Improving the system capacity using directional antennas with a fixed beam on small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Abstract

The Cognitive Radio (CR) or intelligent radio becomes increasingly an anticipated and promising solution to manage spectrum efficiency problems. The most challenging scenario is represented by CR ad hoc networks (CRAHNs) because of their dynamic and flexible nature. The performance of such networks can be further improved by using directional transmissions. This work proposes to use lightweight directional antennas with a fixed beam on small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and evaluates their performance using software simulations. We show that a rotation of an UAV can be used to point a beam in a desired direction. In this case, a system capacity becomes higher comparing to an omnidirectional transmission. The negative impact of the mechanical rotation is discussed as well.