Conducting disruption to remotely controlled aircraft

Abstract

A computerized method for disturbing time division multiplexed communication between a target remotely controlled aircraft-related communication device (RCU) and another RCU, the method may include: (a) determining, based on a distance Dt(t) between the target RCU and the other RCU, and (b) determining, based on at least one of (i) a distance Ddt(t) between a disturbing entity and the target RCU or (ii) a distance Ddo(t) between the disturbing entity and the other RCU, a timing of transmission of a disturbing signal targeting the target RCU by a disturbing entity; and transmitting the disturbing signal to the target RCU according to the timing of transmission.

Description

[Background technology]

[0001] A remotely controlled aerial vehicle (RCAV) may be controlled by a remote controller. The RCAV may transmit information during the RCAV's time window, which may be followed (or preceded) by the remote controller's time window. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0002] [Patent Document 1] Israel Patent Application No. 260726 [Patent Document 2] Israel Patent Application No. 283154 [Patent Document 3] U.S. Patent No. 10,728,906 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] There is an increasing demand to provide an efficient method for disrupting RCAVs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] As described herein, a system, method, and computer-readable medium may be provided.

[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be better understood and appreciated from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a method. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a method. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a method. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a target remotely-controlled aerial vehicle related communication unit (RCU) and another RCU. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a target RCU and another RCU. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 illustrates one or more example timing diagrams. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the present invention.

[0008] The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of this specification. However, the invention, both as to organization and method of operation, together with its objects, features, and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0009] It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to refer to corresponding or similar elements.

[0010] Because the illustrated embodiments of the present invention can, for the most part, be implemented using electronic components and circuits known to those skilled in the art, they will not be described in greater detail than is deemed necessary as set forth above for an understanding and appreciation of the concepts underlying the present invention and in order not to obscure or distract from the teachings of the present invention.

[0011] Any reference herein to a method should be applied mutatis mutandis to a device or system capable of performing the method and / or to a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for performing the method.

[0012] Any reference herein to a system or device should be applied mutatis mutandis to a method that may be performed by the system and / or may be applied mutatis mutandis to a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores instructions executable by the system.

[0013] Any reference herein to a non-transitory computer-readable medium should be applied mutatis mutandis to a device or system capable of executing instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and / or may be applied mutatis mutandis to a method for executing instructions.

[0014] Any combination of any module or device depicted in any of the figures, any portion of this specification, and / or any claim may be provided.

[0015] This specification and / or drawings may refer to a processor. A processor may be processing circuitry. Processing circuitry may be implemented as a central processing unit (CPU) and / or one or more other integrated circuits, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a fully custom integrated circuit, or a combination of such integrated circuits.

[0016] Any combination of any steps of any method shown in this specification and / or in the drawings may be provided.

[0017] Any combination of any subject matter of any claim may be provided.

[0018] Any combination of the systems, devices, components, processors, sensors shown in this specification and / or drawings may be provided.

[0019] A method, system, and computer-readable medium for performing perturbations on an RCAV may be provided.

[0020] Any reference to "disruption" may be applied mutatis mutandis to "mitigation."

[0021] An RCAV may be programmed and / or otherwise configured to complete a task and / or mission, which may include arriving at a destination and / or performing an action upon arriving at the destination. An RCAV may also be considered to have arrived at a destination when the destination is within range of the RCAV. A destination is within range of an RCAV when the RCAV is positioned to allow the RCAV to complete a task associated with the destination. Actions may include photographing the target, detonating an object related to the destination, delivering a payload to the target (which may or may not be a damaging payload), implementing electronic countermeasures, obtaining information about the target, targeting a precision offensive means to the target, etc. Disarming an RCAV may include preventing the RCAV from completing its task and / or mission.

[0022] References to a "remote controller" include a remote controller device as well as any other control device such as a ground station, virtual reality goggles, a smartphone or tablet, a control stick, a telemetry module, a secondary remote controller (e.g., a gimbal controller), a smart controller (a controller with a screen and possibly programmable), etc.

[0023] An RCAV may use an RCAV communication device to communicate with one or more other devices, such as a remote controller that has its own communication device. The RCAV communication device and any communication device that communicates with the RCAV communication device are referred to as an RCAV-associated communication device. An RCAV-associated communication device is a communication device that is involved in communication between the RCAV and one or more other devices.

[0024] Time-division multiplexed communications are common channel access, meaning that each party in a communication has time slots in which it is expected or allowed to transmit, and other time slots in which it expects or actually receives transmissions made by other parties. Even if the channel is quiet enough to allow such processing, it is typical or possible for an active node in such communications to respond only to packets received from other parties in its assigned time slot and to ignore packets received at unexpected times (effectively assuming that those packets were not sent by the corresponding node because they were not received at the expected time). In some scenarios (e.g., communications between an RCAV and its remote controller), communications may occur over significant distances (e.g., several kilometers), and there is a delay between the time of transmission by one node and the time of reception by another. Given the speed of signal propagation (in RF communications, this is the speed of light), this delay can be on the order of a few microseconds over a distance of several kilometers.

[0025] A typical approach to tolerating this delay so that each node still accepts packets received by other nodes despite this delay is as follows. Allowing a time tolerance of a few microseconds allows packets to be received within that time tolerance within the communication distance, regardless of distance. Changing the timing of transmission according to distance, so that the further apart the nodes are, the earlier the packet is sent, and therefore the packet is received at the expected time. This naturally works when there are only two nodes in the communication, since the delay will be different between two receiving nodes if they are not at equal distances from the sending node. Dynamically measure the time window in which a node expects to receive a packet from another node according to past packets already received. After accepting a larger time tolerance and accepting several packets within this tolerance, the measurement can tolerate a smaller time tolerance. Alternatively, if the distance between the sending and receiving nodes is known to the nodes, the distance can be used to pre-calculate the expected time window, thereby keeping the time tolerance small.

