In this paper, we present the first stochastic geometry-based performance analysis of a drone cellular network in which drone base stations (DBSs) are initially distributed based on a Poisson point process (PPP) and move according to a random waypoint (RWP) mobility model. The serving DBS for a typical user equipment (UE) on the ground is selected based on the nearest neighbor association policy. We further assume two service models for the serving DBS: (i) UE independent model (UIM), and (ii) UE dependent model (UDM). All the other DBSs are considered as interfering DBSs for the typical UE. We introduce a simplified RWP (SRWP) mobility model to describe the movement of interfering DBSs and characterize its key distributional properties that are required for our analysis. Building on these results, we analyze the interference field as seen by the typical UE for both the UIM and the UDM using displacement theorem, which forms the basis for characterizing the average rate at the typical UE as a function of time. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that analyzes the performance of a mobile drone network in which the drones follow an RWP mobility model on an infinite plane.
This letter analyzes the handover probability in a drone cellular network where the initial positions of drone base stations (DBSs) serving a set of user equipment (UE) on the ground are modeled by a homogeneous Poisson point process (PPP). Inspired by the mobility model considered in the third generation partnership project (3GPP) studies, we assume that all the DBSs move along straight lines in random directions. We further consider two different scenarios for the DBS speeds: (i) same speed model (SSM), and (ii) different speed model (DSM). Assuming nearest-neighbor association policy for th…
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be used as flying base stations (BSs) to offload Macro-BSs in hotspots. However, due to the limited battery on-board, UAVs can typically stay in operation for less than 1.5 hours. Afterward, the UAV has to fly back to a dedicated charging station that recharges/replaces the UAV's battery. In this paper, we study the performance of a UAV-enabled cellular network while capturing the influence of the spatial distribution of the charging stations. In particular, we use tools from stochastic geometry to derive the coverage probability of a UAV-enabled cellular ne…
This paper deals with the stochastic geometry-based characterization of the time-varying performance of a drone cellular network in which the initial locations of drone base stations (DBSs) are modeled as a Poisson point process (PPP) and each DBS is assumed to move on a straight line in a random direction. This drone placement and trajectory model closely emulates the one used by the third generation partnership project (3GPP) for drone-related studies. Assuming the nearest neighbor association policy for a typical user equipment (UE) on the ground, we consider two models for the mobility of …
In this paper, a novel concept of three-dimensional (3D) cellular networks, that integrate drone base stations (drone-BS) and cellular-connected drone users (drone-UEs), is introduced. For this new 3D cellular architecture, a novel framework for network planning for drone-BSs as well as latency-minimal cell association for drone-UEs is proposed. For network planning, a tractable method for drone-BSs' deployment based on the notion of truncated octahedron shapes is proposed that ensures full coverage for a given space with minimum number of drone-BSs. In addition, to characterize frequency plan…
Airborne base stations (carried by drones) have a great potential to enhance coverage and capacity of cellular networks. Multiple scenarios and use cases will highly benefit from such technology such as (i) offloading terrestrial base stations (BSs) in dense and urban areas, and (ii) providing coverage for rural areas. However, one of the main challenges facing the deployment of airborne BSs is the limited available energy at the drone, which limits the flight time. In fact, most of the currently used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can only operate for one hour maximum. This limits the perfor…
Providing seamless connectivity to unmanned aerial vehicle user equipments (UAV-UEs) is very challenging due to the encountered line-of-sight interference and reduced gains of down-tilted base station (BS) antennas. For instance, as the altitude of UAV-UEs increases, their cell association and handover procedure become driven by the side-lobes of the BS antennas. In this paper, the performance of cellular-connected UAV-UEs is studied under 3D practical antenna configurations. Two scenarios are studied: scenarios with static, hovering UAV- UEs and scenarios with mobile UAV-UEs. For both scenari…
This paper studies the feasibility of supporting drone operations using existent cellular infrastructure. We propose an analytical framework that includes the effects of base station (BS) height and antenna radiation pattern, drone antenna directivity and various propagation environments. With this framework, we derive an exact expression for the coverage probability of ground and drone users through a practical cell association strategy. Our results show that a carefully designed network can control the radiated interference that is received by the drones, and therefore guarantees a satisfact…
In this paper, we characterize the performance of several canonical mobility models in a drone cellular network in which drone base stations (DBSs) serve user equipments (UEs) on the ground. In particular, we consider the following four mobility models: (i) straight line (SL), (ii) random stop (RS), (iii) random walk (RW), and (iv) random waypoint (RWP), among which the SL mobility model is inspired by the simulation models used by the third generation partnership project (3GPP) for the placement and trajectory of drones, while the other three are well-known canonical models (or their variants…
