GB2610227A - Directional sensor - Google Patents

Directional sensor Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2610227A
GB2610227A GB2112361.7A GB202112361A GB2610227A GB 2610227 A GB2610227 A GB 2610227A GB 202112361 A GB202112361 A GB 202112361A GB 2610227 A GB2610227 A GB 2610227A
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GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
directional
sensor
array
antennas
aerial vehicle
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
GB2112361.7A
Other versions
GB202112361D0 (en
Inventor
Gill Richard
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Drone Defence Services Ltd
Original Assignee
Drone Defence Services Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Drone Defence Services Ltd filed Critical Drone Defence Services Ltd
Priority to GB2112361.7A priority Critical patent/GB2610227A/en
Publication of GB202112361D0 publication Critical patent/GB202112361D0/en
Publication of GB2610227A publication Critical patent/GB2610227A/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S3/00—Direction-finders for determining the direction from which infrasonic, sonic, ultrasonic, or electromagnetic waves, or particle emission, not having a directional significance, are being received
    • G01S3/02—Direction-finders for determining the direction from which infrasonic, sonic, ultrasonic, or electromagnetic waves, or particle emission, not having a directional significance, are being received using radio waves
    • G01S3/04—Details
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S3/00—Direction-finders for determining the direction from which infrasonic, sonic, ultrasonic, or electromagnetic waves, or particle emission, not having a directional significance, are being received
    • G01S3/02—Direction-finders for determining the direction from which infrasonic, sonic, ultrasonic, or electromagnetic waves, or particle emission, not having a directional significance, are being received using radio waves
    • G01S3/04—Details
    • G01S3/043—Receivers
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S3/00—Direction-finders for determining the direction from which infrasonic, sonic, ultrasonic, or electromagnetic waves, or particle emission, not having a directional significance, are being received
    • G01S3/02—Direction-finders for determining the direction from which infrasonic, sonic, ultrasonic, or electromagnetic waves, or particle emission, not having a directional significance, are being received using radio waves
    • G01S3/14—Systems for determining direction or deviation from predetermined direction
    • G01S3/28—Systems for determining direction or deviation from predetermined direction using amplitude comparison of signals derived simultaneously from receiving antennas or antenna systems having differently-oriented directivity characteristics
    • G01S3/30—Systems for determining direction or deviation from predetermined direction using amplitude comparison of signals derived simultaneously from receiving antennas or antenna systems having differently-oriented directivity characteristics derived directly from separate directional systems
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S5/00—Position-fixing by co-ordinating two or more direction or position line determinations; Position-fixing by co-ordinating two or more distance determinations
    • G01S5/02—Position-fixing by co-ordinating two or more direction or position line determinations; Position-fixing by co-ordinating two or more distance determinations using radio waves
    • G01S5/12—Position-fixing by co-ordinating two or more direction or position line determinations; Position-fixing by co-ordinating two or more distance determinations using radio waves by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
    • H01Q21/00—Antenna arrays or systems
    • H01Q21/06—Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart
    • H01Q21/20—Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart the units being spaced along or adjacent to a curvilinear path
    • H01Q21/205—Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart the units being spaced along or adjacent to a curvilinear path providing an omnidirectional coverage
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
    • H01Q21/00—Antenna arrays or systems
    • H01Q21/28—Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
  • Remote Sensing (AREA)
  • Position Fixing By Use Of Radio Waves (AREA)

Abstract

A directional sensor (1) for detecting the presence and direction of an aerial vehicle relative to the sensor (1). The sensor (1) comprises an omnidirectional antenna (3) a first receiver (10) for receiving and processing signals from the omnidirectional antenna (3), a three-dimensional directional antenna array (5, 7) and a second receiver (11) for receiving and processing signals from the three dimensional directional antenna array (5, 7).The three-dimensional directional antenna array (5, 7) comprises at least three horizontally oriented directional antennas (5), forming a horizontal sub array and at least two vertically oriented directional antennas (7), perpendicular to the horizontally oriented antennas, forming a vertical sub-array. The directional antennas (5) of the horizontal sub-array are arranged to provide detection in a 360° horizontal range. The directional antennas (7) of the vertical sub-array are arranged to provide detection in at least a 180° vertical range. A method of determining the location of an aerial vehicle relative to the directional sensor (1) is also provided.

