UAV Trajectory Design for UAV-2-GV Communication in VANETs

Owing to the flexibility, automation and quick deployment features of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), they can be used to deliver the data to the ground vehicles (GVs) efficiently in vehicular area networks (VENETs). However, the heterogeneity, high mobility and network dynamics of VANETs pose significant challenges for such communication. In this paper, we propose a trajectory design scheme for efficient UAV2-GV communication in vehicular area networks (VANETs). Specifically, given the high traffic routes of a dense city, the UAV trajectory is optimized to serve the maximum number of GVs. The trajectory design problem is formulated under the constraints of limited UAV power and association capacities. Moreover, a simplified trajectory design scheme is proposed by exploiting the known traffic road lengths. After the deployment of the UAV according to the designed trajectory, optimal vehicle association and power allocation is performed. Simulation results reveal that the proposed UAV-assisted VANETs can deliver better rates as compared to the traditional terrestrial base-station (TBS)-based networks.