Optimization of Reception Points Locations in the Radio Telemetry System for Monitoring Air Objects

Introduction. Receiving telemetry information from a high-speed mobile object that rotates around its axis presents significant challenges. The wide range of changes in flight altitude and range, coupled with continuous shifts in signal direction and reflections from the underlying surface, necessitate the use of multiple reception points (RP) spaced over long distances and methods for joint signal processing. Consequently, the problem of optimal placement of radio telemetry system (RTS) reception points within an area arises. The aim of this work is to create and implement a method and software for multifactorial optimization of the placement of reception points for a radio telemetry system transmitting information from a mobile object. Research methods. The problem of optimal RP placement is addressed by numerically searching for the extremum of the target function, which is the average signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the radio channel across all points of a given trajectory of the mobile object. The SNR is calculated using a model of the signal propagation medium and an algorithm for joint processing of signals from all RPs. The propagation medium model primarily relies on well-known analytical expressions describing radio wave propagation, accounting for the influence of the underlying surface, and partially employs simulation techniques to calculate the power of signal components scattered over a large area of the surface. Results. We developed a software for the automated search of the optimal RP placement within an area given the trajectory of the mobile object and specified RTS parameters. Practical use of the developed optimization software has demonstrated its effectiveness. Conclusion. The practical benefit of the developed software lies in its ability to determine the coordinates of reception points that ensure the highest possible quality and reliability of telemetry information reception, given the specified RTS parameters. The scientific significance of the work includes: 1) the creation of a new tool for the automated search of optimal RP locations to maximize communication quality with the mobile object through a complex dynamic radio channel in a telemetry system; and 2) the optimization results and subsequent RTS modeling demonstrate the possibility of continuous high-quality reception of telemetry information from the mobile object during its descent trajectory, with continuous changes in the spatial position of radiation patterns from two transmitting antennas when using simple dipole receiving antennas.