An investigation of geolocation-aware beamforming algorithms for swarming UAVs

Beamforming algorithms for UAV swarms are investigated. The swarm is modeled as a morphing volumetric random array and it is assumed that each element is enabled with orientation awareness. These algorithms are examined to improve the side lobe level for swarms operating as sparse arrays with small numbers of agents or large inter-agent distances. These are also examined to enable more complex beamforming operations for heterogeneous swarms composed of agents with different radiation patterns and/or polarizations. Simulated results based on amplitude tapering algorithms are presented to illustrate the concept, but experimental campaigns have demonstrated the utility of orientation awareness and its ability to provide side information that can enable complex beamforming operations.