Efficient Deployment of Multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Optimal Wireless Coverage

摘要

In this paper, the efficient deployment of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs) with directional antennas acting as wireless base stations that providecoverage for ground users is analyzed. First, the downlink coverage probabilityfor UAVs as a function of the altitude and the antenna gain is derived. Next,using circle packing theory, the three-dimensional locations of the UAVs isdetermined in a way that the total coverage area is maximized while maximizingthe coverage lifetime of the UAVs. Our results show that, in order to mitigateinterference, the altitude of the UAVs must be properly adjusted based on thebeamwidth of the directional antenna as well as coverage requirements.Furthermore, the minimum number of UAVs needed to guarantee a target coverageprobability for a given geographical area is determined. Numerical resultsevaluate the various tradeoffs involved in various UAV deployment scenarios.