Mutual position plausibility checking in flying ad-hoc networks using distance measurements

Kurzfassung

In this paper we present an approach to check the plausibility of UAV positions based on independent distance estimations between the nodes in a flying ad-hoc network (FANET) built up by the UAVs. To achieve this, we define a set of data messages that are flooded throughout the network by each node and that are used to derive a situational overview if received at a particular UAV. Based on the received data, distances between the nodes within the FANET can be estimated both from GNSS position readings as well as from time of flight information additionally provided in the data messages. The difference of both values can be used as an indicator to thereby classify edges and nodes of the FANET as plausible or implausible. In our work, we derive appropriate thresholds for the deviation of both measurements as well as a trust score for each node based on the plausibility values of adjacent edges. To showcase our approach, we apply it to an air traffic scenario based on drone package delivery in urban environments and simulate the data traffic in the resulting FANET resulting from the data messages we defined. We show, that our approach yields reasonable results for the evaluated scenario.