[0026] Any of these processes may be synchronized between nodes or may be managed by one of the nodes acting as the master for that process.

[0027] It is important to note that in some cases, one of the nodes acts as the master of the communication, and the other nodes respond to that master so that their transmissions occur a fixed delay after the other nodes receive the communication from the master, and so that the other nodes have an infinite time tolerance for receiving a communication from the master node (this means that the other nodes accept any communication from the master regardless of its timing). Thus, the other nodes send packets only in response to packets received from the master, accept any packets received from the master, and respond by transmitting their own packets sent to the master at a fixed time after receiving a packet from the master node. The master adds a fixed delay to the expectation that the response packet will be received, taking into account the delay caused by the distance between the master and the other nodes (both to and from the node), thus narrowing the time tolerance for such reception. This method naturally works best when all communication in the channel is between the master and one of the nodes (star communication) or when there are only two parties to the communication (master and slave). Additionally, the master can include in its communication a time delay that the slave requests the slave wait before sending its response, allowing the master to control the timing and eliminating the need for the slave to perform any distance-related processing.

[0028] All of this becomes more complicated when the parties can move during the communication. For simplicity, the following discussion focuses on two-way communication.

[0029] When two potentially mobile entities (e.g., a flying RCVA, a remote controller held by a mobile RCVA pilot) have two-way time-division multiplexed communications, the expectations each node has regarding the timing of receipt of communication packets from the other node must take into account the possibility of such movement. Assuming that the movement is not extremely fast (e.g., in the range of up to tens of meters per second) and the time difference between two consecutive communication packets is not extremely long (e.g., in the range of up to tens of milliseconds), the impact of such movement on the expected timing between consecutive packets is not significant. However, the impact of node relocation can accumulate over time. Ignoring the impact of relocation would result in a deviation between the expected timing of receipt and the actual timing of receipt, such that packets may be rejected. Therefore, it is essential that communication protocols allow for the adaptation or modification of the expected timing or allow for a sufficiently large time tolerance in the expected reception time. It is relatively straightforward for a node to accept a communication packet from another mobile node because the packet is received within a very small time window around the expected timing. This expectation can then be dynamically adapted as the node moves. As mentioned above, the option of varying the timing of transmissions by a slave node can also be adapted as it moves and controlled by the master as part of the communication between the master and slave. If both nodes know their GPS location, they can alternatively calculate the expected timing of reception using distance and propagation speed and create this timing.

[0030] In either case, the response built into the communication protocol to the fact that a node is potentially (or typically) moving will affect any third party that attempts to actively interfere with or block this communication, or that is sensitive to the expected timing of the communication. This requires not only taking into account the time it takes for any transmission sent to reach the node that one wishes to affect (which depends on the distance to that node), but also adapting that timing if this distance changes due to that movement or that of the node, and adapting that timing according to the expected timing of receipt of a communication from the other node, which, as mentioned above, may be affected by the movement of two nodes in the communication.

[0031] As a result of all of the above, in effect, in order for a potentially moving system to interfere with or prevent communications between an RCAV (or any other type of remotely controlled vehicle or device; RCAV will be used hereafter as an example) and its remote controller (or any other type of communication between nodes, at least one of which may be moving), the following needs to be considered: The distance between the system and the node (typically an RCAV) that the system wishes to affect. Distance between the remote controller and the RCAV How the communication protocol between the RCAV and the remote controller handles changes in propagation delay caused by relocation of the RCAV and the remote controller In some cases, the speed of movement of any of the parties (system, RCAV, remote controller) Accuracy and continuity of the system's knowledge of the RCAV and remote controller positions

[0032] Since the communication packets required for such blocking may take as little as a few microseconds, and the impact of all of the factors mentioned above may be of the same order of magnitude, not taking all of these factors into account in an appropriate and accurate manner may cause such blocking to fail or have serious drawbacks.

[0033] The following discussion refers to the following scenario: · The locations of all three parties involved are known precisely. The location of the interfering system is precisely known, and the location of the RCAV and / or remote controller has been known for some time and has not been precisely known for some time. The system location is precisely known, not the RCAV location or the remote controller location.

[0034] In all these scenarios, we assume that the communication protocol and its dynamic adaptation to node relocations (if any) are known. If the adaptation is not known, interference or blocking methods may cycle through the possible options until they succeed in affecting communication.

[0035] For purposes of illustration, a fixed duty cycle is used, but similar considerations may be made if the duty cycle is not fixed. The duty cycle used for these examples is 20 ms, with the RCAV transmitting for 15 ms, the remote controller transmitting for 3 ms, and silence (no node transmitting) for the remainder of the cycle. The exact timing of transmissions within this cycle is protocol dependent.

[0036] If the exact location of the parties is known, the Euclidean distance between them can also be calculated. The distance between the system and the RCAV is D su , the distance between the remote controller and the RCAV is D ru , the distance between the system and the remote controller is D sr Similarly, the propagation velocity of the transmitted signal is denoted as C.

[0037] As mentioned above, a communications protocol may specify several types of expectations that an RCAV may have for receiving communications packets from its remote controller, several of which will be highlighted. Each of these also typically has a tolerance, T, meaning that packets received within a time window of the expected timing plus / minus T will be accepted, and packets received outside of the window of the expected timing plus / minus T will be rejected.

[0038] The method for setting the expected timing may be, for example, (a) a fixed gap from the start or end of transmission of a packet from the RCAV to the transmission of a response from the remote controller, or (b) a fixed gap from the start or end of reception of a packet from the RCAV to the transmission of a response from the remote controller.

