Data Transport Protocol for FANET in Rocket Impact Area Scanning over the Sea by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Ad hoc network, FANET, Unmanned aerial vehicles, Communication networks, Protocols, Zigbee.
Systems involving multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Multi-UAVs) performing area scanning procedures have garnered attention in recent years. Developing these systems faces significant challenges, with the robustness of the data communication network being a crucial aspect for efficient collaboration among UAVs. This work is dedicated to specifying a data transport protocol for a communication network within a squadron of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, focusing on scanning the rocket impact area over the sea in the SPACEVANT 2 project.
The research encompasses the key characteristics of communication networks for multi-UAV systems, considering application-specific aspects such as path and trajectory planning and sensor data collection. Strategies are proposed for the rocket impact area scanning, analyzing characteristics of networks best suited for these strategies, and defining a suitable protocol for the application. Utilizing Xbee Pro 900HP S3B modules in a network architecture integrated with a computer-controlled embedded hardware platform, a test plan is devised and implemented to assess the protocol's performance. Performance evaluations include measurements of bandwidth (throughput), latency, and indicators on communication links among network nodes, such as retransmission, packet loss, flow control, and congestion. This study demonstrates the robustness and reliability of the protocol in the proposed network architecture for multi-UAV systems.