UAV-C Pairing Groups for Deterministic C2 QoS Provisioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication systems for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) lack efficient methods for pairing UAVs with their controllers and providing quality of service (QoS) provisioning, especially under 3GPP networks, which is crucial for ensuring reliable command and control (C2) communication.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for pairing UAVs and UAV-controllers (UAV-C) using a group ID within a service enabler architecture layer (SEAL) architecture, involving a UAE server that creates a group ID for the pair, monitors network conditions, and adapts QoS through a SEAL network resource management server to ensure C2 communication meets predefined requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional communication systems are used for UAVs, then basic connectivity can be established, but reliable command and control communication with deterministic network behavior cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a SEAL (Service Enabler Architecture Layer) as an intermediary between the 3GPP network core and UAV communication services. This intermediary layer provides specialized QoS management, group identification, and communication protocols that ensure deterministic network behavior for C2 links while maintaining compatibility with existing 3GPP infrastructure, thus improving reliability without requiring complete system redesign
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the network architecture into distinct functional layers: the 3GPP network core, the SEAL intermediate layer with QoS management, and the UAV application layer. This segmentation allows each layer to be optimized independently - the SEAL layer handles C2 QoS requirements while the underlying 3GPP network provides general connectivity, resolving the contradiction between reliability and complexity
2Productivity
If QoS management is implemented for UAV C2 communication, then network resource utilization and information delivery improve, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal QoS management mechanism in the SEAL layer that serves multiple functions: group identification for UAVs, QoS parameter management, resource allocation, and communication protocol handling. This multi-functional approach improves network resource utilization while avoiding the need for separate specialized systems for each function, thereby limiting the increase in complexity
3Reliability
If group ID-based pairing is used for UAV and UAV-C, then C2 QoS provisioning is enabled, but pairing and setup time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing group IDs and QoS parameters in the SEAL layer before actual C2 communication begins. The group creation request and QoS provisioning are handled in advance during the pairing phase, so that when C2 communication starts, the deterministic network behavior is already configured, reducing the time loss during operational communication
Data Source
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AI summary
In a method of group creation for a pair of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and an unmanned aerial vehicle-controller (UAV-C) in a service enabler architecture layer (SEAL) architecture, the pair of UAV and UAV-C is determined by an unmanned aerial system application enabler (UAE) server in the SEAL architecture. A group creation request for the pair of UAV and UAV-C is transmitted by the UAE server to a SEAL group management (GM) server of the SEAL architecture. A first response message is received by the UAE server from the SEAL GM server for the group creation request. A group including the pair of the UAV and the UAV-C is created for quality-of-service (QoS) management. The group creation request includes an identity of an UAE client corresponding to the pair of UAV and UAV-C, an identity of the UAV, and an identity of the UAV-C.