UAV Navigation Using Ground-Based Transmitter Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) face navigation challenges due to weak satellite-based GPS signals, which are prone to interference and unreliable in environments like urban areas, leading to potential deviations or crashes.
Innovation Solution
UAVs utilize signals from ground-based transmitters, such as FM radio signals, to estimate their position by determining the angle of arrival (AoA) and correlating it with known transmitter locations, allowing for more reliable and secure navigation in environments where GPS signals are unreliable.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If satellite-based GPS signals are used for UAV navigation, then global positioning capability is provided, but signal reliability deteriorates in urban environments and indoor settings due to weak signal strength and interference
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces ground-based transmitters as intermediary devices that relay positioning information to UAVs. These transmitters receive signals from satellite-based systems and retransmit them locally, creating a trusted intermediary layer that eliminates direct dependence on weak satellite signals in challenging environments. The ground-based transmitters act as mediators that bridge the gap between satellite infrastructure and UAV receivers in urban canyons and indoor settings.
Solution Approach 2:
The navigation system is segmented into multiple independent components: satellite-based transmitters, ground-based transmitters, and UAV receivers. This segmentation allows the system to operate using different signal sources depending on environmental conditions. When satellite signals are unavailable, the system seamlessly transitions to using ground-based transmitters, providing redundant navigation capability without requiring a complete system redesign.
2Reliability
If ground-based transmitters are deployed to improve navigation reliability, then signal strength and resistance to interference are improved, but system complexity and infrastructure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The ground-based transmitters are designed with multi-functionality, serving both as navigation aids for UAVs and as part of the broader wireless communication infrastructure. These devices can simultaneously support multiple UAVs, provide positioning information for different flight scenarios, and integrate with existing cellular or radio networks. This universality reduces the need for dedicated single-purpose equipment, thereby limiting the increase in system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs self-organizing capabilities where ground-based transmitters automatically discover and register themselves with the navigation network. The transmitters can autonomously determine their locations using existing GPS or other positioning methods, then broadcast this information to enable UAV navigation without requiring manual configuration or complex centralized management. This self-service approach significantly reduces deployment complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method provides a robust navigation system for UAVs, reducing the risk of interference and enabling autonomous operation in areas where GPS navigation is not feasible, such as indoors or in urban settings, with existing infrastructure reducing deployment costs.
Implementation Method 1
The UAV may estimate an angle of arrival (AoA) for at least two signals of the plurality of signals
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, apparatuses and computer-readable storage media for navigating an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) using signals of opportunity are disclosed. The UAV may include a receiver for detecting a plurality of signals at two or more receiver elements. The UAV may estimate an angle of arrival (AoA) for at least two signals of the plurality of signals, and may estimate a position of the receiver based, at least in part, on the AoA for each of the at least two signals. Known locations of the transmitters that are transmitting the at least two signals may be used in conjunction with the AoAs to determine the estimate of the position of the receiver. More than two signals may be used to localize the estimated position of the receiver.