CBL - Campus del Baix Llobregat

Projecte llegit

Títol: Development of a Search And Rescue Solution Based on Drones and Cellular Networks

Estudiants que han llegit aquest projecte:

Director/a: GARCÍA LOZANO, MARIO

Departament: TSC

Títol: Development of a Search And Rescue Solution Based on Drones and Cellular Networks

Data inici oferta: 01-02-2024     Data finalització oferta: 01-10-2024


Estudis d'assignació del projecte:
    DG ENG AERO/SIS TEL
Tipus: Individual
 
Lloc de realització: EETAC
        Institució/Empresa: UNIVERSITAT POLITÈCNICA DE CATALUNYA - E
 
Segon director/a (UPC): ROYO CHIC, PABLO
 
Paraules clau:
GSM, 2G, LTE, 4G, SDR, UAS, SAR, drone
 
Descripció del contingut i pla d'activitats:
El proyecto se centrará en la replicación de redes celulares mediante pilas de protocolos abiertas y el análisis de diferentes indicadores que permitirán acotar las zonas de búsqueda. Esto requiere tareas software que pasarán por la modificación de las pilas de protocolos y la programación de módulos para el volcado y post-procesado de dichos indicadores. La plataforma inicialmente deberá funcionar autónomamente y en una fase posterior constará de un sistema de comunicaciones de salida que permitirá su monitorización en tiempo real y control remoto. Las actividades hardware implicarán un estudio de las prestaciones mínimas necesarias para mover todo el software requerido, así como la selección del hardware a embarcar en el dron, estudios de compatibilidad electromagnética, ubicación en la aeronave y pruebas de vuelo para demostrar la viabilidad.
 
Overview (resum en anglès):
The goal of this thesis is to develop a drone-based Search And Rescue (SAR) system that leverages cellular network technology to locate individuals in areas without coverage. The system is designed to detect and communicate with mobile phones carried by missing persons using a drone equipped with a Software Defined Radio (SDR) device. The solution aims to improve SAR missions by allowing rescuers to locate individuals based on their phone signals.

The methodology involves the integration of an SDR-based GSM base station onto a DJI Matrice 350 RTK drone. Several hardware components were evaluated to meet the constraints of weight, power, and performance required for airborne operation. Open-source cellular network frameworks were used to implement the mobile network. Both GSM and LTE technologies were considered for the system, but development efforts focused primarily on the GSM implementation, while the system architecture was designed to support both technologies. Field experiments were conducted to measure key performance indicators, and multilateration techniques were applied to estimate the location of the detected phones based on signal data collected during test flights.

The results demonstrate the practicality of the system for SAR operations. Successful field tests validated its ability to detect mobile phones and reduce the effective search area, offering significant potential for reducing search times in remote or inaccessible areas. The project also identifies areas for future improvement, such as optimizing power consumption, refining location algorithms, and integrating real-time voice communication.

This developed solution offers a cost-effective and efficient alternative to traditional SAR methods, improving the ability to locate missing persons in areas without cellular coverage.

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