The growing deployment of drones in a myriad of applications relies on seamless and reliable wireless connectivity for safe control and operation of drones. Cellular technology is a key enabler for providing essential wireless services to flying drones in the sky. Existing cellular networks targeting terrestrial usage can support the initial deployment of low-altitude drone users, but there are challenges such as mobility support. In this paper, we propose a novel handover framework for providing efficient mobility support and reliable wireless connectivity to drones served by a terrestrial ce…
The University of Texas at Austin（德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校）；Ericsson Research（爱立信研究院）
Flying drones can be used in a wide range of applications and services from surveillance to package delivery. To ensure robust control and safety of drone operations, cellular networks need to provide reliable wireless connectivity to drone user equipments (UEs). To date, existing mobile networks have been primarily designed and optimized for serving ground UEs, thus making the mobility support in the sky challenging. In this paper, a novel handover (HO) mechanism is developed for a cellular-connected drone system to ensure robust wireless connectivity and mobility support for drone-UEs. By le…
Data aggregation has become an emerging paradigm to support massive Internet-of-things (IoT), a new and critical use case for fifth-generation new radio (5G-NR). Indeed, data aggregators can complement cellular base stations and process IoT traffic to reduce network congestion. In this paper, we consider using mobile data aggregators, e.g., drones, that collect IoT traffic and aggregate them to the network. Specifically, we first discuss how the spectrum can be shared between cellular users (UEs) and IoT devices in the presence of drones, proposing a time-division duplexing protocol. We use st…
In this letter, we emulate real-world statistics for mobility patterns on road systems. We then propose modifications to the assumptions of the random waypoint (RWP) model to better represent high-mobility profiles. We call the model under our new framework as RWP+. Specifically, we show that the lengths of the transitions which constitute a trip, are best represented by a lognormal distribution, and that the velocities are best described by a linear combination of normal distributions with different mean values. Compared to the assumptions used in the literature for mobile cellular networks, …
We study a cellular networking scenario, called DroneCells, where miniaturized base stations (BSs) are mounted on flying drones to serve mobile users. We propose that the drones never stop, and move continuously within the cell in a way that reduces the distance between the BS and the serving users, thus potentially improving the spectral efficiency of the network. By considering the practical mobility constraints of commercial drones, we design drone mobility algorithms to improve the spectral efficiency of DroneCells. As the optimal problem is NP-hard, we propose a range of practically reali…
Using a drone as an aerial base station (ABS) to provide coverage to users on the ground is envisaged as a promising solution for beyond fifth generation (beyond-5G) wireless networks. While the literature to date has examined downlink cellular networks with ABSs, we consider an uplink cellular network with an ABS. Specifically, we analyze the use of an underlay ABS to provide coverage for a temporary event, such as a sporting event or a concert in a stadium. Using stochastic geometry, we derive the analytical expressions for the uplink coverage probability of the terrestrial base station (TBS…
The cellular-connected drone market is one of the most promising markets of 5G. However, it still accounts for a small share of overall telecommunication market, and it is unlikely to increase significantly for the foreseeable future. Deploying dedicated network with up-tilted antennas can be an option, but the monetary cost of dedicated network directly impacts the acceptance of mobile operators. Therefore, cost-efficient aerial coverage solutions must be developed. Reusing network for terrestrial coverage is a cost-efficient approach for aerial coverage, but several critical challenges cause…
Providing connectivity to unmanned aerial vehicle-user equipments such as drones or flying taxis is a major challenge for tomorrow cellular systems. In this paper, the use of coordinated multi-point transmission for providing seamless connectivity to UAV user equipments is investigated. In particular, a network of clustered ground base stations that cooperatively serve a number of UAVUEs is considered. Two scenarios are studied: scenarios with static, hovering UAV user equipments and scenarios with mobile UAV-UEs. Under a maximum ratio transmission, a novel framework is developed and leveraged…
Channel adaptive signalling, which is based on feedback, can result in almost any performance metric enhancement. Unlike the radio frequency (RF) channel, the optical wireless communications (OWCs) channel is fairly static. This feature enables a potential improvement of the bidirectional user throughput by reducing the amount of feedback. Light-Fidelity (LiFi) is a subset of OWCs, and it is a bidirectional, high-speed and fully networked wireless communication technology where visible light and infrared are used in downlink and uplink respectively. In this paper, two techniques for reducing t…
In this paper, we study an aerial drone base station (DBS) assisted cellular network that consists of a single ground macro base station (MBS), multiple DBSs, and multiple ground terminals (GT). We assume that the MBS transmits to the DBSs and the GTs in the licensed band while the DBSs use a separate unlicensed band (e.g. Wi-Fi) to transmit to the GTs. For the utilization of the DBSs, we propose a cooperative decode--forward (DF) protocol in which multiple DBSs assist the terminals simultaneously while maintaining a predetermined interference level on the coexisting unlicensed band users. For…
