Measurement Drones

Customer: SixArms
Location: Australia

Challenge

To assist to gold-coast based SixArms to compare the differences in the measured antenna patterns with the predicted patterns for network operators in the broadcast, telecom and defence industries.

Background

Traditional land-based surveys are notoriously slow and have limitations. However, SixArms developed an integrated RF Measurement System, featuring a high-performance airborne platform (drone), integrated RF receivers and onboard computer and calibrated antennas. This hi-tech invention measures antenna compliance and constructs a radiation pattern from field measurements and other test points, to validate network coverage and identify interference.

Approach

SixArms purchased HTZ, ATDI's flagship radio modelling software, which translates the measurement data from the antenna radiation patterns to wide-area coverage from data collected from in-field coverage test points to establish confidence with the prediction model.

Solution

HTZ-software has dedicated UAV/drone management functions which supports the growing use of airborne platforms in industries like transport, military, logistics and commercial sectors. It enabled the SixArms to provide network operators with validation and verification checks to ensure their networks achieved their desired outcomes.

Aside from its automated coverage calculations and network modelling capabilities, HTZ also manages:

• Flightpath RF simulation analysis – importing flight path information and conducting propagation modelling and communication validation;
• Drone-Controller localisation – identifying areas where the controller can potentially share the flight path information;
• Radar detection capability analysis – predicting the areas and elevations where the Radar can detect a drone;
• Drone communication range analysis – import and analysis of flight paths for RF simulation; 
• Mission planning (HTZ Warfare) – one-stop solution to optimise a missile path where communications between the missile and Command Control can be jammed and detected by radar;
• Jamming efficiency analysis (HTZ Warfare) – identifying areas where the jammer can be effective in attacking drones;
• Reception analysis at different flight heights – pre-computing reception in a 3D environment for different elevations.

More about Drones

The data links to manage airborne platforms use radio-frequency (RF) transmissions to transmit and receive information to and from the UAV. These transmissions share information like location, distance and location to target, distance to the pilot, payload information, airspeed, altitude and more. An autonomous drone can conduct a safe flight without the intervention of a pilot.