of spatially dispersed users. We use flocking dynamics as a guide to constructing tailored formations of UAVs on the fly. Simulation results demonstrate that if sufficient aerial base stations are available, the proposed approach results in a strongly connected network of UAVs that is able to provide both a backhaul and fronthaul network. The approach can be further extended to create multi-tier extra-terrestrial networks to cater for large-scale applications.