Design and Implementation of Embedded Printed Antenna Arrays in Small UAV Wing Structures

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are extensively being used in exploration, surveillance and military applications. Such vehicles often collect data via special sensors and send the data back to the central station via wireless links. Embedded in wing structure printed antennas will eliminate the drag due to friction, and allow for extended load capability due to their extra light weight. In this work we present the design and implementation of a 4-element linear antenna array embedded in a small UAV wing structure. The antenna array operates in the 2.4 GHz ISM band. Simulations and measurements that characterize the performance of the antenna array are presented. Field measurements show the impact of utilizing beam-forming in enhancing the communication link throughput.