Communication Relay for Multiground Units With Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Using Only Signal Strength and Angle of Arrival

This brief investigates the problem of communication relay establishment for multiground units using an unmanned aerial vehicle. The objective is to drive the drone to the optimal position for relay establishment without knowing ground unit positions. As an alternative to positions information, two measurements are employed for each ground unit, the signal strength and its angle of arrival. A navigation law is proposed and its stability is investigated for stationary and moving ground units. The simulation and experimental results are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.