Beyond Visual Line of Sight Operation For Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Sammanfattning

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can now perform missions beyond the visual range of their remote pilots, thanks to Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operation. This expansion of their applicability opens up new possibilities in areas like infrastructure inspection, environmental monitoring, and emergency response. However, reliable long-range communication and regulatory compliance remain significant challenges that need to be overcome for practical BVLOS operations. This thesis investigates the communication infrastructure necessary for a mobile BVLOS ground control solution. A comprehensive system architecture is proposed, integrating cellular communication, satellite communication, and live UAV tracking into a unified platform suitable for vehicle-based deployment. A comparative study of commercially available UAV satellite communication terminals was conducted to assess their suitability for BVLOS operations. Additionally, a cellular communication solution utilizing a Raspberry Pi and an LTE modem was proposed to provide connectivity through the existing mobile network and controlling of an UAV. The proposed architecture was validated through field testing at an airfield in Kungsbacka, Sweden. There, the mobile internet solution was successfully integrated with the Remote ID system. The tests demonstrated successful internet connectivity and reliable transmission of Remote ID data over TCP using the cellular network. The results demonstrate the feasibility of integrating cellular communication, satellite communication, and UAV tracking into a unified BVLOS communication framework. The proposed architecture lays the groundwork for the future implementation of a fully integrated mobile BVLOS system, enabling satellite communication to extend operational range beyond the coverage of terrestrial cellular networks.