UAV communication and sensing improved in aerial corridors with antenna tuning
Joint Communication and Sensing in Aerial Corridors: A Novel Stochastic Geometry Framework
Information Theory
Summary
UAV networks need to both communicate and sense their environment effectively, especially when flying in groups or swarms. This paper models UAVs flying within defined 3D aerial corridors and analyzes how well a UAV base station can simultaneously track and communicate with a known UAV user amid other UAVs creating interference. The authors develop precise mathematical formulas that predict the likelihood of good joint communication and sensing performance under realistic antenna designs and interference conditions. They find that using more focused antenna beams can significantly improve these capabilities, especially when the corridor is shorter.
What this means in practice
- •For drone network engineers: Optimize antenna designs and corridor dimensions to enhance UAV base station coverage and sensing reliability in swarm operations.
- •For wireless system designers: Design uplink communication protocols for UAV swarms with accurate performance estimates that include sensing and interference effects.
Authors
Harris K. Armeniakos, Petros S. Bithas, Athanasios G. Kanatas, Harpreet S. Dhillon
Abstract
In unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs) networks, joint communication and sensing (JCAS) is emerging as a key enabler to support extended and continuous communication and sensing capabilities for sixth-generation (6G) services among UAVs operating in swarms. Within this framework, aerial corridors provide a structured environment for supporting coordinated and reliable operations. In this paper, a comprehensive frame- work is presented to investigate the JCAS coverage probability (CP) of a UAV-base station (BS) in an aerial corridor populated by UAV-user equipments (UEs). The corridor is modeled as a finite cylinder, within which a fixed number of UAV-UEs are spatially distributed according to a three-dimensional (3D) binomial point process (BPP). The UAV-BS is assumed to be equipped with a realistic 3D third generation partnership project (3GPP) antenna pattern and exploits radar sensing capabilities to track a known UAV-UE. Subsequently, the tracked UAV-UE is assumed to perform uplink communication with the UAV-BS. Accordingly, the JCAS CP at the UAV-BS is analyzed under the presence of clutter and uplink communication interference, and exact-form analytical expressions are derived. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to develop a stochastic geometry framework for the rigorous analysis of JCAS performance in aerial corridors, with UAV-UE locations modeled as a 3D BPP. Among several insights, results show that increasing the directivity of the UAV-BS antenna beams leads to notable JCAS performance gains, particularly for shorter UAV corridors.