Joint Ranging and Phase Offset Estimation for Multiple Drones using ADS-B Signatures

Concepts de base

Proposing a method for joint ranging and phase offset estimation of multiple drones using ADS-B signatures to enhance air safety and tracking reliability.

Résumé

The article introduces a novel method for estimating range and phase offset of drones using uncoordinated ADS-B packets. It discusses the challenges of packet collisions in dense airspaces and proposes solutions for coherent detection. The proposed method employs an EM algorithm for estimation, supporting multiple drones with single or multiple receive antennas. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the estimator.

1. Introduction to ADS-B:

   • ADS-B system overview.
   • Importance in drone navigation.

2. Challenges with Packet Collisions:

   • High error rates due to message collisions.
   • Limitations in handling packet collisions.

3. Information Extraction from Collided Packets:

   • Importance of joint ranging and phase offset estimation.
   • Benefits for situational awareness and safety.

4. Existing Solutions:

   • Overview of spatial-domain methods.
   • Challenges with blind source separation algorithms.

5. Contributions:

   • Derivation of Maximum Likelihood cost function.
   • Proposal of EM-based joint ranging and PO estimation algorithm.

6. Reordering Estimation:

   • Methods for resolving ambiguity in estimated modes.

7. Multiple Antennas Receiver:

   • Extension of estimators to multiple receive antennas.

8. System Model:

   • Description of signal reception at multiple antennas.
   • Formulation of joint PDF for elements received at different antennas.

Stats

By minimizing the Kullback–Leibler Divergence (KLD) statistical distance measure, we show that the received complex baseband signal coming from K uncoordinated drones/aircrafts corrupted by Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) at a single antenna receiver can be approximated by an independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) Gaussian Mixture (GM) with 2K mixture components in the two-dimensional (2D) plane.

Citations

"The proposed estimator can estimate the range of multiple drones/aircrafts accurately."
"Our solution enables coherent multi-packet decoding."

Idées clés tirées de

Joint Ranging and Phase Offset Estimation for Multiple Drones using ADS-B Signatures

by Mostafa Moha... à arxiv.org 03-26-2024

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2207.05370.pdf

Questions plus approfondies

How can the proposed method impact future drone technology

The proposed method for joint ranging and Phase Offset (PO) estimation of multiple drones using ADS-B signatures can have a significant impact on future drone technology. By enabling drones to estimate the range and PO of surrounding drones even in scenarios with packet collisions, this method enhances air safety by improving situational awareness and facilitating detect-and-avoid systems. This capability is crucial for safe autonomous drone navigation, especially in urban environments where airspace congestion is a concern. Additionally, the coherent detection enabled by this method can lead to more reliable tracking of multiple targets in aviation systems using cooperative sensors.

What are potential drawbacks or limitations of employing cooperative sensor systems like ADS-B

While employing cooperative sensor systems like ADS-B offers numerous benefits for enhancing air traffic surveillance and safety, there are potential drawbacks and limitations to consider. One limitation is the susceptibility of ADS-B systems to message collisions in dense airspace, leading to high packet error rates that can compromise information exchange between aircrafts or drones. Moreover, as the number of drones increases in the airspace, the probability of packet collision also rises, resulting in decreased information availability and increased uncertainty for surrounding drones.
Another drawback is related to privacy concerns since ADS-B broadcasts real-time position information without encryption or authentication measures. This lack of security features could potentially be exploited by malicious actors for unauthorized tracking or monitoring activities.
Furthermore, reliance on cooperative sensor systems like ADS-B may introduce dependencies on external infrastructure that could be vulnerable to cyber attacks or system failures. Ensuring robustness against such threats becomes essential when considering widespread adoption across various applications within the aviation industry.

How might advancements in deep learning impact signal separation techniques in aviation systems

Advancements in deep learning have the potential to significantly impact signal separation techniques in aviation systems, particularly concerning complex scenarios like overlapping Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) packets. Deep learning algorithms offer powerful tools for extracting meaningful information from noisy and overlapping signals by leveraging their ability to learn intricate patterns directly from data.
In signal separation tasks within aviation systems, deep learning models can be trained on large datasets containing diverse examples of collided signals encountered during flight operations. These models can then autonomously identify patterns associated with different sources within mixed signals and effectively separate them into individual components corresponding to each source.
By utilizing deep learning techniques such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs) or recurrent neural networks (RNNs), it becomes possible to enhance signal processing capabilities beyond traditional methods like blind source separation algorithms or statistical approaches. The adaptability and scalability inherent in deep learning frameworks make them well-suited for handling complex signal separation challenges posed by modern aviation communication protocols like ADS-B.