[0039] A fixed gap between the start or end of transmission of a packet from the RCAV and the transmission of a response from the remote controller. The RCAV may expect to receive a communication packet from the remote controller exactly 1 ms after the RCAV completes its transmission, regardless of distance from the remote controller, and the RCAV will begin its transmission exactly 1 ms after finishing receiving the packet from the remote controller. Thus, the RCAV will transmit for a period of 15 ms, followed by 1 ms of silence, then 3 ms of receiving a transmission from the remote controller, then 1 ms of silence, and then the RCAV will begin transmitting again.

[0040] For a duty cycle that starts at time t0, the RCAV transmits between t0 and t0+15ms, expects silence between t0+15ms and t0+16ms, and then expects to receive a transmission from the remote controller exactly between t0+16ms and t0+19ms. The RCAV will begin transmitting its next packet at t0+20ms. For this to happen, the remote controller must time its packet transmission to match this expectation.

[0041] Taking propagation delay into account, the remote controller receives a packet from the RCAV at D ru Therefore, the RCAV receives the end of the transmission from the remote controller 1 ms-D ru RCAV expects to receive a packet from the remote controller after / C. ru It also receives the packet sent by the remote controller after / C seconds.

[0042] Therefore, for a packet to be received by the RCAV 1 ms after the RCAV has finished its transmission, the remote controller must wait 1 ms-D after the RCAV has finished its transmission. ru After / C, i.e., 1ms-2×D after the remote controller receives the end of transmission from the RCAV ru Packet transmission must start after / C.

[0043] Therefore, the remote controller experiences a different duty cycle than the RCAV. That is, the remote controller stops transmissions from the RCAV at t0+D ru / C and t0+15ms+D ru / C, then receive 1ms-2×D ru / C silence, then the remote controller is t0+16ms-D ru / C and t0+19ms-D ru / C for 3 ms, then t0+19 ms-D before the remote controller starts receiving the next packet from the RCAV. ru / C and t0+20ms+D ru 1ms + 2 × D between / C ru There is again silence between the RCAV packet and the remote controller packet. The silence period experienced by the remote controller is shorter than the silence period experienced by the RCAV packet between the RCAV packet and the remote controller packet, and longer between the remote controller packet and the next RCAV packet.

[0044] Since the RCAV and the remote controller may be constantly moving, the distance D ru is subject to constant change (D ru (t) denotes the distance at time t, so the propagation time is D ru (t) / C), so the remote controller must adjust the delay in transmitting that packet after receiving the end of transmission from the RCAV. ru is typically measured in kilometers, and C is the speed of light in air, so D ru / C is measured in μs (approximately 3 μs / km), so the delay the remote controller must use is approximately 6 μs per kilometer of distance between the RCAV and the remote controller. The tolerance T is also typically on the order of a few μs. This is because the distance D ru This explains the importance of adjusting the timing of transmissions according to (t).

[0045] A fixed gap between the start or end of receiving a packet from the RCAV and the transmission of a response from the remote controller. Regardless of the distance from the RCAV, the RCAV may expect the remote controller to transmit a communication packet from the remote controller exactly 1 ms after it has completed receiving the packet sent by the RCAV, and the RCAV will begin transmitting after it has finished receiving the packet from the remote controller, using a delay to maintain its duty cycle. Thus, the RCAV will have 15 ms of its transmission time, then 1 ms + 2 × D ru / C silence, then 3ms reception of transmission from remote controller, then 1ms-2×D ru A / C experiences a silent duty cycle, after which the RCAV begins transmitting again.

[0046] For a duty cycle starting at time t0, the RCAV transmits between t0 and t0+15ms, and between t0+15ms and t0+16ms+2×D ru Expect silence between / C, then exactly t0+16ms+2×D ru / C and t0+19ms+2×D ruRCAV expects to receive a transmission from the remote controller between RCAV and / C. RCAV starts transmitting its next packet at t0+20ms.

[0047] This only requires that the remote controller transmit after a fixed delay of 1 ms after completing reception of the packet transmitted by the RCAV, regardless of the distance between the remote controller and the RCAV. Taking propagation delays into account, the remote controller transmits after 1 ms from the time the RCAV starts its transmission. ru / C seconds later, a packet from the RCAV will be received.

[0048] Therefore, the remote controller experiences a different duty cycle than the RCAV. That is, the remote controller stops transmissions from the RCAV at t0+D ru / C and t0+15ms+D ru / C, then there is silence for 1 ms, then the remote controller receives t0+16ms+D ru / C and t0+19ms+D ru / C for 3 ms, then t0 + 19 ms + D until the next packet from RCAV starts to be received. ru / C and t0+20ms+D ru There is again 1ms of silence between / C.

[0049] The silence period experienced by the remote controller is again shorter between an RCAV packet and a remote controller packet, and longer between a remote controller packet and the next RCAV packet, compared to the silence period experienced by the RCAV.

[0050] Since the RCAV and the remote controller may be constantly moving, the distance D su is constantly changing (again, D ru (t) denotes the distance at time t, so the propagation time is D ru (t) / C), so the delay in receiving packets sent by the remote controller varies.ru is typically measured in kilometers, and C is the speed of light in air, so D ru (t) / C is measured in μs (approximately 3 μs / km), which means the delay the RCAV must expect is approximately 6 μs per kilometer of distance between the RCAV and the remote controller.

[0051] The tolerance T is also typically on the order of a few μs. ru The timing of the transmission according to (t) is important.

[0052] Both of these methods above can also be done by having the RCVA measure the remote controller according to its desired response, rather than calculating according to distance. This means that if the RCVA needs a communication from the remote controller to be received earlier or later than it was received, the RCVA can notify the remote controller to change its timing as part of the information sent in its packet. This may happen dynamically and continuously.