Description

Directional Sensor
Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the detection of aerial vehicles and the determination of their position relative to a sensor.
Background to the Invention
The commercial use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is rapidly accelerating in the UK and globally. A recent report on the adoption of UAVs in the UK predicted that 76,000 UAVs could be flying over the UK by 2030. The UAVs will be primarily used for surveying and logistics.
In particular, there are current plans for UAVs to deliver small parcels in place of conventional delivery vehicles. However, there are several regulatory and practical challenges in the adoption of UAVs, as UAVs routinely fly pilotlessly and beyond visual line of sight. There is also significant personal use of UAVs for leisure purposes that is forecast to grow significantly.
Further, the unauthorised use of UAVs can pose a serious security risk. There have been terrorist plots based on the use of UAVs as well as malicious use of UAVs to disrupt commercial airspace. This all points to the likelihood of signifanct UAV traffic, much of which is legitimate and authorised but some of which is illegitimate and unauthorised.
Therefore, there is a need for automated, quick-response and intelligent technologies to identify and track all UAVs. This can provide clear airspace for the free movement of legitimate UAVs, whilst quickly and accurately detecting UAVs to allow their monitoring and safe neutralisation if necessary.
Current systems for detecting UAVs involve using an array of sensors scanning for radio frequency (RE) spectrum anomalies to detect signals that may potentially be command and control signals from unauthorised drones Signals detected by aerial vehicles can be processed to determine the type of aerial vehicle, for example by comparing the characteristics of the detected signal to a library of known aerial vehicle signals. If the type of aerial vehicle is known then a sensor can estimate the distance of an aerial vehicle from the sensor by resolving the known power of the signal emitted by the aerial vehicle and the power of signal detected by the aerial vehicle.
In order to determine the precise location of a detected aerial vehicle it is typically necessary to have an array of two or more sensors located a distance apart from one another. By triangulating the distance of an aerial vehicle from each of the sensors of the array it is then possible to determine the location of the aerial vehicle relative to the array.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention provides a directional sensor for detecting the presence and direction of an aerial vehicle relative to the sensor; the sensor comprising: an omnidirectional antenna; a first receiver for receiving and processing signals from the omnidirectional antenna; a three-dimensional directional antenna array; a second receiver for receiving and processing signals from the three-dimensional directional antenna array; wherein: the three-dimensional directional antenna array comprises at least three horizontally oriented directional antennas, forming a horizontal sub-array and at least two vertically oriented directional antennas, perpendicular to the horizontally oriented antennas, forming a vertical sub-array; the directional antennas of the horizontal sub-array are arranged to provide detection in a 3600 horizontal range; the directional antennas of the vertical sub-array are arranged to provide detection in at least a 1800 vertical range.
The invention is advantageous in that it provides a single contained sensor that is capable of detecting the presence and accurate location of an aerial vehicle relative to the sensor on its own, without the need for an array of sensors. This is achieved through the combination of an omnidirectional antenna and the three-dimensional antenna array. The omnidirectional antenna is capable of detecting an RF signal from an aerial vehicle. The RF signal detected by the omnidirectional antenna can be processed to determine the presence and type of aerial vehicle. The three-dimensional directional antenna array can be used to determine the distance from the sensor. Each of the directional antennas of the three-dimensional antenna array may be controlled to try and detect the RF signal detected by the omnidirectional antenna. The relative power of the RF signal detected by each of the directional antennas can then be compared to determine the direction of the aerial vehicle. In particular, the horizontal direction of the aerial vehicle can be determined by comparing the relative power of the RF signal detected by each of the directional antennas of the horizontal sub-array and potentially one or more of the antennas of the vertical sub-array. The vertical direction of the aerial vehicle can be determined by comparing the relative power of the RF signal detected by each antenna and the vertical sub-array and potentially one or more the antennas of the horizontal sub-array.
