US 2026/0266945 A1 · Systems and methods for forward-scatter sensing

Abstract

There are provided systems and methods for passive sensing (i.e., sensing using signal reception only) of unmanned aircrafts (UAs) based on the forward scatter effect, using radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted by satellites and/or aerostats. One or more passive RF sensor units are employed, wherein each of the one or more passive RF sensor units is configured to: produce one or more concurrent reception beams; receive RTSA resultant signals originating from one or more RTSAs, wherein an RTSA is one of a satellite and an aerostat, which transmits RF signals, and wherein an RTSA resultant signal is a signal transmitted by an RTSA after traversing a medium between the RTSA and the passive RF sensor unit; and process the received RTSA resultant signals to perform target detection based on the forward scatter effect. The systems and methods may also provide additional UA situational surveillance capabilities, including one or more of the following: target detection, target tracking, target classification, target identification, and prediction and/or detection of events associated with UA safety and/or security.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for passive sensing of unmanned aircrafts (UAs) within a target volume using radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted by one or more RF-transmitting satellites or aerostats (RTSAs), the system comprising:

one or more passive RF sensor units, wherein each of the one or more passive RF sensor units includes:
an antenna module configured to receive RTSA resultant signals originating from the one or more RTSAs, wherein the RTSA resultant signals are signals transmitted by the one or more RTSAs after traversing a medium between the one or more RTSAs and the one or more passive RF sensor units, and
a digital module configured to process the received RTSA resultant signals to perform at least one of target detection or target location estimation based on a forward scatter effect, and further configured to manage one or more concurrent reception beams produced by the passive RF sensor unit by at least one of determining a number of the concurrent reception beams used at any given time or determining one or more parameters for at least one of the concurrent reception beams,
wherein at least one of the one or more concurrent reception beams has a beam direction that matches a present location of an RTSA and a beam width that matches an angular width of a forward scatter region.

1 more element

A method for passive sensing of unmanned aircrafts (UAs) within a target volume using radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted by one or more RF-transmitting satellites or aerostats (RTSAs), the method comprising:

receiving, using one or more passive RF sensor units, RTSA resultant signals originating from the one or more RTSAs via one or more concurrent reception beams, wherein the RTSA resultant signals are signals transmitted by the one or more RTSAs after traversing a medium between the one or more RTSAs and the one or more passive RF sensor units, and wherein at least one of the one or more concurrent reception beams has a beam direction that matches a present location of an RTSA and a beam width that matches an angular width of a forward scatter region;
processing, using a digital module of the one or more passive RF sensor units, the received RTSA resultant signals to perform at least one of target detection or target location estimation based on the forward scatter effect;
and
managing, using the digital module, the one or more concurrent reception beams by at least one of determining a number of the concurrent reception beams used at any given time or determining one or more parameters for at least one of the concurrent reception beams.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Systems and methods for forward-scatter sensing

Life of this patent

Systems and methods for forward-scatter sensing

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20