[0053] Some features in these examples assume that the RCAV is the master in the communication protocol. Obviously, similar examples can be given where the remote controller is the master.

[0054] Interference by systems in communications can have several distinct effects, some of which are discussed here. Disrupting packet reception by transmitting interfering signals i. Disturbance Type 1 - An interfering signal is transmitted at the frequency where the RCVA expects the remote controller to transmit for essentially the entire expected time of reception. ii. Disturbance Type 2 - The interfering signal is via very short transmissions on each of the possible frequencies at which the remote controller may be transmitting, and all of these short transmissions occur during the time slots allocated for the transmission of packets by the remote controller (see, for example, Reference 1). Takeover / Override - The interference signal is a legitimate remote controller packet that is received by the RCAV more strongly than the packet from the remote controller is received. Another variation is to transmit an interference signal so that it is received by the RCAV just before (but within the tolerance window T) the reception of the packet sent by the remote controller. The RCAV can then lock onto the packet in the interference signal, begin analyzing the packet, and ignore it when the packet sent by the remote controller arrives. Other types of disturbing packets (e.g., according to reference 2) that can cause the RCAV or one of its components to malfunction or operate differently than intended, thereby causing disturbances to the RCAV's operation. The types of packets that are relevant to this invention are those that interfere with the communication channel between the RCAV and the remote controller. Combination of disturbance and takeover - either type of disturbance plus legitimate remote controller packets transmitted at a different frequency or timing. If the RCAV loses track of the original signal (e.g., as a fail-safe action when the expected channel suddenly becomes noisy), some protocols exist that instruct the RCAV to search for an alternative remote controller signal. In these cases, such methods can cause the RCAV to disconnect from its remote controller, search for such an alternative, and discover and lock onto the alternative signal transmitted by the takeover system, thereby completing the takeover process.

[0055] Various examples are provided below.

[0056] The locations of three parties are precisely known: the system, the RCAV, and the remote controller. In this case, Dsu , D ru , and D sr Three distances are known: Responses depend on the desired effect and the type of response built into the protocol for varying distances between the RCVA and the remote controller.

[0057] Interference by third parties can be complicated because any such interference will not be effective if the timing of a party's receipt of the communication does not match the expected timing.

[0058] Timing requirements may have a resolution of microseconds, and the resolution may be significantly affected by the relevant distance of the RCVA's flight (several kilometers). If the locations of the three parties are known (e.g., if the RCVA transmits its precise GPS coordinates and the precise GPS coordinates of the remote controller as required by recent RID regulations issued by the US FAA), a method of dynamically adjusting the timing of transmissions that interfere with communications may be useful, such that the interfered party receives communications at a timing controlled by the third party. This may be applicable to both jamming or communications override.

[0059] In case of jamming, the present invention can help reduce airtime and the resulting environmental disturbance, power waste, and system heating.

[0060] For example, when applying methods for inference in time division multiplexed communications (e.g., as shown in Reference 3, incorporated herein by reference), timing accuracy, even at μs resolution, is important to ensure that perturbations are performed on all possible transmission frequencies that the remote controller may use, since the transmissions must be very short, hitting specific symbols lasting approximately 50-200 μs on potentially 40 frequencies.

[0061] Timing accuracy is important when sending takeover packets (of all kinds), because the RCVA may ignore an attempted communication if the timing at which the attempted communication is received exceeds the tolerance level, typically measured in μs, that the RCVA has for this reception. Also, if the interference method requires that the RCVA receive the interfering packet within tolerance T and before receiving the packet from the remote controller, the accuracy level becomes even more important.

[0062] As a further complication, if the RCVA travels a short distance of 150 meters, which it can cover in 9 seconds at a speed of 60 km / hr, the timing corrections can deviate by 1 microsecond, meaning that if several seconds have passed since the last GPS position received from the RCVA, it may be necessary to estimate the RCVA's position according to its last recorded speed and direction, its trajectory, and also its behavior while it was being tracked.

[0063] The interfering system must take into account all of the considerations discussed above and additional considerations when determining the timing of its transmissions. The interfering system then transmits at a time when the receiving node (e.g., RCAV) will receive the transmission as needed to cause the desired effect. Illustratively, for the two types of duty cycles mentioned above, this means:

[0064] Tg is the time difference between the start of the other RCU transmission time window and the start of the preceding target RCU transmission time window.

[0065] In the case of a fixed gap between the start or end of the transmission of a packet from the RCAV and the reception of a response by the RCAV from the remote controller, taking into account the same numbers considered, if a transmission cycle starts at a certain time t: For perturbing the reception of a packet by transmitting an interfering signal (either Type 1 or Type 2), the transmission should be received by the RCAV at time t+16ms (typically t+Tg). Taking into account propagation delays, the system should transmit the perturbing packet at time t+16ms-D su (t) / C. Generally, it is t+T. G -D su (t) / C. For takeover / override, if the method uses a substitute packet transmitted to be received by the RCAV more strongly than the signal from the remote controller is received, the timing is the same as for the disturbance signal above, i.e., t+16ms-D. su (t) / C. If the method is such that the alternate packet is received before the packet from the remote controller but within the tolerance window, the timing should be taken into account as well, timing t+16ms-D su (t) / CT / 2 (where T / 2 is an example of a time shift that stays within the tolerance window of T) can be used (generally t+T G -D su (t) / CT / 2). Note that even if timing correction is not required due to the distance, a T / 2 timing correction (or a similar correction that has the same effect) can still be used as a way to get the RCAV to process packets sent by the takeover system. Other types of perturbed packets can use any of the timing correction methods mentioned above depending on the perturbation mechanism. In the case of a combination of disturbance and takeover, the disturbance packet is given the timing correction (t+16ms-D su (t) / C) is used (generally t+T G -D su (t) / C), the replacement signal used for takeover has the same timing correction (t+16ms-D) as described above for the replacement signal transmitted on a different frequency. su(t) / C), or timing t+16ms-D that matches the timing of the remote controller su Any of the different alternative timings within an appropriate deviation from (t) / C may be used.

