Antennas for Long Range UAV Communication

Antenna design for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that increases signal range compared to omnidirectional antennas. The antenna has a housing with a radome and reflecting bottom. The antenna module inside radiates signals. The reflecting bottom bounces signals back into the radome, amplifying signal strength in that direction. This allows higher gain and longer range compared to omnidirectional antennas. The housing can also rotate to aim the amplified beam in different directions.

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A multi-channel beamforming chip-antenna package with integrated waveguides for long-distance signal transmission. The package has a multi-channel beamforming chip, waveguides, and coupling circuits that combine the chip channels with the waveguides. Each coupling circuit has a matching circuit to connect the chip bond wire to a microstrip line, and a converting circuit to connect the microstrip line to the waveguides. This integrates the waveguides directly into the package for compact size and improved efficiency compared to separate chip-antenna connections.

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Aerial base stations for drones that have backhaul links to ground-based donor base stations. The aerial base station design aims to maximize the backhaul connectivity range and throughput while keeping the drone compact and lightweight. The backhaul antenna is placed on the top or bottom of the drone body with its main beam parallel to the body axis. This orientation allows a wider beam without interference from the drone body. To align the beam, the drone moves or rotates to find the best position/orientation for the backhaul link.

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Portable HF radio antenna system for long distance communication in areas without infrastructure using UAVs. The system comprises a UAV, reel of antenna wire, SWR meter, power supply, and feedline. The UAV hoists the antenna wire to a quarter wavelength length. A reel winder motor, crank, or UAV winch retracts/extends the wire based on SWR. The UAV has sensors for positioning. An electrical tuner and physical tuner further optimize SWR. The UAV flies the antenna wire high above ground for efficient HF radiation.

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Communication system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) using millimeter wave (mmWave) frequencies to provide secure and reliable mmWave coverage for UAVs. The system involves using base stations with mmWave antennas tilted upward to cover the sky for UAV communication. This allows UAVs to operate beyond line-of-sight distances compared to ground-based networks. It also reduces interference between UAV and ground communications by spatially separating mmWave and RF beams.

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Secure, long range nautical communication using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as relays to enable cost-effective, real-time communication between ships at sea. The UAVs are tethered to a ship and have communication equipment, antennas, and power supplied by the tether. They can relay signals between ships over long distances using optical fiber in the tether instead of radio. The tethered UAVs can also provide directional antennas that can be reoriented by changing the UAV's attitude. This allows dynamic repositioning of the antennas in response to external stimuli. The UAVs are powered by the tether's high voltage DC wires, reducing weight compared to separate batteries. The tether management system uses mechanisms like pulleys, fairleads, and tensioning to control the UAV's movement.

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Enhancing the radiation angle signal intensity of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) image transmission communication module antenna to improve reliability and avoid communication interruption during takeoff and landing. The system uses a directional antenna on the UAV along with an omnidirectional antenna. A directional coupler connects the UAV's image communication module to both antennas. During flight, the UAV's omnidirectional antenna is perpendicular to the ground station's antenna, reducing signal strength. But the directional antenna aims directly at the ground station, increasing signal strength. The coupler transfers power from the UAV's module to both antennas. This improves signal quality during takeoff/landing when the omnidirectional antenna is weak.

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A four-sided directional communication antenna for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that improves range, reliability, and resistance to interference compared to omnidirectional antennas. The UAV antenna has a body with four directional antennas attached at the corners. The directional antennas are electrically connected to the body using fixed blocks, connecting blocks, and wire tubes. This configuration provides four-sided directionality for better coverage and resistance to interference compared to omnidirectional antennas.

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An antenna design for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that improves stability by reducing signal interference. The antenna is mounted on the UAV arm instead of the fuselage. This allows larger antenna sizes and reduces environmental interference compared to tripod-mounted antennas. The antenna has a ground connection between the base and tip sections to prevent coaxial line currents from affecting performance. The antenna also has a through-hole with a metal piece connecting the base and tip ground sections.

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Omnidirectional 5G drone antenna with improved performance for long range, high bandwidth, and low latency wireless communication compared to conventional drone antennas. The antenna uses a hollow cuboid shape with four identical 5G antenna units arranged around the edges. The antennas are fed by connecting their ports to an H-shaped feed network in the center. The feed network is connected to the antennas using stripline transmission lines with the inner conductor, insulator, shield, and outer sheath arranged in a ladder shape. This allows 360-degree horizontal radiation and 120-degree vertical radiation from the drone. The cuboid shape provides omnidirectional coverage without the need for mechanical rotation.

