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. 2019 Nov 9;19(22):4895.
doi: 10.3390/s19224895.

Performance Evaluation of Multi-UAV Network Applied to Scanning Rocket Impact Area

Maurício R Silva  1   2 , Elitelma S Souza  1   3 , Pablo J Alsina  1 , Deyvid L Leite  1 , Mateus R Morais  1 , Diego S Pereira  1   4 , Luís B P Nascimento  1 , Adelardo A D Medeiros  1 , Francisco H Cunha Junior  5 , Marcelo B Nogueira  5 , Glauberto L A Albuquerque  6 , João B D Dantas  6
Affiliations

Performance Evaluation of Multi-UAV Network Applied to Scanning Rocket Impact Area

Maurício R Silva et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

This paper presents a communication network for a squadron of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to be used in the scanning rocket impact area for Barreira do Inferno Launch Center-CLBI (Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil), aiming at detecting intruder boats. The main features of communication networks associated with multi-UAV systems are presented. This system sends information through Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN). After comparing and analyzing area scanning strategies, it presents the specification of a data communication network architecture for a squadron of UAVs within a sensor network using XBee Pro 900HP S3B modules. A brief description is made about the initial information from the construction of the system. The embedded hardware and the design procedure of a dedicated communication antenna to the XBee modules are presented. In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed architecture in terms of robustness and reliability, a set of experimental tests in different communication scenarios is carried out. Network management software is employed to measure the throughput, packet loss and other performance indicators in the communication links between the different network nodes. Experimental results allow verifying the quality and performance of the network nodes, as well as the reliability of the communication links, assessing signal received quality, range and latency.

Keywords: FANET; ad hoc network; communication architecture; multi-UAV system monitoring; network performance; wireless sensor networks.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Impact area of a rocket launched from CLBI (Barreira do Inferno Launch Center).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Simple example of a FANET (Flying ad hoc network).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Flight formation for spiral scanning.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Area scanning strategies for the formation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). (a) Spiral pattern; (b) Back and forth pattern.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Area decomposed into four subareas by using the back-and-forth pattern.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Architecture for the Multi-UAV system.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Hardware specification of the proposed multi-UAV system. (a) XBee module embedded in UAV Phantom 3 Standard; (b) XBee module connected to the power bank; (c) BS equipped with a XBee module.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Sequence of steps of the proposed algorithm.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Flow of CntMs to the BS in a FANET: (a) UAV-1 completed the mission without detecting boats; (b) the imaging system located a boat, while informing the BS and preparing a DM.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Message flow for transmitting an image.
Figure 11
Figure 11
ZigBee devices in a scenario FANET test with mesh configuration.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Test site and position of UAVs.
Figure 13
Figure 13
ZigBee devices in a scenario 1 with mesh configuration.
Figure 14
Figure 14
ZigBee devices in configuration scenario 2. (a) ZigBee devices in P2P configuration scenario; (b) ZigBee devices in a scenario without failure; (c) ZigBee devices in a scenario with failure.
Figure 15
Figure 15
Analysis of the best position of XBee antenna by simulation using 4nec2 software.
Figure 16
Figure 16
Simulation results of the operating frequency range of XBee antenna.
Figure 17
Figure 17
Simulated behavior of the power received by the XBee transceiver.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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