Experiments with a LoRaWAN-Based Remote ID System for Locating Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

Ali Ghubaish,Tara Salman,Raj Jain

doi:10.1155/2019/9060121

Ali Ghubaish, Tara Salman + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/9060121

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Abstract

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States is considering Remote ID systems for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). These systems act as license plates used on automobiles, but they transmit information using radio waves. To be useful, the transmissions in such systems need to reach long distances to minimize the number of ground stations to capture these transmissions. LoRaWAN is designed as a cheap long-range technology to be used for long-range communication for the Internet of Things. Several manufacturers make LoRaWAN modules, which are readily available on the market and are, therefore, ideal for the UAVs Remote IDs at a low cost. In this paper, we present our experiences in using LoRaWAN technology as a communication technology. Our experiments to identify and locate the UAV systems uncovered several issues of using LoRaWAN in such systems that are documented in this paper. Using several ground stations, we can determine the location of a UAV equipped with a LoRaWAN module that transmits the UAV Remote ID. Hence, it can help identify UAVs that unintentionally, or intentionally, fly into restricted zones.

Highlights

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), around seven million unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be sold in the United States by 2020 [1]
We found that the cable used to provide the power to the module attached to the UAV should be in the opposite direction of the antenna to balance the power in all directions. is issue is due to the fact that the cable can act as a second antenna for the Seeeduino LoRaWAN module, which affects the meanRSSI values for the modules in that direction of the UAV
Making the UAVs broadcasting their global positioning system (GPS)-determined location may not be sufficient in all environments

Summary

Introduction

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), around seven million unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be sold in the United States by 2020 [1]. UAVs have great potential in many civilian and military applications. They can hinder public safety and privacy when ying in unauthorized areas. Governments may restrict or forbid UAVs ying in certain areas without prior permission. Such areas include airports, borders, and many others. RF technologies such as LoRaWAN, Zigbee, and 6LoWPAN can be used for communications [18,19,20,21]. LoRaWAN is a relatively new technology that is suitable for UAV communications due to its low power, low cost, and long-range reachability. E medium access control (MAC) protocol for LoRaWAN has been standardized by the LoRa Alliance.

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