Measurement and Analysis of Radiation Leakage From a GPS Module for the Detection of Drones

Abstract

Radiation leakage of a global positioning system (GPS) module was investigated for a drone detection system by measuring the attenuation effect and long-range detection on the outside of a building. The GPS module consisting of the radio frequency components is essential to control the flight of a drone. There is an unavoidable leakage in the GPS module during operation, and the leakage signal from the GPS module was analyzed and detected with a high-sensitivity receiver. To analyze the leakage from the GPS module during operation, we obtained the whole frequencies of leakage signals and the radiation pattern of a drone with the GPS module in an anechoic chamber. From the data, we measured the leakage signals in an outdoor space. Through outdoor measurement, it was confirmed that the theoretical attenuation effect was consistent with the measured value with a distance variation. Finally, the GPS leakage in the drone was measured up to 950 m with a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 25 dB.