Ultra-reliable and low-latency communications for unmanned aerial vehicles networks

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) represent transformative advancements in modern technology. UAVs offer unprecedented flexibility and reach in various applications, from surveillance to delivery services. URLLC, a key component of 5G networks, ensures highly reliable and rapid data transmission, crucial for critical applications like autonomous driving and industrial automation.

This thesis explores the application of UAVs in URLLC networks. Chapter 3 proposes an aerial reconfigurable intelligent surface system with UAVs for enhancing URLLC, employing zero-forcing beamforming and time division multiplexing access (TDMA). Chapter 4 introduces a digital twin framework for Internet-of-things (IoT) networks using UAVs as mobile edge computing servers, optimising communication and computation for low latency. Chapter 5 investigates multi-agent UAV systems with mobile edge computing for intelligent transport, aiming to improve quality-of-service and minimise energy consumption. The thesis demonstrates innovative UAV applications in URLLC environments, contributing a new insight into the field of wireless communication.

Overall, the thesis has integrated advanced UAV technologies with URLLC and mobile edge computing (MEC), emphasizing energy efficiency, latency reduction, and enhanced communication reliability. The combined use of artificial intelligence like deep neural network (DNN), and emerging techniques such as reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) and digital twin (DT), this study represents a new step forward in the application of UAV technologies in IoT networks.

Date of Award	Jul 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Queen's University Belfast
Supervisor	Trung Q. Duong (Supervisor) & Thai Son Mai (Supervisor)