In the present invention an "aerial vehicle-is any aerial vehicle that emits RF signals that may be detected by an antenna. This includes manned and unmanned aerial vehicles. The present invention is particularly suitable for the detection of unmanned aerial vehicles, particularly unmanned aerial vehicles that emit RF signals that are standardised and easily able to be characterised when detected.
In embodiments of the invention the first receiver and the second receiver may be separate hardware components. In alternative embodiments of the invention the first and second receivers may be a single hardware component controlled by software to operate as separate receivers It will be readily understood that a sensor of the present direction will have an orientation in which it is intended to be used and it is relative to that orientation that the horizontal and vertical directions are defined. That in terms of the present invention "horizontal" is the horizontal direction as compared to the orientation in which the sensor is intended to be used and "vertical" is the vertical direction as compared to the orientation in which the sensor is intended to be used. If the sensor is used in another orientation then the horizontal and vertical directions will not correspond to external environment's (real-world) horizontal and vertical directions.
In embodiments of the invention the sensor may further comprise a gyroscope such that the orientation of the sensor can be determined. In such embodiments of the invention the horizontal and vertical directions of the sensor can be determined relative to the external horizontal and vertical directions. This information can be used to determine the direction of a detected aerial vehicle relative to the external environment, rather than simply relative to the orientation of the sensor.
In embodiments of the invention the sensor will further comprises a GPS sensor for determining the location of the sensor. The data from a GPS sensor will give location data for the directional sensor, this can be combined with a determined distance of a detected aerial vehicle to determine the location of the detected aerial vehicle.
In embodiments of the invention the directional sensor may further comprise a switching device between the second receiver and the three-dimensional directional antenna array for cycling through the sensors of the three-dimensional directional antenna array. A switching device may operate to cycle through the antennas of the three-dimensional array in turn such that a signal can be received from each antenna to the second receiver in turn. Each antenna may be cycled through such that a signal is received for an equal amount of time. Each antenna may be cycled through such that a signal is received from the horizonal sub-array for an equal amount of time and/or each antenna may be cycled through such that a signal is received from the vertical sub-array for an equal amount of time.
In embodiments of the invention the directional sensor may comprise a third receiver wherein the second receiver receives signals from the horizontal sub-array and a third receiver receives signals from the vertical sub-array. Embodiments of the invention may comprise further receivers for receiving signals from the three-dimensional directional array wherein each receiver is associated with one or more of the antennas of the three-dimensional directional array. Each of any second, third, or further arrays may further comprise an associated switching device for cycling through each of the antennas with which it is associated.
Each directional antenna of the present invention may comprise a power amplifier for amplifying the signal detected by the antenna. Alternatively, one or more, but not all, of the directional antennas of the directional sensor may comprise a power amplifier. Suitable power amplifiers will be apparent to the person skilled in the art. Advantageously, to ensure efficient operation of the directional sensor it may be advantageous that the directional sensor is configured such that any power amplifiers are constantly powered during operation of the directional sensor.
As will be readily understood, most aerial vehicles emit signals in the 2.40Hz and 5.80Hz wavelengths. Therefore, it is advantageous that the omnidirectional sensors and/or the directional antenna of the three-dimensional directional antenna array are configured to detect signals having a wavelength of 2.4GHz and/or 5.8GHz.
The horizontal sub-array of the present invention may comprise any suitable number of antennas for determining the direction of a signal. The horizontal sub-array comprises a minimum of three antennas but may comprise four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve or more directional antennas. The directional antennas of the horizontal sub-array may be positioned in any appropriate horizontal direction. Advantageously, the directions of the directional antennas will be equally angularly spaced about the horizontal plane such that there is even angular detecting horizontal coverage about 3600. The horizontal antennas may be positioned such that they are all coplanar and positioned in a single horizontal plane, alternatively they may be located in two or more separate horizontal planes.
