Survey on UAV Deployment and Trajectory in Wireless Communication Networks: Applications and Challenges

Abstract

A new era of the fifth-generation (5G) networks is realized to satisfy user demands on higher data rate and massive connectivity for information sharing and utilization. The vertical applications such as vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, industrial automation, smart factory, smart farm and smart cities require ultra-fast communications and wide service range. Coverage extension is a key issue to support the required demands on higher performance, but requires an additional deployment of base or relay stations. Therefore, an efficient solution needs to be cost-effective and easy, in order to deploy more stations. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been considered as a candidate to overcome these issues because it is much more cost-effective than the ground stations and does not require network or cell replanning, thereby enhancing the network coverage without additional excessive deployment procedures of the existing networks. UAVs will play important roles in 5G and beyond networks assisting as macro base stations, relay stations, small cells, or a moving aggregator. The performance of UAV wireless networks highly depends on the position or the trajectory of UAVs and the resource managements of entire networks. Recently, there have been extensive studies on performance analysis, UAV deployment, UAV trajectory and resource management of UAV wireless networks to achieve the required demands on performance. This paper surveys research conducted for the UAV deployment and trajectory to construct UAV wireless networks for the coverage extension, the throughput improvement and the resource management for different use cases and scenarios, so as to encourage further studies in this area.

Survey of Advanced Nonlinear Control Strategies for UAVs: Integration of Sensors and Hybrid Techniques

“…Similarly, the efficiency of the rotor blades changes with speed and angle of attack, further contributing to nonlinearity. These nonlinear dynamics can make control systems more complex, as linear control strategies may not suffice to stabilize or maneuver the UAV effectively across its entire operating envelope [14]. Coupling effects refer to the interdependence of control channels within a UAV.…”

Bio-Inspired Optimization-Based Path Planning Algorithms in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: A Survey

“…To accomplish the task, UAVs are required to transmit information within a specified period in order to complete the total throughput. Notably, UAV paths have a significant influence on QoS in UAV communication [ 50 ]. To guarantee an adequate QoS, the precise path of each UAV must be carefully considered.…”

UAV Trajectory Optimization in a Post-Disaster Area Using Dual Energy-Aware Bandits

“…Due to its mobility, the planning and optimization of the UAV’s trajectory and radio resource management of its wireless network are crucial issues. Researchers conducted many investigations on this topic during the past few years [ 18 ]. The UAV’s speed and the location of its waypoints were used in [ 19 ] to design an optimal trajectory.…”