Optimum Trajectory Planning for Multi-Rotor UAV Relays with Tilt and Antenna Orientation Variations

TL;DR

This paper develops an optimized trajectory planning framework for multi-rotor UAV relays that accounts for tilt-induced antenna orientation changes, aiming to maximize communication throughput.

Contribution

It introduces a novel trajectory optimization method considering UAV tilt and antenna orientation variations for improved relay communication performance.

Findings

Optimized trajectories increase data transmission capacity.

Accounting for antenna orientation improves relay efficiency.

Simulation results validate the proposed framework's effectiveness.

Abstract

Multi-rotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) need to tilt in order to move; this modifies the UAV's antenna orientation. We consider the scenario where a multi-rotor UAV serves as a communication relay between a Base Station (BS) and another UAV. We propose a framework to generate feasible trajectories for the multi-rotor UAV relay while considering its motion dynamics and the motion-induced changes of the antenna orientation. The UAV relay's trajectory is optimized to maximize the end-to-end number of bits transmitted. Numerical simulations in MATLAB and Gazebo show the benefits of accounting for the antenna orientation variations due to the UAV tilt.