Design and Installed Performance Analysis of a Miniaturized All-GNSS Bands Antenna Array for Robust Navigation on UAV Platforms in GNSS Denied Environments

Abstract

Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) are vital technologies of our age and serve a plethora of industries that rely on precise positioning for automation, efficiency and safety. Emerging applications of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in critical applications like security, surveil-lance, critical logistics and defense demand precise and robust navigation capabilities even in challenging environments with high multipath or (un-)intended interference and jamming. The design of robust GNSS receivers for UAV applications, capable of suppressing interfering sig-nals, is challenging due to the need for multi-antenna systems and the stringent requirements on hardware to be lightweight and miniaturized enough to fit onto small mobile platforms. In or-der to overcome these limitations, the present article details a four-element wideband antenna array, fitting into a 100mm diameter footprint. The array is capable to operate across all GNSS frequency bands while incorporating a miniaturized vertical choke ring multipath mitigation solution. The antenna performance is evaluated in terms of its radiation pattern via installed an-tenna simulations and measurements in an anechoic chamber. The effect of vertical choke rings and different installation heights above the UAV on the antenna pattern is studied. Furthermore, GNSS measurements, carried out with the array alone and mounted on the UAV are presented.