The vertical sub-array of the present invention may comprise any suitable number of antennas for determining the direction of a signal. The vertical sub-array comprises a minimum of two antennas but may comprise three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve or more directional antennas. The directional antennas of the vertical sub-array may be positioned in any appropriate vertical direction. As will be readily understood, the sensor of the present invention will generally be positioned on or near ground level and, as such, in most cases will not need to detect signals from significantly below horizontal. Therefore, the vertical sub-array is generally arranged to provide detecting coverage over 1800 vertically and over the complete 360° of the horizontal plane. This many be achieved in any manner apparent to the person skilled in the art. In embodiments of the invention a vertically oriented directional antenna is provided for each horizontally oriented directional antenna of the horizontal sub-array, such that the vertical sub-array and the horizontal sub-array consist of the same number of directional antennas. In such embodiments the Advantageously, each directional antenna of the vertical sub-array may be configured to cover 90° of vertical range such that two directional antennas can cover a complete 180° above the horizontal plane Alternatively, each directional antenna of the vertical sub-array may be configured to cover 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°, 90°, 105°, 120°, 135°, 150°, 165°, or 180° of vertical range and the directional antennas may be arranged to provide suitable coverage.
The directional sensor of the present invention may further comprise communication means for communicating data from the antennas or data from a processor to an associated network. The communication network may include a wireless communication means and/or a wired communication means. Suitable communication means will be apparent to the person skilled in the art. It may be preferable to provide more than one communication device to provide for redundancy for example it may be advantageous to provide both a wired and a wireless communication means.
In embodiments of the invention data from the antennas may be communicated to an associated remote network and the data may be processed to determine the location of a detected aerial vehicle at the associated remote network. Alternatively or additionally the sensor may comprise a processor for processing the data from the antennas internally within the sensor and determining the location of a detected aerial vehicle. The location determined by the processor can then be communicated to an associated network using a communication means.
The present invention also provides a method of determining the location of an aerial vehicle relative to a sensor using the directional sensor of any preceding claim comprising: detecting an RF signal emitted by an aerial vehicle using the omnidirectional sensor; processing the RF signal detected by the omnidirectional sensor to determine the distance of the aerial vehicle from the sensor; detecting an RF signal emitted by the aerial vehicle using the three-dimensional directional antenna array; processing the RF signal detecting by the three-dimensional directional antenna array to resolve the direction of the aerial vehicle from the sensor; wherein the resolution of the direction of the aerial vehicle from the sensor comprises processing the power of the RF signal detected by each directional antenna.
The method of the present invention is advantageous in that it uses the sensor of the present invention to determine not only the presence of an aerial vehicle and its distance from the sensor but also the location of the aerial vehicle relative to the sensor. This is done using a single sensor, unlike methods according to the prior art that generally require two or more sensors to triangulate the location of an aerial vehicle. This is done by using the omnidirectional sensor to detect the RF signal emitted by an aerial vehicle and then processing the RF to determine the distance of the aerial vehicle from the sensor. This calculation can be done in any manner apparent to the person skilled in the art. Concurrently, the same RF signal is detected by the three-dimensional directional antenna array. The data from the directional antennas of the three-dimensional directional antenna array is processed to determine the direction of the source of the RF signal from the sensor. This can be done by comparing the power of the RF signal detected by each directional antenna to resolve the direction from which the signal is originating. The directional antennas oriented in the direction of the aerial vehicle will receive a stronger signal than directional antennas oriented away from the direction of the aerial vehicle. By comparing the power of signal detected by each of the directional antennas it is possible to determine the direction of the aerial vehicle from the sensor. If the orientation and location of the sensor is known then it possible to determine the location of the aerial vehicle.
