WIRELESS AND MOBILE

COMMUNICATIONS
(TE-308)

I N S TR U C TOR
ENGR. IQRA JABEEN
L E CT U RE R T E D , U E T TA X I L A
E MA I L :IQRA .J ABE E N@UE T TA XIL A .E DU .PK
 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
▪ A UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) is a drone or aircraft that can be remotely controlled
or fly autonomously.
▪ It includes single-rotor, multi-rotor, and fixed-wing. Can be a small aircraft, balloon or
drone. ( Classification: based on altitude and type)
▪ Remotely controlled or pre-programmed Applications: Military, surveillance, search
and rescue, telecommunications · (Drone is a flying computer)
 UAV Classification
▪ High altitude platform (HAP)
▪ Above 17 km
▪ More costly
▪ Low altitude platform (LAP)
▪ Tens of meters to a few kilometres
▪ Quick deployment and mobility
▪ Fixed-Wing ( Must move forward to remain
aloft) They can not stay stationary
▪ Rotary-Wing
They can stay stationary
▪ Can hover
▪ 10 km Ground
 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
▪ A multi-rotor UAV is a UAV with three or more
rotors (four, six, and eight are the most common
configurations), which can take off and land
vertically. A multi-rotor UAV achieves different
movements by controlling rotor speed, with several
key benefits:
▪ Ability to hover, take off, and land vertically
▪ Simple mechanical structure
▪ Easy to operate
▪ Apply to complex scenes using different payloads
 UAVs Frequency Bands
▪ Can be a small plane, balloon or drone
▪ High altitude platform (HAP) above 15 km, or Low altitude (LAP) platform between 200
m to 6 km
▪ Proposals from Facebook, Google, SpaceX to connect the unconnected Frequency bands
for HAPs: 38- 39.5 GHz (global), 21.4-22 GHz, and 24.25- 27.5 GHz (region-specific)
▪ Remotely controlled or pre-programmed flight path
▪ Control and non-payload communication (CNPC) systems.
Drones: Aerial Base Station or User
Drones: Aerial Base Station or User
Drones In Disaster Management
 Drones In Data Collection
▪ Drones are used for Data
Collection in remote
areas where wireless
networks are unavailable,
for example, in smart
farming.
Drones In Data Collection
UAVs Advantages
At high Altitude compared to the
terrestrial network

By changing altitude, we can

reduce the blockage
UAVs Classification
UAVs Classification
UAVs Classification
UAVs VS Terrestrial Network
Communication
 Challenges in UAVs Communication
Optimal 3D deployment for providing
maximum service
Air-to-ground channel modeling

Facebook is using solar power

drones for energy harvesting

Design insights Due to the Limited battery, they

can not fly for a long time
compared to terrestrial network
UAVs System
A UAV consists of the following system components
▪ Flight Control System
▪ Propulsion System
▪ Transmission System
▪ Sensing System
▪ Positioning System
1. Flight Control System
It is like the brain of a UAV, it analyzes all data from the sensors, such as position and
direction, altitude, to main stable flights, and executes commands.
UAVs System
a) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)
▪ It provides the coordinate information. PS is one of the most GNSS, just like a
smartphone, a UAV receives signals from the satellite and calculates its position. In
short, GNSS tells the UAV where I am.
b) Compass
▪ The compass is used to get directional information (Earth’s magnetic field) and
determine the aircraft’s nose direction
UAVs System
a) Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)
▪ It is used to measure the flight status and altitude information. It uses an
accelerometer and gyroscope to measure the acceleration and rotation.
2. Propulsion System
▪ It is just like the engine and wheels of the car. It ensures that the aircraft remains
stable in the sky. The main components are the motor, the ESC, and the propellers.
UAVs System
a) Motor
▪ It converts the electrical energy into mechanical movements, which allow the aircraft
to gain its lift force.
b) Electronic Speed Controller (ESC)
▪ The ESC can control the motor rotation and speed, and possibly also act as a dynamic
brake.
c) Propellers
▪ The propellers working with motors can provide lift force for the aircraft. For safety
reasons, you should check regularly and unfold propellers before a flight.
UAVs System
3. Communication Link System (nervous system)
▪ It includes three parts;
▪ Control Communication Link: The controller sends control signals to the aircraft.
▪ Image Communication Link: The aircraft sends image information back to the
controller.
▪ Data Communication Link: The aircraft sends the flight status and payload
information back to the controller.
UAVs System
4. Sensing System
▪ The sensing systems contain visual cameras, infrared
sensors, etc. It can detect and avoid obstacles.
▪ Visual Cameras: The visual cameras observe the
surroundings like human eyes, with more than one
camera on one side. It can calculate the obstacles
distance.
▪ Infrared Cameras: The aircraft sends image information
back to the controller.
▪ They have blind spots.
 UAVs System
5. Positioning System
▪ Getting the exact position is always important for UAVs,
not only for keeping stable but also for getting better
accuracy for mapping and surveying use.
▪ Real-time kinematic positioning (RTK) uses
measurements of the phase of the signal's carrier wave
in addition to the information content of the signal. It
relies on an RTK station or RTK network to provide real-
time corrections, providing up to centimeter-level
accuracy.
 Different types of channels in UAV
• AG channel is the wireless channel between a transmitter up in the air
and a receiver on the ground, or the other way around.
• AA channel is the wireless channel between a transmitter and a
receiver that are both up in the air.
• GG channel is the wireless channel between a transmitter and a
receiver that are both on the ground.
• AG channel is the wireless channel between a transmitter up in the air and a receiver on
the ground, or the other way around.
• AA channel is the wireless channel between a transmitter and a receiver that are both up in
 What is Different for UAV Wireless Channel
Height dependency: The UAV can move in upward direction, unlike theground network.
▪ Flying drones at a lower height less than height of BS gives the ground like propagation
characteristics.
▪ As the height increases the LOS increases; however, the ground reflections also increase
and power decreases with the increase in height.
▪ Finding the optimal height is an important decision due to the tradeoff involved.
 What is Different for UAV Wireless Channel
Airframe shadowing: The UAV can experience shadowing from its own body is some
cases.
▪ The airframe shadowing depends on the type of drone used for example, fixed-wing
drones have more chances of having airframe shadowing as compared to rotary wings.
▪ During turning points of UAV chances of airframe shadowing are increased compared to
normal flight operations.
 What is Different for UAV Wireless Channel
Multipath components: The UAV also experiences multipath components from the ground
reflections.
▪ Besides, there could be shadowing from taller objects, especially if the UAV is at lower
heights.
▪ A drone might also experience interference when signals of other drones are nearby.
 Key Design Problem
Optimizing:
▪ 3D placement
▪ Trajectory
▪ Flight time
▪ Power control
Analysing the performance of drone-enabled networks:
▪ Considering key features of drones
▪ Coexistence of aerial and terrestrial networks
Mathematical Tools and Algorithms?
▪ Optimization Theory -Stochastic Geometry
▪ Transport Theory
▪ Control Theory
Air to Ground Path Loss Model
It does not consider shadowing or
fading
NLOS: More Attenuation
LOS Probability Approximation
Deployment Altitude Tradeoff
Cybersecurity in UAVs (GPS Spoofing)
GPS Jamming