Micro-Doppler-Coded Drone Identification

The forthcoming era of massive drone delivery deployment in urban environments raises a need to develop reliable control and monitoring systems. While active solutions, i.e., wireless sharing of a real-time location between air traffic participants and control units, are of use, developing additional security layers is appealing. Among various surveillance systems, radars offer distinct advantages by operating effectively in harsh weather conditions and providing high-resolution reliable detection over extended ranges. However, contrary to traditional airborne targets, small drones and copters pose a significant problem for radar systems due to their relatively small radar cross-sections. Here, we propose an efficient approach to label drones by attaching passive resonant scatterers to their rotor blades. While blades themselves generate micro-Doppler rotor-specific signatures, those are typically hard to capture at large distances owing to small signal-to-noise ratios in radar echoes. Furthermore, drones from the same vendor are indistinguishable by their micro-Doppler signatures. Here we demonstrate that equipping the blades with multiple resonant scatterers not only extends the drone detection range but also assigns it a unique micro-Doppler encoded identifier. By extrapolating the results of our laboratory and outdoor experiments to real high-grade radar surveillance systems, we estimate that the clear-sky identification range for a small drone is approximately 3-5 kilometers, whereas it would be barely detectable at 1000 meters if not labeled. This performance places the proposed passive system on par with its active counterparts, offering the clear benefits of reliability and resistance to jamming

UAV tracking module proposal based on a regulative comparison between manned and unmanned aviation

Purpose: The aim of this study is twofold. First is to compare manned and unmanned aviation regulations in the context of ICAO Annexes to identify potential deficiencies in the international UAV legislations. Second is to propose a UAV monitoring module work flow as a solution to identified deficiencies in the international UAV regulations. Design/methodology: In the present study, firstly the regulations used in manned aviation were summarized in the context of ICAO Annexes. Then along with an overview of the use of UAVs, international UAV regulations have been reviewed with a general perspective. In addition, a comparison was made on whether contents of ICAO Annexes find a place in common international UAV regulations in order to understand areas to be developed in the international UAV regulations, and to better understand the different principles between manned and unmanned air transport. In the last section, we present a UAV tracking module (UAVTram) in line with the above-mentioned comparison between manned and unmanned aviation and the identified deficiencies in the international UAV regulations. Findings: The international UAV regulations should be developed on the basis of airport airspace use, detection, liabilities, sanctions of violations, and updating of regulation. Proposed UAVTram has potential to offer real-time tracking and detection of UAVs as a solution to malicious use of UAVs. Research limitations/implications: Our study is not exempt from limitations. Firstly, we didn’t review all UAV regulations because it needs a considerable amount of efforts to check out all the UAV regulations pertinent to different areas of the world. It is the same case for manned aviation as we used only ICAO Annexes to contextually compare with UAV regulations. Practical implications: From the practical perspective, studies introducing new technologies such as systems that help detection of remote pilots causing trouble and agile defense systems will give valuable insights to remove individual UAV threats. Originality/value: We didn’t find any study aiming to compare manned and unmanned aviation rules in search of finding potential deficiencies in the UAV regulations. Our study adopts such an approach. Moreover, our solution proposal here uses Bluetooth 5.0 technology mounted on stationary transmitters which provides more effective range with higher data transfer. Another advantage is that this work is projected to be supported by Turkish civil aviation authority, DGCA. This may accelerate efforts to make required real-time tests.Peer Reviewe

Drones Detection Using Smart Sensors

Drones are modern and sophisticated technology that have been used in numerous fields. Nowadays, many countries use them in exploration, reconnaissance operations, and espionage in military operations. Drones also have many uses that are not limited to only daily life. For example, drones are used for home delivery, safety monitoring, and others. However, the use of drones is a double-edged sword. Drones can be used for positive purposes to improve the quality of human lives, but they can also be used for criminal purposes and other detrimental purposes. In fact, many countries have been attacked by terrorists using smart drones. Hence, drone detection is an active area of research and it receives the attention of many scholars. Advanced drones are, many times, difficult to detect, and hence they, sometimes, can be life threatening. Currently, most detection methods are based on video, sound, radar, temperature, radio frequency (RF), or Wi-Fi techniques. However, each detection method has several flaws that make them imperfect choices for drone detection in sensitive areas. Our aim is to overcome the challenges that most existing drone detection techniques face. In this thesis, we propose two modeling techniques and compare them to produce an efficient system for drone detection. Specifically, we compare the two proposed models by investigating the risk assessments and the probability of success for each model

Ключевые технологии связи для поддержки систем управления движением гражданских беспилотных летательных аппаратов (обзор зарубежной литературы)

Not less than one hundred thousand Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are expected to perform flights simultaneously in Russia by 2035. The UAV fleet capacity triggers the development of the systems for informational support, operating control and management of UAV flights (Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) systems) similar to that one already operating in manned aviation. The challenges arising in the sphere of civil aviation cannot be solved without wireless communication. The goals of this article are as follows: 1) familiarization of communication experts with the latest scientific developments of unmanned aerial technologies 2) description of the telecommunication-related problems of extensive systems of UAV control encountered by development engineers. In this article a schematic architecture and main functions of UTM systems are described as well as the examples of their implementation. Special emphasis is put on enhancing flight safety by means of a rational choice of communication technologies to manage conflicts (Conflict Management) known as "collision avoidance". The article analyzes the application of a wide range of wireless technologies ranging from Wi-Fi and Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) to 5G cellular networks as well as cell-free networks contributing to the development of 6G communication networks. As a result of the analysis, a list of promising research trends at the intersection of the fields of wireless communication and UAVs for civil application is made.Ожидается, что к 2035 году в Российском небе будут одновременно находиться не менее ста тысяч беспилотных летательных аппаратов (БЛА). Такая численность флота БЛА делает необходимым создание систем информационной поддержки, контроля и управления полетами БЛА (англ. Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management – UTM), подобных той, что уже существует для пилотной авиации. Проблемы, возникающие перед авиационным сообществом, не могут быть решены без помощи беспроводной связи. Целями данной статьи являются ознакомление специалистов связи с последними достижениями гражданской беспилотной авиации и описание проблем телекоммуникационного характера, стоящих перед разработчиками масштабных систем управления БЛА. Представлены архитектура и главные функции систем UTM, а также примеры их практической реализации. Особое внимание уделено повышению безопасности полетов путем рационального выбора технологий связи для осуществления управления конфликтными ситуациями (также известного как «избежание столкновений»). Проанализирована практичность применения широкого спектра беспроводных технологий: от Wi-Fi и автоматического зависимого наблюдения радиовещательного типа (АЗН-В) до сотовых сетей пятого поколения 5G, а также бессотовых сетей (англ. cell-free), являющихся кандидатами для создания сетей связи шестого поколения 6G. В результате проведенного анализа сформирован список перспективных направлений исследований на стыке областей беспроводной связи и гражданской беспилотной авиации