In embodiments of the method of the present invention the sensor may be controlled to cycle through each of the directional antennas of the three-dimensional directional antenna array in turn to receive a signal from each of the antennas of three-dimensional directional antenna array in turn. For example, each of the directional antennas of the three-dimensional directional antenna array may be cycled through in turn for between 10ms and 100ms, advantageously between 20ms and 50ms, for example 30ms.
If the directional antennas of the three-dimensional directional antenna array are cycled through it is preferable that each directional antenna is cycled through at least once every second to ensure that a reliable location may be obtained for the aerial vehicle, which may be moving at significant speed relative to the sensor.
In order to accurately determine the location of an aerial vehicle the determination of the location of the aerial vehicle may utilise location and orientation data of the sensor. The method of the present invention generally determines the location of an aerial vehicle relative to a sensor, by further including the location and orientation of the sensor the location of the aerial vehicle relative to the external environment can be determined. The location and orientation of the sensor may be known as the sensor is fixed in position. Alternatively or additionally the location and orientation of the sensor may be known from one or more internal devices in the sensor, for example a GPS locator for determining the location of the sensor and/or a gyroscope for determining the orientation of the sensor.
Further features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the preferred embodiment shown in the Figures and discussed below. The drawings are not intended to be limiting on the scope of the invention, they simply illustrate a single embodiment of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined in the claims Drawings Figure 1 is a first schematic showing the construction of a sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 2 is a top view of the sensor according to Figure 1.
A sensor 1 according to the present invention is shown in Figures 1 and 2. The sensor 1 is shown in the orientation in which it is intended to be used. The sensor 1 has a central vertical axis 6 that is intended to be perpendicular to the horizontal. The sensor 1 is intended to be used in this orientation but can be used in alternative orientations. However, in relation to the claims and the description set out below, the horizontal and vertical directions are defined in relation to the intended orientation of the sensor 1.
The sensor 1 has a housing 2 on which all the components are mounted. An omnidirectional antenna 3 is mounted at an upper end of the sensor 1 on a mounting frame on the vertical axis 6 of the sensor. The omnidirectional antenna 3 is configured to detect signals at 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz. The omnidirectional antenna 3 is connected to a first receiver 10. The omnidirectional sensor has a gain of 10 dBi gain that allows it to detect signals from aerial vehicles at ranges of up to 11cm. The sensor 1 is shown with no housing on an upper half for clarity. However, it is to be appreciated that an upper housing formed of a material transparent to RF signals may also be provided.
Eight horizontal directional antennas 5 are mounted about the bottom of the housing 2, the eight horizontal directional antennas 5 are equally angularly spaced about the vertical axis 6, such that one horizontal directional antenna is positioned every 45° about the vertical axis. The horizontal directional antennas 5 are substantially identical and are all mounted to be coplanar in a horizontal plane. Eight vertical directional antennas 7 are mounted around the vertical axis 6 at equal angular spaces. The vertical directional antennas 7 are mounted at 450 intervals about the vertical axis 6 and are positioned to be angularly between the horizontal directional antennas 5 about the vertical axis 6. Each vertical directional antenna 7 is mounted in a vertical plane and are positioned 300 to the vertical axis and 600 to the horizontal plane in which the horizontal directional antennas 5 are mounted. Each of the horizontal directional antennas 5 and vertical directional antennas 7 is configured to detect signals at 2.4GHz and 5.80Hz.
Each of the horizontal directional antennas 5 and vertical directional antennas 7 has a power amplifier 8 mounted at an inner end operated such that each directional antenna 5, 7 is constantly powered and the signal from each directional antenna 5, 7 is constantly amplified.
A RF switching device 9 is centrally mounted within the sensor 1 and is connected to each directional antenna 5, 7. The switching device 9 cycles through each of the directional antennas 5, 7 in turn, receiving a signal from each directional antenna for 30ms, such that a signal is received from each directional antenna in turn and all of the directional antennas are cycled through approximately twice per second. Each of the directional antennas 5, 7 are connected, via the RF switching device 9, to a second receiver 11.
