CREATING AN AUTONOMOUS MULTI-UAV COMMUNICATIONS RELAY NETWORK
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Authors
McMasters, James R.
Subjects
UAV
communications relay
wireless network
communications relay
wireless network
Advisors
Su, Weilian
Date of Issue
2017-06
Date
June 2017
Publisher
Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are used in a wide variety of applications. In the military, these systems can act as a communication
relay between ground units and offshore units or enhance surveillance and reconnaissance; however, the low transmission power of
common wireless networking equipment and obstacles limit the range of these systems. A multi-UAV relay network addresses this
problem, providing increased range and coverage. The main contribution of this thesis is the design and implementation of a scalable
UAV network that makes use of inexpensive IEEE 802.11 routers and Raspberry Pis to control six commercial quadcopter UAVs
simultaneously. A platform-agnostic, GUI program for multi-UAV monitoring and control was implemented, and additional programs
for networking, communication, and data transfer were written. The resulting network was tested indoors, and its performance was
analyzed.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.