Carlos Mennechey UNSY 601: Unmanned Systems Command, Control, and Communications Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University November 9, 2014
Transmission medium of signal propagation and its impact on operational design.
The three systems selected to discuss the different communication designs over different domains are: the BlueFin UUV using a tethered fiber-optic connection. the RQ-2b Pioneer drone using the Tadiran Spectra Link RF communication for LOS. the Mars Rover also using RF communication for BLOS.
The three systems have different operational constraints with different mission profiles. The BlueFin even though it has many operational capabilities, for the purpose of this paper, it will be used to perform …show more content…
It is very low attenuation, and very high bandwidth (THz) makes it ideal for real-time data transmission of very high quality video and images. Its bandwidth is so high that both video and precision manual controls could be executed at the same time without any degradation [2]. It current signal data rate is of 10-Gbps that can transmit 1000 books or 16 high-definition TV channels per second. That means that the HAUV would be capable of transmitting super high-quality sonar images, several HD video feeds and HD images, all at the same time [3].
It can be used in rich, intensive electromagnetic environments with no significant effect to the transmission quality or rate. Since it uses only light, it poses a very low security risk. The only way to compromise the security of a fiber optic cable is to intercept the light emission which can be done, but there are mechanisms to detects such intrusion if need …show more content…
Depending on the materials used in the fiber optic cable, attenuation is very low, and interference is minimal. The major issue with fiber optics is distance and signal dispersion. In contrast, earthbound communication using the S-band frequency have electromagnetic interference and atmospheric interference coming from rain fading to effects of the ionosphere on the signal due to the many propagation mediums and affected parameters. The X-band signal travels well into outer space, but it is a very popular frequency used by the shipping industries and many others. This overcrowding of this frequency causes additional interference, and it is a factor to be considered during communication systems designs. For this reason, the Deep Space Network use immense antennas to direct its energy into outer space as well as to increase the power of the receiving signal. The Ka-band signal now being used in newer Mars orbiters allows for a greater data rate transfers, however the disadvantage of its higher frequency is that it is more susceptible to interference by atmospheric