Low-elevation tracking technique for X-band unmanned aerial vehicle automatic take-off and landing system

S.-Y. Lin; M.-H. Cho; M.-Y. Lin; W.-Y. Hu; J.-S. Sun

doi:10.1117/12.2274978

1 May 2017 Low-elevation tracking technique for X-band unmanned aerial vehicle automatic take-off and landing system

S.-Y. Lin, M.-H. Cho, M.-Y. Lin, W.-Y. Hu, J.-S. Sun

Proceedings Volume 10188, Radar Sensor Technology XXI; 101881N (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2274978
Event: SPIE Defense + Security, 2017, Anaheim, CA, United States

Abstract

In this study, an automatic take-off and landing system (ATOLS) based on radar guidance was developed to provide day/night, all weather, automatic takeoff and landing for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The ATOLS contains a ground-based tracking radar subsystem and an airborne transponder subsystem. This X-band tracking radar can provide precise position information for UAV-control operations (transponder mode) and fire-control systems (skin mode). It provides 360 degrees of azimuth coverage and therefore can be employed for navigation applications. Its maximum tracking range is about 17 km and accuracy of altitude measurement is about 1 ft with a 50-ft decision height above ground level. To substantiate the proposed ATOLS system, a differential global positioning system (DGPS) was also developed. When a UAV at a low-elevation angle is detected and tracked by a tracking radar, multipath propagation often leads to the degradation of tracking accuracy or even cause the radar to break track. As a result, it becomes a potential risk to flight safety of the ATOLS guidance and control of UAVs. To overcome this technical difficulty, this paper proposes a solution based on optimization of radar parameters to mitigate the interference from multipath signals. The feasibility of proposed method has been experimentally proven through the flight trials of UAVs. Compared to the conventional low-elevation tracking techniques, the proposed one employs the radar signal processing, and does not consume additional hardware and resources.

Citation Download Citation

S.-Y. Lin, M.-H. Cho, M.-Y. Lin, W.-Y. Hu, and J.-S. Sun "Low-elevation tracking technique for X-band unmanned aerial vehicle automatic take-off and landing system", Proc. SPIE 10188, Radar Sensor Technology XXI, 101881N (1 May 2017); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2274978

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available

Members: $17.00

Non-members: $21.00 ADD TO CART

PROCEEDINGS
8 PAGES

DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

GET CITATION

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Get copyright permission Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace

KEYWORDS

Radar

Unmanned aerial vehicles

Transponders

X band

Antennas

Fourier transforms

Radar signal processing

Show All Keywords

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years