A Review of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Based Antenna and Propagation Measurements
This paper presents a comprehensive survey of state-of-the-art UAV–based antennas and propagation measurements. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have emerged as powerful tools for in situ electromagnetic field assessments due to their flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and ability to operate in challen...
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MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/24/22/7395 |
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| author | Venkat R. Kandregula Zaharias D. Zaharis Qasim Z. Ahmed Faheem A. Khan Tian Hong Loh Jason Schreiber Alexandre Jean René Serres Pavlos I. Lazaridis |
| author_facet | Venkat R. Kandregula Zaharias D. Zaharis Qasim Z. Ahmed Faheem A. Khan Tian Hong Loh Jason Schreiber Alexandre Jean René Serres Pavlos I. Lazaridis |
| author_sort | Venkat R. Kandregula |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper presents a comprehensive survey of state-of-the-art UAV–based antennas and propagation measurements. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have emerged as powerful tools for in situ electromagnetic field assessments due to their flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and ability to operate in challenging environments. This paper highlights various UAV applications, from testing large–scale antenna arrays, such as those used in the square kilometer array (SKA), to evaluating channel models for 5G/6G networks. Additionally, the review discusses technical challenges, such as positioning accuracy and antenna alignment, and it provides insights into the latest advancements in portable measurement systems and antenna designs tailored for UAV use. During the UAV–based antenna measurements, key contributors to the relatively small inaccuracies of around 0.5 to 1 dB are identified. In addition to factors such as GPS positioning errors and UAV vibrations, ground reflections can significantly contribute to inaccuracies, leading to variations in the measured radiation patterns of the antenna. By minimizing ground reflections during UAV–based antenna measurements, errors in key measured antenna parameters, such as HPBW, realized gain, and the front-to-back ratio, can be effectively mitigated. To understand the source of propagation losses in a UAV to ground link, simulations were conducted in CST. These simulations identified scattering effects caused by surrounding buildings. Additionally, by simulating a UAV with a horn antenna, potential sources of electromagnetic coupling between the antenna and the UAV body were detected. The survey concludes by identifying key areas for future research and emphasizing the potential of UAVs to revolutionize antenna and propagation measurement practices to avoid the inaccuracies of the antenna parameters measured by the UAV. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-16aceb5fa3514c9c888f61aeb1cc2942 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj-art-16aceb5fa3514c9c888f61aeb1cc29422024-11-26T18:21:50ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202024-11-012422739510.3390/s24227395A Review of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Based Antenna and Propagation MeasurementsVenkat R. Kandregula0Zaharias D. Zaharis1Qasim Z. Ahmed2Faheem A. Khan3Tian Hong Loh4Jason Schreiber5Alexandre Jean René Serres6Pavlos I. Lazaridis7School of Computing and Engineering, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UKSchool of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceSchool of Computing and Engineering, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UKSchool of Computing and Engineering, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UKElectromagnetic & Electrochemical Technologies Department, National Physical Laboratory, Teddington TW11 0LW, UKSixarms, West Burleigh, Burleigh Heads 4219, AustraliaCenter of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Campina Grande 58708-110, BrazilSchool of Computing and Engineering, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UKThis paper presents a comprehensive survey of state-of-the-art UAV–based antennas and propagation measurements. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have emerged as powerful tools for in situ electromagnetic field assessments due to their flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and ability to operate in challenging environments. This paper highlights various UAV applications, from testing large–scale antenna arrays, such as those used in the square kilometer array (SKA), to evaluating channel models for 5G/6G networks. Additionally, the review discusses technical challenges, such as positioning accuracy and antenna alignment, and it provides insights into the latest advancements in portable measurement systems and antenna designs tailored for UAV use. During the UAV–based antenna measurements, key contributors to the relatively small inaccuracies of around 0.5 to 1 dB are identified. In addition to factors such as GPS positioning errors and UAV vibrations, ground reflections can significantly contribute to inaccuracies, leading to variations in the measured radiation patterns of the antenna. By minimizing ground reflections during UAV–based antenna measurements, errors in key measured antenna parameters, such as HPBW, realized gain, and the front-to-back ratio, can be effectively mitigated. To understand the source of propagation losses in a UAV to ground link, simulations were conducted in CST. These simulations identified scattering effects caused by surrounding buildings. Additionally, by simulating a UAV with a horn antenna, potential sources of electromagnetic coupling between the antenna and the UAV body were detected. The survey concludes by identifying key areas for future research and emphasizing the potential of UAVs to revolutionize antenna and propagation measurement practices to avoid the inaccuracies of the antenna parameters measured by the UAV.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/24/22/7395absorbersbroadcasting systemsknife edge diffraction (KED)parabolic reflectorpath losspropagation measurements |
| spellingShingle | Venkat R. Kandregula Zaharias D. Zaharis Qasim Z. Ahmed Faheem A. Khan Tian Hong Loh Jason Schreiber Alexandre Jean René Serres Pavlos I. Lazaridis A Review of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Based Antenna and Propagation Measurements Sensors absorbers broadcasting systems knife edge diffraction (KED) parabolic reflector path loss propagation measurements |
| title | A Review of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Based Antenna and Propagation Measurements |
| title_full | A Review of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Based Antenna and Propagation Measurements |
| title_fullStr | A Review of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Based Antenna and Propagation Measurements |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Review of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Based Antenna and Propagation Measurements |
| title_short | A Review of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Based Antenna and Propagation Measurements |
| title_sort | review of unmanned aerial vehicle based antenna and propagation measurements |
| topic | absorbers broadcasting systems knife edge diffraction (KED) parabolic reflector path loss propagation measurements |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/24/22/7395 |
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