MP-IST-209-1760.pdf — page 8

Generally speaking, the solution is to generate and send the
XML files containing the UGV’s position to the BMS, this
was executed using Script 2 and can be achieved using Wi-
Fi, Military Radios or other IP-based radio communication
technologies.
The Wi-Fi tests were divided into two scenarios: one using
existing network infrastructure and the other using the RAD-
MAVLink-Bridge architecture, which transforms the Rasp-
berry Pi into a wireless access point. The military radio tests
were divided into two scenarios: one exclusively using P/PRC-
525 Tactical Radios and the other using TR5000H radios.
The computer representing the GCS has Windows 11, a
Ryzen 7 3700U processor, and 16 GBytes of RAM.
The computer representing the BMS is the Getac used by
the Portuguese Army, which has Windows 10 Pro, an Intel
Core i5-6300U processor, and 8 GBytes of RAM.
A. Scenario 1: Wi-Fi
All the data was sent via Wi-Fi in the Wi-Fi tests shown
in Figure 10. The only requirement is that the GCS and the
Raspberry Pi be on the same network. The Wi-Fi protocol
used in the Wi-Fi tests was Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) at a frequency
of 2.4 GHz.
Fig. 10: Network Architecture — Wi-Fi.
The BMS could be running on GCS by sending the XML,
by TCP, to localhost. In either case, Script 2 is required.
B. Scenario 2: Wi-Fi-RAD-MAVLink-Bridge
The RAD-MAVLink-Bridge script turns the Raspberry Pi
into a wireless access point. A Wi-Fi network (rad-bridge)
connects the GCS to this network and sends the necessary
commands. The Wi-Fi protocol used in the Wi-Fi-RAD-
MAVLink-Bridge tests was Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) at a frequency
of 2.4 GHz. The architecture is similar to the one in Figure 10,
but considering that the network is generated on the Raspberry
Pi.
The BMS could be running on GCS by sending the XML,
by TCP, to localhost. In either case, Script 2 is required.
C. Scenario 3: Military Radios — P/PRC-525
In the configuration with P/PRC-525 Tactical Radio, VHF
(SECOM-V 102-104 MHz) radio communication in IPoA was
used to send the HEARTBEAT and GPS RAW INT messages
from the Raspberry Pi to the GCS and the XML with the UGV
position to the BMS; it is represented in Figure 11. All the
other data (control commands and video) was sent via Wi-Fi,
as in Figure 10.
Fig. 11: Network Architecture — P/PRC-525.
The choice of this scenario with the P/PRC-525 is because
these are the radios of most significant use in the Portuguese
Army. This scenario can be transported to a situation where
there are two manned tactical vehicles, a UGV and a vehicle
that symbolises the command vehicle (GCS).
Given the size of LAFVIN’s UGV, this configuration only
makes sense in a static situation. In a dynamic situation, data
from the UGV to the GCS would only be sent via Wi-Fi.
D. Scenario 4: Military Radios — TR5000H
In the configuration with TR5000H Tactical Radio, VHF
(225-228 MHz) radio communication in IPoA with continuous
phase modulation in balanced mode. It was used to send
the HEARTBEAT and GPS RAW INT messages from the
Raspberry Pi to the GCS and the XML with the UGV
position to the BMS; it is similar to the network architecture
represented in Figure 11. All the other data (control commands
and video) was sent via Wi-Fi, like in Figure 10.
This architecture was chosen because the TR5000 is the
radio most recently acquired by the Portuguese Army.
E. Solution Evaluation
The network performance results were determined using the
iPerf3 software in a configuration where the Raspberry Pi was
the server (sender), and the GCS was the client (receiver). In
the case of Wi-Fi tests, the iPerf3 commands were executed
in a scenario where communication was fully established,
representing an additional throughput consumption already
existing by the UGV C2. The tests with military radios
were carried out in two scenarios: one with no data to be
transmitted on the communication channel and the other with
HEARTBEAT, GPS RAW INT, and XML messages to be
sent.
Each iPerf test was conducted for approximately 60 seconds,
covering the following scenarios:
1) Measurement of throughput using TCP;
2) Bidirectional TCP bandwidth testing;
3) UDP testing for jitter and data loss analysis.
In the case of the tests with military radios, UDP and TCP
tests were performed simultaneously.
Integration of a Commercial 
Unmanned Vehicle into the Army Communications System
STO-MP-IST-209 
1760 - 8