Analysis of Micro-Doppler Signatures of Small UAVs Based on Doppler Spectrum

Most of the investigations on the micro-Doppler (MD) effect caused by a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) have been conducted using joint time–frequency (JTF) images rather than the Doppler spectrum. On the other hand, several researchers utilized the Doppler spectrum instead of JTF images to observe the MD signature of a small UAV, and found the relationship between the spectral distribution of a small UAV and its physical specifications. However, the studies using the Doppler spectrum still lack concrete and theoretical foundations of the MD effects of a small UAV, focusing mainly on phenomena identified by measurement data. In this article, we establish the theoretical foundation connecting the MD signatures and motion dynamics of small UAVs based on the Doppler spectrum, and analyze their spectral distribution using simulations and measured data. In addition, experimental analysis is conducted using the data measured from various types of small UAVs considering the translational motion and aspect change. In contrast to already existing investigations, we completely explain and predict the changes on the Doppler spectrum relative to the physical specifications of a small UAV (e.g., blade length and rotor rotation rate). In particular, we show that the Doppler spectrum, compared to the JTF images, is a considerably simple and useful tool for analyzing the MD effects of small flying UAVs. The analysis results reveal that the MD features obtained from the measured echoes of small UAVs have considerable potential for detection and classification of small UAVs.