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

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.

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“…Note, that overshooting has to be re-defined from the previous sign-based equation (20) to account for the fact that in higher dimensions, the state can move outside the line between the original state and the true desired state. Therefore, overshooting will be defined as a change from the original state po to a new state pn , where its orthogonal projection onto the line connecting po and the desired target ph (measured with measurement noise covariance C) falls beyond the desired target from the perspective of the original position, i.e.…”

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