In this work, we propose an UAV-aided Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) system design offering 5G connectivity to ground users. UAV is integrated with a distributed unit (DU) acting as an aerial DU, which can provide 5G wireless backhaul access to a terrestrial central unit (CU). The CU-DU interface fully complies with the 3GPP defined F1 application protocol (F1AP). Such aerial DU can be instantiated and configured dynamically, tailoring to the network demands. The complete radio and access network solution is based on open-source software from OpenAirInterface (OAI) and off-the-shelf commercial 5G mobile terminals. Experimental results illustrate throughput gains and coverage extension brought by the aerial DU.

翻译：本文提出一种无人机辅助的集成接入与回传（IAB）系统设计方案，可为地面用户提供5G连接。无人机集成分布式单元（DU）作为空中DU，能够为地面中央单元（CU）提供5G无线回传接入。CU-DU接口完全符合3GPP定义的F1应用协议（F1AP）。该空中DU可根据网络需求动态实例化与配置。完整的无线接入网解决方案基于OpenAirInterface（OAI）开源软件及商用现成5G移动终端。实验结果表明，空中DU能够带来吞吐量增益及覆盖范围扩展。