Optimization of Total Power Consumed by Flying Base Station Serving Mobile Users

The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) acting as flying base stations (FlyBSs) are considered as an efficient way to enhance the capacity of mobile networks. The enhancement provided by such network requires a dynamic positioning of the FlyBSs with respect to the users demands on communication. However, the power consumption of the FlyBS is a challenge due to a limited capacity of the FlyBS's power supply. In this paper, we reduce a total power consumption of the FlyBS while a required communication capacity is guaranteed to the mobile users in every time instant of their movement. To this end, we derive a closed-form solution for an optimization of the FlyBS's total power consumption in every single time step. Then, we provide a numerical solution for the total power optimization problem over a long period of the users' movement. Via the simulations, we show that the proposed scheme reduces the overall power consumed by the FlyBS significantly (by up to 91%) comparing to existing solutions.

Automated summary

This paper investigates the application of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as flying base stations (FlyBSs) to enhance the capacity of mobile networks. The dynamic positioning of FlyBSs is essential in meeting the communication demands of users. The paper proposes an optimization solution to reduce the total power consumption of the FlyBS while guaranteeing the required communication capacity. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme significantly reduces the overall power consumed by the FlyBS compared to existing solutions (up to 91% reduction).