[0066] In the case of a fixed gap between the start or end of reception of a packet from the RCAV and the transmission of a response from the remote controller, taking into account the same numbers considered, if a transmission cycle starts at a certain time t: For disruption of packet reception by transmitting an interfering signal (either type 1 or type 2), the transmission is performed by RCAV at time t + 16 ms + 2 × D ru (t) / C. Taking into account the propagation delay, the system sends the perturbation packet at time t + 16ms + 2 × D. ru (t) / CD su (t) / C. Generally, it is t+T. G +2×D ru (t) / CD su (t) / C. For takeover / override, if the method uses a substitute packet sent to be received by the RCAV more strongly than the signal from the remote controller is received, the timing is the same as for the disturbance signal above, i.e., t + 16 ms + 2 × D. ru (t) / CD su (t) / C (generally t+T G +2×D ru (t) / CD su If the method allows the alternate packet to be received before the packet from the remote controller but within the tolerance window, the timing should be taken into account as well: timing t + 16 ms + 2 × D ru (t) / CD su (t) / CT / 2 (where T / 2 is an example of a time shift that stays within the tolerance window of T) can be used, and in general t+T G +2×D ru (t) / CD su(t) / CT / 2. Note that even if timing correction is not required due to the distance, a timing correction of T / 2 (or a similar correction that has the same effect) can still be used as a way to get the RCAV to process packets sent by the takeover system. Other types of perturbed packets can use any of the timing correction methods mentioned above depending on the perturbation mechanism. In the case of a combination of disturbance and takeover, the disturbance packet has the timing correction t+T G +2×D ru (t) / CD su (t) / C (e.g., t + 16ms + 2 × D ru (t) / CD su (t) / C) and for the alternate signal used for takeover, the alternate signal transmitted on a different frequency will have the same timing correction as above (e.g., t + 16 ms + 2 × D ru (t) / CD su (t) / C), or timing that matches the timing of the remote controller (e.g., t+16ms+2×D ru (t) / CD su Use any of the different alternative timings at appropriate deviations from (t) / C).

[0067] If the RCAV (or master in the communication) measures the required delay from other nodes, and the system knows such a measurement (e.g., by receiving a packet and analyzing it using the measurement data), it should adjust its timing so that its packet is received by the RCAV at the same time (or slightly earlier as detailed above) as the remote controller's packet. Taking propagation delays into account, if the remote controller is required to transmit at time t, then that packet will arrive at time t+D. ru Since the packet is received by the RCAV at (t) / C, the system sends the packet at time t+D ru (t) / CD su (t) / C.

[0068] A general remark for all the above timing corrections is that the time t of the start of transmission by the RCAV should also be estimated by the perturbation system. Taking into account the propagation delay, the packet is transmitted by the perturbation system at time t' = t + D su (t) / C and therefore another D su When determining the time of system transmission by (t) / C, the system should shift the time of the RCAV transmission used by the system (e.g., the system should shift the time by t + 16 ms + 2 × D ru (t) / CD su If a transmission should occur at (t) / C (generally, t+T G +2×D ru (t) / CD su (t) / C), the system is the same as t'+16ms+2×D ru (t) / C-2×D su (t) / C (generally, t'+T G +2×D ru (t) / C-2×D su (t) / C), but this can be a more convenient way to calculate the timing of transmission because the system knows the time when the packet is actually received, i.e., t' rather than t).

[0069] All of the above methods for timing correction require sufficiently consistent or accurate knowledge of the GPS positions of the RCAV, remote controller, and system, i.e., function D ru (t), D su (t), D sr (t). If any of the functions involved in calculating the required timing correction are not known for the current time t, but were known at some point in the past, the timing correction can use the extrapolated distance by evaluating the extrapolated position of the node.

[0070] The extrapolation of GPS position should take into account known past GPS positions and their timing, as well as the type of node being evaluated. For example, evaluating the GPS position of a remote controller can take into account the typical movement of a remote controller, i.e., on the ground and without significant rapid changes in altitude. It can also take into account the behavior of that node recorded by the system during the current session, or by using typical past behavior of this or other such nodes. When a GPS position update becomes available, the estimation method can use the error from the estimation to better estimate the GPS position of this or other such nodes the next time it is needed.

[0071] If either or both of the GPS locations of the nodes are unknown, the timing corrections cannot be properly calculated. Instead, the system can try different possible timing corrections until one succeeds in producing the effect it was trying to impart. Knowing the required timing corrections (those that were attempted and worked) can in turn help the system estimate the distance to the node.

[0072] The system comprises: (a) determining the timing of transmission of the disturbance signal; and (b) determining one or more hypotheses about the distance (e.g., (D su (t), D ru (t), D sr (t)) and transmitting a perturbation signal using two or more of (t). The system may also monitor the response of the RCVA to the perturbation iterations and may maintain or update assumptions based on the results of the perturbation iterations.

[0073] For example, when the RCVA response indicates that the perturbation was successful, the system continues to use the assumed distance for that perturbation.

