Experimental Channel Statistics of Drone-to-Ground Retro-Reflected FSO Links With Fine-Tracking Systems
The utilization of drones as flying base stations (BSs) in the sixth-generation (6G) cellular networks has attracted much attention recently. In this context, free-space optical (FSO) systems could be deployed to provide high-capacity fronthaul/backhaul links between drones and ground BSs. Particula...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IEEE
2021-01-01
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| Series: | IEEE Access |
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| Online Access: | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9557287/ |
| _version_ | 1819125051380727808 |
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| author | Phuc V. Trinh Alberto Carrasco-Casado Takuya Okura Hiroyuki Tsuji Dimitar R. Kolev Koichi Shiratama Yasushi Munemasa Morio Toyoshima |
| author_facet | Phuc V. Trinh Alberto Carrasco-Casado Takuya Okura Hiroyuki Tsuji Dimitar R. Kolev Koichi Shiratama Yasushi Munemasa Morio Toyoshima |
| author_sort | Phuc V. Trinh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The utilization of drones as flying base stations (BSs) in the sixth-generation (6G) cellular networks has attracted much attention recently. In this context, free-space optical (FSO) systems could be deployed to provide high-capacity fronthaul/backhaul links between drones and ground BSs. Particularly, a drone-to-ground FSO communication link can be established by equipping the drone with a modulating retro-reflector (MRR) to modulate the incoming optical beam and reflect the modulated beam back along the same path. This helps to alleviate stringent pointing requirements from the drone while satisfying the limited size, weight, and power (SWaP) consumption requirements. Nevertheless, the underlying physical channel effects of this aerial retro-reflected FSO system have never been experimentally explored in the literature. In this paper, we report, for the first time, the experimental channel statistics of a drone-to-ground retro-reflected FSO link, offering practical insights into the angle-of-arrival (AoA) fluctuations at the receiver, the channel coherence time, the probability of fade, the level crossing rate, the average fade duration, and the time-frequency channel characteristics. Our results are expected to serve as practical sources of reference for the theoretical performance analyses and engineering designs of drone-based retro-reflected FSO systems. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T07:33:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cd9e62fa1d724169a57b0f66b13a6a5c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2169-3536 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T07:33:59Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | IEEE |
| record_format | Article |
| series | IEEE Access |
| spelling | doaj.art-cd9e62fa1d724169a57b0f66b13a6a5c2022-12-21T18:33:57ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362021-01-01913714813716410.1109/ACCESS.2021.31172669557287Experimental Channel Statistics of Drone-to-Ground Retro-Reflected FSO Links With Fine-Tracking SystemsPhuc V. Trinh0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8087-6739Alberto Carrasco-Casado1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3412-7945Takuya Okura2Hiroyuki Tsuji3Dimitar R. Kolev4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5773-0317Koichi Shiratama5Yasushi Munemasa6Morio Toyoshima7https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3277-8303Space Communication Systems Laboratory, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Koganei, JapanSpace Communication Systems Laboratory, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Koganei, JapanSpace Communication Systems Laboratory, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Koganei, JapanSpace Communication Systems Laboratory, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Koganei, JapanSpace Communication Systems Laboratory, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Koganei, JapanSpace Communication Systems Laboratory, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Koganei, JapanSpace Communication Systems Laboratory, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Koganei, JapanWireless Networks Research Center, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Koganei, JapanThe utilization of drones as flying base stations (BSs) in the sixth-generation (6G) cellular networks has attracted much attention recently. In this context, free-space optical (FSO) systems could be deployed to provide high-capacity fronthaul/backhaul links between drones and ground BSs. Particularly, a drone-to-ground FSO communication link can be established by equipping the drone with a modulating retro-reflector (MRR) to modulate the incoming optical beam and reflect the modulated beam back along the same path. This helps to alleviate stringent pointing requirements from the drone while satisfying the limited size, weight, and power (SWaP) consumption requirements. Nevertheless, the underlying physical channel effects of this aerial retro-reflected FSO system have never been experimentally explored in the literature. In this paper, we report, for the first time, the experimental channel statistics of a drone-to-ground retro-reflected FSO link, offering practical insights into the angle-of-arrival (AoA) fluctuations at the receiver, the channel coherence time, the probability of fade, the level crossing rate, the average fade duration, and the time-frequency channel characteristics. Our results are expected to serve as practical sources of reference for the theoretical performance analyses and engineering designs of drone-based retro-reflected FSO systems.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9557287/Free-space optics (FSO)unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)aerial fronthaul/backhaul linksdrone hoveringfine-tracking systems |
| spellingShingle | Phuc V. Trinh Alberto Carrasco-Casado Takuya Okura Hiroyuki Tsuji Dimitar R. Kolev Koichi Shiratama Yasushi Munemasa Morio Toyoshima Experimental Channel Statistics of Drone-to-Ground Retro-Reflected FSO Links With Fine-Tracking Systems IEEE Access Free-space optics (FSO) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) aerial fronthaul/backhaul links drone hovering fine-tracking systems |
| title | Experimental Channel Statistics of Drone-to-Ground Retro-Reflected FSO Links With Fine-Tracking Systems |
| title_full | Experimental Channel Statistics of Drone-to-Ground Retro-Reflected FSO Links With Fine-Tracking Systems |
| title_fullStr | Experimental Channel Statistics of Drone-to-Ground Retro-Reflected FSO Links With Fine-Tracking Systems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Experimental Channel Statistics of Drone-to-Ground Retro-Reflected FSO Links With Fine-Tracking Systems |
| title_short | Experimental Channel Statistics of Drone-to-Ground Retro-Reflected FSO Links With Fine-Tracking Systems |
| title_sort | experimental channel statistics of drone to ground retro reflected fso links with fine tracking systems |
| topic | Free-space optics (FSO) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) aerial fronthaul/backhaul links drone hovering fine-tracking systems |
| url | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9557287/ |
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