Timothy X Brown

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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

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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

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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
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Wireless Ad Hoc Networks
C
A
B
Robust Connectivity
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Routing Complexity
A
C
B
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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

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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

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Test Bed
Table Mountain National Radio Quiet Zone
15km North of the University of Colorado
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Test Bed

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

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Table Mountain
1000300m
1000300m
Landing Strip
FS2
FixedSites
4km
Public Road Circuit at Mesa Base
Gateway to Hi-speed Internet
FS1
3km
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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
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Node Monitoring Collection
Radio Receive Interface
Operating System
DSR Router
Radio Transmit Interface
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Reliable Backhaul

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

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

• Throughput
• lt 10 impact in worst case

Throughput (Mbps) Throughput (Mbps)
1 hop 2 hop
Without monitoring 1.40 0.02 0.53 0.12
With monitoring 1.38 0.03 0.48 0.17
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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.

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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