A clustering based method to complete frame of discernment

When the existing information does not contain all categories, the Generalized Evidence Theory (GET) can deal with information fusion. However, the question of how to determine the number of categories through GET is still intriguing. To address this question, a modified k-means clustering, named centers initialized clustering is proposed, filling the gap of identification and complement of the frame of discernment. Based on this clustering method, the number of categories is determined. The initialized centers selected by center density keep the cluster results constant, enhancing the stability of clustering results. Besides, constructing Generalized basic Probability Assignment (GBPA) modules in a conservative way improves the reliability of the results. The mass of empty set in combined GBPAs is the indicator of the number of categories. Experiments on real and artificial data sets are conducted to show the effectiveness.     

Ergodic sum rate for uplink NOMA transmission in satellite-aerial-ground integrated networks

The application of Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) technology into satellite-aerial-ground integrated networks can meet the requirements of ultra-high rate and massive connectivity for the Sixth-Generation (6G) communication systems. We consider an uplink NOMA scenario for such a satellite-aerial-ground integrated network where multiple users communicate with satellite under the help of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) as an aerial relay equipped with a phased array. Supposing that buffer-aided decode-and-forward protocol is adopted at the UAV relay, we first formulate an optimization problem to maximize Ergodic Sum Rate (ESR) of the considered system subject to individual power constraint and quality-of-service constraint of each user. Then, with known imperfect channel state information of each user, we propose a joint power allocation and robust Beam Forming (BF) iterative algorithm to maximize ESR for the user-to-UAV link. Besides, to take the advantages of Free-Space Optical (FSO) and millimeter Wave (mmWave) communications, we present a switch-based hybrid FSO/mmWave scheme and a robust BF algorithm for the UAV-to-satellite link to achieve higher rate. Moreover, a closed-form ESR expression is derived. Finally, the effectiveness and correctness of the proposed solutions are verified by numerical simulations, and the performance evaluation results show that the proposed solutions not only achieve performance enhancement and robustness, but also outperform the orthogonal multiple access significantly.     

Energy-efficient data collection for UAV-assisted IoT: Joint trajectory and resource optimization

Internet of Things (IoT) can be conveniently deployed while empowering various applications, where the IoT nodes can form clusters to finish certain missions collectively. As energy-efficient operations are critical to prolong the lifetime of the energy-constrained IoT devices, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) can be dispatched to geographically approach the IoT clusters towards energy-efficient IoT transmissions. This paper intends to maximize the system energy efficiency by considering both the IoT transmission energy and UAV propulsion energy, where the UAV trajectory and IoT communication resources are jointly optimized. By applying large-system analysis and Dinkelbach method, the original fractional optimization is approximated and reformulated in the form of subtraction, and further a block coordinate descent framework is employed to update the UAV trajectory and IoT communication resources iteratively. Extensive simulation results are provided to corroborate the effectiveness of the proposed method.