Energy model for UAV communications: Experimental validation and model generalization

Wireless communication involving unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is expected to play an important role in future wireless networks. However, different from conventional terrestrial systems, UAVs typically have rather limited onboard energy on one hand, and require additional flying consumption the other hand. This renders energy-efficient UAV with smart expenditure of paramount importance. In this paper, via extensive flight experiments, we aim firstly validate recently derived theoretical model for rotary-wing UAVs, then develop a general those complicated scenarios where rigorous derivation quite challenging, if not impossible. Specifically, first investigate how power varies its speed simplest straight-and-level flight. With about 12,000 valid power-speed data points collected, apply model-based curve fitting obtain modelling parameters based closed-form existing literature. addition, order exclude potential bias caused by model, obtained measurement also trained using model-free deep neural network. It found that both methods can match well model. Next, further extend study arbitrary 2-dimensional (2-D) flight, where, our best knowledge, no available as function speed, direction, acceleration. To fill gap, propose heuristic these more cases, provide experimental validation results circular level