In mobile access networks, different types of Internet of Things (IoT) devices (e.g., sensor nodes and smartphones) generate vast traffic demands, thus dramatically increasing the traffic loads of their connected access nodes, especially in the 5G era. Considering the possible traffic congestion of the access nodes, drone base stations (DBSs) can be flexibly deployed to hotspot areas as relays between the access nodes and IoT devices. As the DBSs' batteries are limited while their backhauls toward access nodes directly impact the throughput of IoT devices in downloading their data, how to improve the flight time of DBSs and the backhaul capacity remains critical in drone-assisted access networks. Hence, we propose a Free Space Optics as Backhaul and Energizer for Drone-Assisted Networking (SoarNet) architecture, where a free space optics (FSO) link serves as the backhaul link between a DBS and its access node. That is, a laser beam, which carries both data and energy, will be emitted from the access node to the DBS. Therefore, the DBS can simultaneously receive high-speed data streams and energy via the laser beam. The received energy is used to power the DBS to prolong its flight, and received data streams are delivered to IoT devices via existing RF channels. Several research challenges are identified in the context of SoarNet to further improve the network performance.

中文翻译：

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腾飞网

在移动接入网络中，不同类型的物联网（IoT）设备（例如，传感器节点和智能手机）产生了巨大的流量需求，从而极大地增加了其连接的接入节点的流量负载，尤其是在5G时代。考虑到接入节点可能出现的流量拥堵，无人机基站（DBS）可以灵活地部署到热点区域，作为接入节点和IoT设备之间的中继。由于DBS的电池数量有限，而它们对接入节点的回程会直接影响物联网设备在下载数据时的吞吐量，因此如何改善DBS的飞行时间和回程容量在无人机辅助接入网络中仍然至关重要。因此，我们提出了一种自由空间光学器件作为无人机辅助网络（SoarNet）架构的回程和增能器，其中，自由空间光学（FSO）链路用作DBS及其访问节点之间的回程链路。即，携带数据和能量的激光束将从访问节点发射到DBS。因此，DBS可以通过激光束同时接收高速数据流和能量。接收到的能量用于为DBS供电以延长其飞行时间，并且接收到的数据流通过现有的RF通道传递到IoT设备。在SoarNet的背景下，确定了一些研究挑战，以进一步提高网络性能。接收到的能量用于为DBS供电以延长其飞行时间，并且接收到的数据流通过现有的RF通道传递到IoT设备。在SoarNet的背景下，确定了一些研究挑战，以进一步提高网络性能。接收到的能量用于为DBS供电以延长其飞行时间，并且接收到的数据流通过现有的RF通道传递到IoT设备。在SoarNet的背景下，确定了一些研究挑战，以进一步提高网络性能。