A Grid-Based Virtual Routing Algorithm for UAV Systems in Three-Dimensional Space

Due to mobility of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), many UAVs are used to expand the communication range and relay data communication in military and civil scenarios. UAV network will have a new impact on network performance due to its unique three-dimensional space operation and its own high-speed mobility. In this paper, we propose a three-dimensional grid based virtual routing (3D-GVR) algorithm to improve network performance. We determine the size of the three-dimensional grid based on the effective communication range of the UAV and the heartbeat time of the UAV, and then transmit it as a whole through virtual routing. Finally, the proposed 3D-GVR algorithm is evaluated by simulation. Simulation results show that this method is superior to DSDV and GPSR in packet overhead, packet transmission rate and average time.