[0074] If the perturbation is unsuccessful, the system may perform one or more perturbation iterations by changing at least one or more of the assumptions, e.g., by increasing or decreasing one or more of the timing corrections (based on the assumptions) used by the system. For example, the system may wait two seconds, and if the two-second perturbation iteration is unsuccessful, it may delay its transmission by some delta (e.g., 3 microseconds or any number of microseconds), wait two seconds again, then add another delta (either the same value as the previous delta or a different value), and repeat the perturbation iteration until it finds a delta that is successful and works.

[0075] The system can then return to the original timing correction it was using, start transmitting by the delta early, make an attempt, and if unsuccessful, decrease the transmit timing by another delta and try again, etc. The system can continue this cycle of changing the delta between delta value boundaries until the system successfully performs a perturbation iteration. The cycle can also use a different pattern during that perturbation iteration (e.g., changing the timing of the transmit by deltas of +3, -3, +6, -6 microseconds, etc.).

[0076] If a perturbation iteration is successful, the system locks in the applied timing corrections and can continue perturbing, and if the perturbation is interrupted (which indicates that the node has moved and the corrections are again inaccurate), the cycle (of checking timing based on distance assumptions) can begin again.

[0077] The system can determine whether the disruption attempt was successful either by receiving a signal indicating so from the RCVA or its remote controller, or by manual command by an operator after direct or other means of observation of the RCVA (e.g., by use of binoculars or a camera).

[0078] In the above description, it is considered that the node where the disturbance is performed is an RCAV. If this is a remote controller, the appropriate distance should be used in the calculation. This correction can also be used if there are multiple nodes in communication, in which case the distance used in the calculation is the appropriate distance between the two specific nodes that the disturbance is intended for.

[0079] The same timing correction can be used for additional tasks. It is a notable example that if a system needs to intercept a message sent by one of the nodes and for some consideration the system needs to know the expected timing of such a message (e.g., a detector works better if it has exact or approximate detection timing), the system can calculate its expected timing using the same timing correction method. For example, if a remote controller is expected to transmit at time t, then the expected time of reception is t+D. sr (t) / C, where t is calculated through the method described above (using the system reception time of the packet sent by the RCAV), and the time shift D sr (t) / C can be added to estimate the expected time of receipt of a packet sent by the remote controller.

[0080] 1 and 2 show a computerized method 100 for disturbing time division multiplexed communication between a target remote control aircraft-related communication unit (RCU) and another RCU.

[0081] Method 100 may start by step 110 of determining, based on (a) a distance between the target RCU and the another RCU (Dto(t)), and (b) at least one of (i) a distance between the perturbing entity and the target RCU (Ddt(t)), or (ii) a distance between the perturbing entity and the another RCU (Ddo(t)).

[0082] Step 110 may be followed by step 160 of transmitting a disturbance signal to the target RCU according to a transmission timing.

[0083] Step 110 may include step 112 of determining a timing for transmission of the disturbance signal, such that the disturbance signal is received by the target RCU within a timing window of the target RCU and with a predetermined timing proximity to reception by the target RCU of a signal from the other RCU.

[0084] The timing proximity may be met when reception of a disturbing signal by the target RCU starts within a reception window of the target RCU but before reception of a signal from the other RCU by the target RCU starts.

[0085] The timing proximity may be met when the disturbing signal is received by the target RCU within a receive window of the target RCU and in parallel with the target RCU's reception of a signal from the other RCU.

[0086] Step 110 may include step 114 of determining a timing of transmission based on a communication protocol between the target RCU and the other RCU.

[0087] The target RCU may be a remote-controlled aircraft or a remote controller of a remote-controlled aircraft.

[0088] Step 110 may include step 116 of estimating, with a delay after receipt by the other RCU of a transmission from the target RCU, that the target RCU opens a receiving window for receiving a signal transmitted from the other RCU.

[0089] Step 110 may include step 118 of estimating that, with a delay after transmission of a signal by the target RCU to the other RCU, the target RCU opens a receive window for receiving a signal transmitted from the other RCU, and determining a timing of transmission may be based on the estimation and the timing of transmission from the other RCU.

[0090] Step 110 may include step 122 of determining a timing of transmission based on a desired timing relationship between (i) reception of a disturbing signal by the target RCU and (ii) reception of a transmission by the target RCU from the other RCU.

[0091] The desired timing relationship may require that reception of the perturbing signal by the target RCU precedes reception of the transmission from the other RCU by the target RCU.

[0092] Step 110 may include step 124 of determining a timing of a transmission based on a tolerance of the target RCU for a timing of reception by the target RCU of a transmission deemed relevant to the target RCU.

[0093] Step 110 may include step 126 of determining timing of a transmission by setting a time for the transmission such that the disturbing signal is received by the target RCU at a certain delay after the target RCU opens a reception window. The delay may not exceed the target RCU's tolerance for timing of the target RCU's reception of a transmission that is deemed relevant to the target RCU.

[0094] Step 110 also determines the timing of transmission. G and t0, where t0 is the start time point of transmission by the target RCU, and T G is the difference between the start of the transmission time window of another RCU and the start of the transmission time window of the preceding target RCU.

[0095] Step 110 is t0+T G -(D dt This may include a step 132 of timing the transmission to be equal to (t) / C), where C is the speed of light.

[0096] Step 110 is t0+T G -2×(D dtThis may include a step 134 of timing the transmission to be equal to (t) / C), where C is the speed of light.

[0097] Step 110 is t0+T G -(D dt (t) / C)−(a fraction of Tol), where C is the speed of light and Tol may be a tolerance of the target RCU for timing of receipt by the target RCU of a transmission deemed relevant to the target RCU.

[0098] Step 110 is t0+T G +2×(D dt (t) / C)-(D to This may include a step 138 of timing the transmission to be equal to (t) / C), where C is the speed of light.