Unless otherwise indicated by the claims or by context any individual feature of the sensor shown in the Figures may be utilised in isolation from any other feature.
The sensor 1 includes a processor 12 mounted to the housing 2 for controlling the sensor 1, the first receiver 10, the second receiver 11, and the RF switching device 9 and for processing the signals from the first receiver 10 and the second receiver 11 to determine the location of an aerial vehicle (not shown). The sensor 1 further includes a GPS sensor (not shown) and a gyroscope (not shown) in communication with the processor 12 for determining the location and orientation of the sensor L The processor 12 also acts to package data for sending on to a network. The sensor also includes a network switch 13 for communicating with external networks. The sensor 1 also includes a power supply 14 for powering the various components of the sensor 1 from an external power source (not shown). In alternative embodiments of the invention the external power source may be replaced with an internal power source, such as a battery.
The shape of the individual directional antennas 5, 7 is best shown in Figure 2. This shows the shape of the horizontal directional antennas 5; the vertical directional antennas 7 have substantially the same shape. An outer portion of each directional antenna 5, 7 is triangular.
The centre lines of the horizontal directional antennas 5, 7 are 45° from the adjacent antenna. The edges of the outer portion of each directional antenna are formed such that there is a 600 angle between the edges of adjacent horizontal directional antennas 5. This has been found to provide excellent 360° coverage around the horizontal plane.
The vertical directional antennas 7 are angled at 600 to the horizontal. Opposing vertical directional antennas 1800 about the vertical axis 6 are coplanar in a vertical plane and are 600 apart from one another. The vertical directional antennas 7 have the same shape and are substantially identical to the horizontal directional antennas 5.
The sensor 1 of the present invention operates in the following manner. The omnidirectional antenna 3 is used to scan for the presence of signals from aerial vehicles of frequencies of either 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz, these being the most common frequencies at which aerial vehicles operate.
Any signals detected by the omnidirectional antenna 3 are passed to the first receiver 10 wherein detection and classification algorithms are used to determine whether an aerial vehicle has been detected and, if a vehicle is detected, the type of vehicle. If it is possible to determine the type of vehicle then the range of the vehicle from the sensor can be determined from the power of the signal detected.
If and when an aerial vehicle is detected by the omnidirectional antenna 3 the frequency of the detected signal is passed to the second receiver 11 and the three-dimensional directional antenna array (consisting of the horizontal directional antennas 5 and the vertical directional antennas 7) are controlled to try and detect the same signal. This is done by using the RF switching device 9 to cycle through each of the directional antennas 5, 7 in turn for about 30ms per antenna. The power of signal detected by each directional antenna 5, 7 is resolved to determine the direction of the aerial vehicle from the sensor 1. In particular, the directional antennas 5, 7 pointed in the direction of the aerial vehicle will detect the signal at a higher power than the directional antennas 5, 7 directed away from the signal. Each directional antenna 5, 7 is constantly powered to amplify the detected signal.
In this manner, the omnidirectional antenna can determine the presence of an aerial vehicle and the distance of the aerial vehicle from the sensor 1 whilst the three-dimensional directional antenna array can determine the direction of the aerial vehicle from the sensor 1. By combining the determined distance with the determined direction, the precise position of an aerial vehicle relative to the sensor 1 can be determined. As the orientation and position of the sensor 1 are known from the GPS sensor and gyroscope, the precise location of the aerial vehicle can be determined from a single sensor 1. This is advantageous as compared to sensor arrays according to the prior art.

Claims (19)

  1. Claims 1 A directional sensor for detecting the presence and direction of an aerial vehicle relative to the sensor; the sensor comprising: an omnidirectional antenna; a first receiver for receiving and processing signals from the omnidirectional antenna; a three-dimensional directional antenna array; a second receiver for receiving and processing signals from the three-dimensional directional antenna array; wherein: the three-dimensional directional antenna array comprises at least three horizontally oriented directional antennas, forming a horizontal sub-array and at least two vertically oriented directional antennas, perpendicular to the horizontally oriented antennas, forming a vertical sub-array; the directional antennas of the horizontal sub-array are arranged to provide detection in a 3600 horizontal range; the directional antennas of the vertical sub-array are arranged to provide detection in at least a 1800 vertical range.
