Autonomous Navigation of a Ground Vehicle to Optimize Communication Link Quality

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dc.contributor.authorBauman, Cheryl Lynnen
dc.contributor.committeechairReinholtz, Charles F.en
dc.contributor.committeecochairWicks, Alfred L.en
dc.contributor.committeememberHong, Dennis W.en
dc.contributor.departmentMechanical Engineeringen
dc.date.accessioned2014-03-14T20:50:25Zen
dc.date.adate2007-01-09en
dc.date.available2014-03-14T20:50:25Zen
dc.date.issued2006-12-08en
dc.date.rdate2007-01-09en
dc.date.sdate2006-12-19en
dc.description.abstractThe wireless technology of today provides combat systems with the potential to communicate mission critical data to every asset involved in the operation. In such a dynamic environment, the network must be able maintain communication by adapting to subsystems moving relative to each other. A theoretical and experimental foundation is developed that allows an autonomous ground vehicle to serve as an adaptive communication node in a larger network. The vehicle may perform other functions, but its primary role is to constantly reposition itself to maintain optimal link quality for network communication. Experimentation with existing wireless network hardware and software led to the development, implementation, and analysis of two main concepts that provided a signal optimization solution. The first attracts the communication ground vehicle to the network subsystems with weaker links using a vector summation of the signal-to-noise ratio and network subsystem position. This concept continuously generates a desired waypoint for repositioning the ground vehicle. The second concept uses a-priori GIS data to evaluate the desired vehicle waypoint determined by the vector sum. The GIS data is used primarily for evaluating the viewshed, or line-of-sight, between two network subsystems using elevation data. However, infrastructure and ground cover data are also considered in navigation planning. Both concepts prove to be powerful tools for effective autonomous repositioning for maximizing the communication link quality.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.identifier.otheretd-12192006-171800en
dc.identifier.sourceurlhttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-12192006-171800/en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/36302en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.relation.haspartThesis_CLB.pdfen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectautonomous vehicle teamingen
dc.subjectcommunication-sensitive navigationen
dc.subjectmobile ad-hoc networken
dc.subjectmulti-roboten
dc.titleAutonomous Navigation of a Ground Vehicle to Optimize Communication Link Qualityen
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineMechanical Engineeringen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen

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