[0099] Step 110 is t0+T G +2×(D dt / C)-(D to / C)−(a percentage of Tol), where C is the speed of light, and Tol may be a tolerance of the target RCU for timing of receipt of a transmission deemed relevant to the target RCU by the target RCU.

[0100] Step 110 may include step 142 of calculating t0 based on a time of reception of a signal transmitted by the target RCU.

[0101] Step 110 may include step 144 of estimating the positions of the target RCU and the other RCU.

[0102] FIG. 3 shows an example of the method 101.

[0103] Method 101 may begin with one or more iterations of method 100, thus performing one or more iterations of step 110 followed by step 160.

[0104] After one or more repetitions, the timing of transmission of another disturbance signal by the disturbance entity targeting the target RCU is D dt This can be followed by step 170 of determining whether the Dt0(t) is based on Dt0(t) or not.

[0105] After step 170, D dt Based on (t) D to This can be followed by step 172 of calculating the timing of transmission of said further disturbing signal not based on (t).

[0106] Step 172 may be followed by step 174 of transmitting the another disturbance signal to the target RCU according to a transmission timing.

[0107] One or more iterations of steps 170, 172, and 174 may be followed by determining to perform one or more iterations of method 100 and performing one or more iterations of method 100.

[0108] FIG. 4 illustrates a target RCU11′ of the RCVA11, another RCU12 which is a remote controller 12, a disturbance entity 30, and a D to (t)21, D dt (t)22, and D do 1 provides an example of a perturbation entity 30. The perturbation entity 30 is shown as including an antenna 36, ​​a receiver 35, a signal analyzer 36, a controller / processor 37, a transmitter 33, and a signal generator 37.

[0109] FIG. 5 illustrates a target RCU that is the remote controller 12, another RCU11′ that belongs to the RCVA 11, a disturbance entity 30, and a D to (t)21, D dt (t)22 and D do(t)23 provides a second example.

[0110] FIG. 6 shows timing diagrams 71 and 72.

[0111] The first timing diagram 71 shows signals on the RCVA time line, illustrating a cycle with duration 80, starting with an RCVA transmission 41 (length shown as L(RCVA-tx) 81), followed by a first gap 42 (length L(Gap1) 82), a remote controller transmission 43 (length L(Remote-tx) 83), and a second gap 44 (length L(Gap2) 84).

[0112] A second timing diagram 72 shows the signals on the remote controller time line. ru (t) / C (the delay is shown as 51) and is received by the remote controller (the first gap seen by the remote controller is L(Gap1)-2×D ru (t) / C, and the remote controller's transmission is (D ru (t) / C) precedes the remote controller's transmission, and the second time gap seen by the remote controller is L(Gap2) + 2 × D ru It can be seen that it has a duration of (t) / C.

[0113] While the foregoing description of the invention will enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the best currently known modes of the invention, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand and recognize that there are variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiments, methods, and examples herein. Accordingly, the present invention should not be limited by the embodiments, methods, and examples described above, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.

[0114] In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific examples of embodiments thereof. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

[0115] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the boundaries between logical blocks are merely exemplary, and that in alternative embodiments, logical blocks or circuit elements may be combined, or alternative decompositions of functionality may be imposed on the various logical blocks or circuit elements. Thus, it will be understood that the architectures shown herein are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures may be implemented which achieve the same functionality.

[0116] Any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" such that the desired functionality is achieved. Thus, any two components combined herein to achieve a specific functionality may be considered to be "associated with" one another such that the desired functionality is achieved, regardless of architecture or intermediate components. Likewise, any two components so associated may also be considered to be "operably connected" or "operably coupled" to one another such that the desired functionality is achieved.

[0117] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that the boundaries between operations described above are merely exemplary. Operations may be combined into a single operation, a single operation may be distributed among additional operations, and operations may be performed so as to at least partially overlap in time. Furthermore, alternative embodiments may include multiple instances of a particular operation, and the order of operations may be changed in various other embodiments.

[0118] Also for example, in some embodiments, the illustrated examples may be implemented as circuit portions located on a single integrated circuit or within the same device. Alternatively, the examples may be implemented as any number of separate integrated circuits or separate devices interconnected with each other in any suitable manner.

[0119] However, other modifications, variations, and alternatives are also possible. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

[0120] In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claim. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those stated in a claim. Furthermore, as used herein, the terms "a" or "an" are defined as one or more. Also, the use of introductory phrases such as "at least one" or "one or more" in a claim should not be construed as suggesting that the introduction of another claim element with the indefinite article "a" or "an" limits any particular claim that includes the claim element so introduced to an invention containing only one such element, even if the same claim also includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and an indefinite article such as "a" or "an." The same applies to the use of definite articles. Unless otherwise stated, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to arbitrarily distinguish between the elements described by such terms. Thus, these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate a temporal or other priority of such elements. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

[0121] While certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes, and equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes which fall within the true spirit of the invention.

[0122] It will also be appreciated that various features of embodiments of the present disclosure that are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of embodiments of the present disclosure that are, for convenience, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0123] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to those particularly shown and described hereinabove. Rather, the scope of embodiments of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. 1. A computerized method for disrupting time division multiplexed communications between a target remote control aircraft associated communications unit (RCU) and another RCU, the method comprising: (a) determining a timing for transmitting a disturbing signal targeted at the target RCU by the disturbing entity based on the distance (Dto(t)) between the target RCU and the other RCU, and (b) at least one of (i) the distance (Ddt(t)) between the disturbing entity and the target RCU, or (ii) the distance (Ddo(t)) between the disturbing entity and the other RCU; transmitting the disturbance signal to the target RCU according to the timing of the transmission; A computerized method comprising:

2. 2. The computerized method of claim 1, including timing the transmission of the disturbance signal so that the disturbance signal is received by the target RCU within a timing window of the target RCU and with a predetermined timing proximity relative to the target RCU's reception of a signal from the other RCU.

