A V-shaped Distributed Array for Drone-Borne Signal Positioning Using Low-Cost SDRs

This paper proposes a two-dimensional coordinate positioning system based on a V-shaped distributed antenna array. The system employs two low-cost dual-channel software-defined radio (SDR) platforms, where each SDR functions as an independent uniform linear array (ULA). These ULAs form a distributed antenna array in a V-shaped configuration. The received signals are processed using the Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm to estimate two independent directions of arrival (DOA) of target signal. By applying triangulation principles, the system is able to calculate the DOA and range of the target simultaneously. Most previous works typically conduct short-range experiments in indoor environments. To overcome the low reception sensitivity of off-the-shelf, low-cost SDRs, a drone-borne SDR with a power amplifier is used to extend the testing range. We conducted real-world outdoor flight tests, and the results show that the accuracy of range and angle estimation can reach $\mathbf{9.91\%}$ and $\mathbf{8.3 6\%}$, respectively.