Timothy X Brown

1
Test Bed for a Wireless Network on Small UAVs

• Timothy X Brown
• Interdisciplinary Telecommunications
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• University of Colorado
• Presented at the AIAA 3rd Unmanned Unlimited
  Technical ConferenceChicago
• September 22, 2004

2
Thanks to

• University of Colorado
• Brian Argrow
• Cory Dixon
• Jack Elson
• Sheetalkumar Doshi
• Daniel Henkel
• Jesse Himmelstein
• Sushant Jadhav
• Gerald Jones
• Marc Kessler
• Jake Nelson
• Phillip Nies
• Bill Pisano
• Roshan-George Thekkekunnel

• Institute for Telecommunication Sciences
• John Ewan
• Fidelity-Comtech
• Joe Carey
• L3-Corporation
• Ken Davey

3
We are building an Ad Hoc UAV-Ground Network
(AUGNet)

• COTS 802.11b (WiFi) Radio Components
• Linux-based Open Source Software
• Small Low-Cost UAV

Fixed Radios
Radios on vehicles
Radios in UAVs
4
Wireless Ad Hoc Networks
C
A
B
Robust Connectivity
5
Routing Complexity
A
C
B
6
The Problem

• There is a significant gap in careful studies of
  ad hoc network behavior
• Simulation misses the interaction between
• Distributed Protocols
• Operating System
• Hardware
• Environment
• Full scale hardware test bed

7
Test Bed Design

• Goals
• Realistic
• Real time
• Detailed
• Accurate
• Scales
• Challenges
• Small UAV
• Disconnects
• Analysis

• Design
• Outdoors
• Embedded collection
• Per packet data
• GPS time and position
• Concise data
• Relational database
• In-band signaling
• Reliable backhaul
• Graphical Interface

8
Test Bed
Table Mountain National Radio Quiet Zone
15km North of the University of Colorado
9
(No Transcript)
10
Test Bed

• Large, Flat
• Buildings with
• Power
• Networking
• UAV Ops

11
Table Mountain
1000300m
1000300m
Landing Strip
FS2
FixedSites
4km
Public Road Circuit at Mesa Base
Gateway to Hi-speed Internet
FS1
3km
12
Monitoring Model
Table Mountain Ad Hoc Radio Test Bed
NOC Univ. of Colorado
Aerial Vehicle Nodes
Monitoring Server
Hand- held Nodes
Ground Vehicle Nodes
Fixed Node/ Gateway
Internet
Fixed Ground Nodes
RemoteMonitoring
13
Node Monitoring Collection
Radio Receive Interface
Operating System
DSR Router
Radio Transmit Interface
14
Reliable Backhaul

• Nodes can be separated from gateway for minutes
  at a time
• Reliable backhaul guarantees delivery for up to
  60min of separation.

15
Remote Monitoring
Time Control
Situational Map
Data Graphs
Control Panel
Web-based Java GUI accessing MySQL Database
16
Monitoring Performance

• Throughput
• lt 10 impact in worst case

17
Monitor Performance
50 in 1 sec 95 in 1 min 99.9 in 10min
Fraction of packets delivered within specified
delay (sec)

• Monitoring reliably delivered despite 10min
  losses in connectivity.

18
So What?

• We have demonstrated a robust data collection
  system that works
• across UAV, mobile, and fixed nodes
• with long disconnects
• with many applications
• We have built a GUI that
• Captures big picture of ad hoc network behavior
• Enables detailed analysis of specific events
• Project website augnet.colorado.edu