3. 3. The computerized method of claim 2, wherein the timing proximity is met when the target RCU begins receiving the disturbing signal within a receive window of the target RCU but before the target RCU begins receiving the signal from the other RCU.

4. 3. The computerized method of claim 2, wherein the timing proximity is met when the disturbing signal is received by the target RCU within a receive window of the target RCU and in parallel with the target RCU's reception of the signal from the other RCU.

5. The computerized method of claim 1 , wherein the determining the timing of the transmission is performed based on a communication protocol between the target RCU and the other RCU.

6. The computerized method of claim 1 , wherein the target RCU is a remotely controlled aircraft.

7. The computerized method of claim 1 , wherein the target RCU is a remote controller for a remotely controlled aircraft.

8. 2. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the timing of the transmission includes the step of estimating that the target RCU opens a receive window for reception of a signal transmitted from the other RCU after a delay following receipt of the transmission from the target RCU by the other RCU.

9. 2. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the timing of the transmission includes a step of estimating that the target RCU opens a receive window for receiving a signal transmitted from the other RCU after a delay after the target RCU transmits a signal to the other RCU, and the step of determining the timing of the transmission is based on the timing of the transmission from the other RCU.

10. 2. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the determining the timing of the transmission is also based on a desired timing relationship between (i) the target RCU's receipt of the disturbing signal and (ii) the target RCU's receipt of a transmission from the other RCU.

11. 11. The computerized method of claim 10, wherein the desired timing relationship requires that the reception of the disturbing signal by the target RCU precedes the reception of a transmission from the other RCU by the target RCU.

12. 11. The computerized method of claim 10, wherein the determining the timing of a transmission is also based on a tolerance of the target RCU for timing of receipt by the target RCU of a transmission deemed relevant to the target RCU.

13. 11. The computerized method of claim 10, wherein the step of determining the timing of the transmission includes a step of setting the time of the transmission so that the disturbing signal is received by the target RCU at a time after a delay after the target RCU opens a receiving window, the delay not exceeding the target RCU's tolerance for the timing of the target RCU's receipt of a transmission deemed relevant to the target RCU.

14. 2. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the determining the timing of a transmission is also based on a tolerance of the target RCU for timing of receipt by the target RCU of a transmission deemed relevant to the target RCU.

15. determining that the timing of transmission of another perturbation signal by the perturbing entity targeted at the target RCU is based on Ddt(t) and not on Dto(t); calculating the timing of the transmission of the other disturbing signal based on Ddt(t) and not based on Dto(t); transmitting the other disturbance signal to the target RCU according to the timing of the transmission; The computerized method of claim 1 , comprising:

16. The computerized method of claim 1 , comprising estimating the positions of the target RCU and the other RCU.

17. The timing of transmission is also Tg and t ０ determining that the time is based on t ０ 2. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein T is the start time of transmission by the target RCU, and Tg is the difference between the start of another RCU transmission time window and the start of a preceding target RCU transmission time window.

18. t ０ +T Ｇ - (D ｄｔ 20. The computerized method of claim 17, further comprising determining the timing of transmission of the disturbing signal to be equal to (t) / C), where C is the speed of light.

19. t ０ +T Ｇ -2 × (D ｄｔ 20. The computerized method of claim 17, further comprising determining the timing of transmission of the disturbing signal to be equal to (t) / C), where C is the speed of light.

20. t ０ +T Ｇ - (D ｄｔ 18. The computerized method of claim 17, comprising determining the timing of transmission of the disturbing signal to be equal to (t) / C)-(a fraction of Tol), where C is the speed of light and Tol is the tolerance of the target RCU for the timing of receipt by the target RCU of a transmission deemed relevant to the target RCU.

21. t ０ +T Ｇ +2×(D ｄｔ (t) / C)-(D ｔｏ 20. The computerized method of claim 17, further comprising determining the timing of transmission of the disturbing signal to be equal to (t) / C), where C is the speed of light.

22. t ０ +T Ｇ +2×(D ｄｔ (t) / C)-(D ｔｏ 18. The computerized method of claim 17, comprising determining the timing of transmission of the disturbing signal to be equal to (t) / C)-(a fraction of Tol), where C is the speed of light and Tol is the tolerance of the target RCU for the timing of receipt by the target RCU of a transmission deemed relevant to the target RCU.

23. Based on the time of reception of the signal transmitted by the target RCU and Ddt(t), t ０ 20. The computerized method of claim 17, comprising the step of calculating:

24. 1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for time division multiplexed communication between a target remote control aircraft associated communication unit (RCU) and another RCU, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising: (a) determining a timing for the transmission of a disturbing signal by the disturbing entity targeting the target RCU based on at least one of the distance (Dto(t)) between the target RCU and the other RCU, and (b) (i) the distance (Ddt(t)) between the disturbing entity and the target RCU, or (ii) the distance (Ddo(t)) between the disturbing entity and the other RCU; Transmitting the disturbance signal to the target RCU according to the timing of the transmission. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for:

25. 1. A system for time division multiplexed communications between a target remote control aircraft associated communications unit (RCU) and another RCU, the system comprising: a controller configured to determine timing of transmission of a disturbance signal targeting the target RCU based on at least one of (a) a distance (Dto(t)) between the target RCU and the other RCU, and (b) (i) a distance (Ddt(t)) between a disturbing entity and the target RCU, or (ii) a distance (Ddo(t)) between the disturbing entity and the other RCU; a transmitter configured to transmit the perturbing signal to the target RCU according to the timing of the transmission; A system comprising:

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