Geometry-Based UAV MIMO Channel Modeling and Pattern Optimization for Multimode Antennas

Improving safety is of general interest in aviation. Flight transponders used in collision avoidance systems advise pilots with information of potential collisions and avoidance resolutions. Some transponders are capable of transmitting the instantaneous position of the vehicle which might be turned off. To prevent autonomous flights from collisions, the transponder signals shall be used to estimate the direction-of-arrival (DoA). Recently, multimode antennas have been investigated for communication and localization purposes. Multimode antennas provide several orthogonal ports on a single radiator surface. This leads to a reduction of space and weight, which is of interest in airborne applications. To perform DoA estimation as well as communication, a suitable channel model is required. In this contribution, a channel model fulfilling the requirements for both multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication and DoA estimation is proposed. This channel model relies on the manifold matrix representation of the UAV under consideration. The derived description of a manifold matrix for the UAV use-case is used for an optimization to achieve a close to omnidirectional radiation pattern. Therefore, different optimization functions are derived and their performance is compared. The results of the optimization using the calculated manifold matrix are verified by measurements taken in an antenna measurement chamber.