Design and Deployment of an Efficient Communication Service for Multi-UAV Systems

Recent advances in the areas of microelectronics, information technology, and communication protocols have made possible the development of smaller devices, with increasing processing capacity and low energy consumption. This context contributed to the growth of applications based on the use of one or multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Networks composed of multiple UAVs are being used as a matter of improving the effectiveness, accuracy, and minoring the time of missions. However, these applications demand a high rate of data exchange, such as the localization information of each UAV, which can be a challenge, due to the limited transmission power of certain drone platforms. This article proposes a communication service for multi-UAV systems based on dividing the UAV-fleet into groups using the communication protocol IEEE 802.11 ac. Each group has its local network, whose participants can be chosen based on the UAV’s localization or task assignment. UAVs/Drones within the same group constantly communicate, exchanging pose information and specific mission-related data. On the other hand, communication between different groups is only established by messenger drones in pre-set times. The communication service from its detailed implementation to its simulated and field validation experiments is presented in this paper. The results of three different network topologies provide evidence that the proposed communication service for multi-UAV is efficient and can be used for drone cooperative missions.