  2. 2 A directional sensor according to claim 1, further comprising a switching device between the second receiver and the three-dimensional directional antenna array for cycling through the sensors of the three-dimensional directional antenna array.
  3. 3. A directional sensor according to any preceding claim, wherein each directional antenna comprises a power amplifier.
  4. 4 A directional sensor according to claim 3, wherein each directional antenna is constantly powered during operation of the sensor.
  5. 5. A directional sensor according to any preceding claim, further comprising a gyroscope for determining the orientation of the sensor.
  6. 6. A directional sensor according to any preceding claim, further comprising a GPS sensor for determining the location of the sensor.
  7. 7 A directional sensor according to any preceding claim, wherein the omnidirectional sensor is arranged to detect 2.4 GHz and 5.8GHz signals.
  8. S. A directional sensor according to any preceding claim, wherein the horizontal sub-array comprises at least six directional antennas.
  9. 9. A directional sensor according to claim 8, wherein the horizontal sub-array comprises at least eight directional antennas.
  10. 10. A directional sensor according to any preceding claim, wherein the vertical sub-array comprises at least four directional antennas
  11. 11. A directional sensor according to any preceding claim, wherein the vertical sub-array comprises at least eight directional antennas.
  12. 12. A directional sensor according to any preceding claim, wherein the directional antennas of the horizontal sub-array are evenly angularly spaced with respect to one another around the 3600 horizontal range.
  13. 13 A directional sensor according to claim 12, wherein the horizontal sub-array and the vertical sub-array consist of the same number of directional antennas and the directional antennas of the vertical sub-array are angularly spaced between the directional antennas of the horizontal sub-array in a horizontal plane.
  14. 14. A directional sensor according to any preceding claim, further comprising communication means for communicating data from the antennas to a network.
  15. 15. A directional sensor according to any preceding claim, further comprising a processing means for determining the location of an aerial vehicle relative to the sensor from the data from the sensors.
  16. 16. A method of determining the location of an aerial vehicle relative to a sensor using the directional sensor of any preceding claim comprising: detecting an RF signal emitted by an aerial vehicle using the omnidirectional sensor; processing the RF signal detected by the omnidirectional sensor to determine the distance of the aerial vehicle from the sensor; detecting an RF signal emitted by the aerial vehicle using the three-dimensional directional antenna array, processing the RF signal detecting by the three-dimensional directional antenna array to resolve the direction of the aerial vehicle from the sensor; wherein the resolution of the direction of the aerial vehicle from the sensor comprises processing the power of the RF signal detected by each directional antenna.
  17. 17 A method according to claim 16, wherein the sensor is controlled to cycle through the antennas of the three-dimensional directional antenna array in turn to receive a signal from each of the antennas of three-dimensional directional antenna array in turn
  18. 18 A method according to claim 17, wherein sensor is controlled to cycle through each of the antennas of the three-dimensional directional antenna array at least once every second.
  19. 19. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the location of the aerial vehicle is determined using location and orientation data of the sensor.
GB2112361.7A 2021-08-31 2021-08-31 Directional sensor Pending GB2610227A (en)

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GB2610227A true GB2610227A (en) 2023-03-01

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EP1135832A1 (en) * 1998-11-30 2001-09-26 Raytheon Company Circular direction finding antenna
US20170256855A1 (en) * 2016-03-07 2017-09-07 Raytheon Company Correlated fanbeam extruder
US20200264293A1 (en) * 2014-12-19 2020-08-20 Xidrone Systems, Inc. Systems and methods for detecting, tracking and identifying small unmanned systems such as drones

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
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