Spot-Detection Technique for mmWave/THz UAV-UAV Communications based on Real-time Kinematic Sensor Fusion Positioning

Wave and THz communication relies on highly focused and directive narrow beams. Predicting the position and direction of the beam in space, as well as the time to reach the beam’s coverage area, known as the spot, is very important for the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to adjust the direction of movement as well as the velocity of approaching the spot to increase the possibility of successful communication between UAVs. This paper proposes a novel approach to detect these ultra-narrow spots using GNSS-based real-time kinematic sensor fusion positioning powered by an extended Kalman filter (GNSS-RTKEKF). To achieve this objective, we utilized a mechanism that exchanges positioning and poses information among UAVs via a 920 MHz wireless communication. In addition, we propose an algorithm that helps estimate the time and distance from the UAV to the spot with high accuracy. The effectiveness of this method is validated using real-world data collected from UAV-UAV communication field tests. Fluctuations in six degrees of freedom (DOF) data of actual UAV flights that affect spot detection are also analyzed in this article. Experimental results demonstrate an average spot detection accuracy of 32.7 cm in distance and 172 ms in time, confirming the feasibility of the proposed method for spot detection challenges in mmWave communication.