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Conformal array antenna for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that integrates high-gain array antennas into the UAV body shape to improve wireless coverage without affecting aerodynamics. The antenna is a dual polarization planar array mounted conformally on the UAV body, like the landing gear or fuselage. This allows using high-gain array antennas instead of external whip antennas. A power divider and feed network inside the UAV complete the antenna system. The conformal design enables integrating high-gain antennas into the UAV shape without adding external antennas that impact aerodynamics.

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Miniaturized airborne communication antenna for UAVs that provides full coverage and high gain without compromising UAV shape or size. The antenna integrates a microstrip slot antenna with multiple Yagi antennas arranged around it. This compact antenna array provides hemispherical coverage and higher gain compared to conventional UAV antennas. The Yagi antennas can be connected to MIMO RF modules to handle multiple frequency links. The antenna can be mounted on the UAV belly or inside the shell using LDS technology.

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Compact broadband antenna for vehicles like drones with high bandwidth and low weight. The antenna has multiple wings with bent conductive elements connected together. This windmill-like shape allows a small footprint while radiating over a wide frequency range. The bent elements provide the broadband operation. The wings can be arranged around a central connection point. The antenna can be fed with a coaxial cable connected to the smallest element of each wing. This compact bent-wing antenna design is suitable for integrating broadband communication into small vehicles like drones.

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An antenna system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with a compact, low-profile, omnidirectional antenna that provides good range and reliability. The antenna system uses two intersecting single-fed loops, called a cross loop antenna, with the loops connected by a feed line. The loops are parallel to the ground plane and the bars intersect in the middle. The antenna operates at a wavelength approximately twice the bar length. This configuration provides a resonant, omnidirectional radiation pattern with a small vertical profile. Two of these cross loop antennas can be used on a UAV for reliable communication over a wide range of distances and orientations.

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Miniaturized and low-power-consumption unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) MIMO antenna that allows compact UAVs with improved communication range and throughput. The antenna uses a layered structure inside the UAV body to receive signals. Signals are received sequentially from an outer layer to an inner layer. This allows multiple signals from the environment to be combined coherently to improve SNR and reception sensitivity compared to a single antenna. The layered arrangement reduces the overall antenna size compared to external UAV antennas.

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Antenna assembly for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can maintain reliable communication with remote controls even when the UAV has a changing attitude. The antenna assembly has a retractable mount that can move between an extended position on the UAV and a retracted position inside the UAV body. This allows the antenna to be retracted when the UAV is stored or transported to reduce size, then extended for flight. A reflector inside the UAV body isolates the antenna from electronic components that could degrade lower frequency signals. A phase shifter in the antenna feed circuit adjusts the combined polarization of the antenna elements to match the UAV's attitude-dependent polarization with the fixed polarization of the remote control antenna.

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A compact antenna assembly for remote control drones that allows reliable communication between the drone and remote controller even when the drone's antenna orientation changes during flight. The assembly has two antennas, one with horizontal polarization and one with vertical polarization, to cover both possible drone antenna orientations. This avoids polarization mismatch and loss of communication when the drone's antenna polarization direction changes. The assembly also has a reflector inside the drone body to isolate the electronics from the low frequency antenna radiation.

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A directional antenna system for drones that provides longer range than omnidirectional antennas while using the same or less power. The system uses a smart antenna controller that receives drone position and orientation data from an onboard IMU. The controller then decides which directional antenna to activate based on the drone's heading. This focuses the RF energy in the direction of the ground control station for improved range, rather than omni-directionally like conventional drone antennas.

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A compact antenna design for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that provides omni-directional coverage over multiple bands while minimizing size. The antenna uses three separate antenna modules arranged oppositely with one module on the side away from the other two. Each module has a feed line and an oscillator. The feed lines are electrically connected together to create a shared feed network. This allows the modules to operate independently but also share signal energy, providing omni-directional coverage over multiple bands without requiring a single large antenna.

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An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with an internal dual-band antenna that can fit in the UAV's body and perform well in complex electromagnetic environments. The antenna has separate microstrip antennas for the lower and higher frequency bands. The lower band antenna has a ground terminal on the back surface. This ground terminal connects to the front surface ground terminal. The higher band antenna is separate. By connecting the feeding coaxial line to the front ground terminal and having a back ground terminal, internal UAV wires like motors and lights have less interference impact on the lower band antenna. This allows the lower band antenna to work normally in the UAV's complex electromagnetic environment.

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A compact dipole antenna for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that enables miniaturization of UAVs while maintaining communication reliability. The antenna is a half-wave dipole made by winding a helical antenna around the outer edge of the UAV's PCB. This allows the antenna to be integrated into the UAV's electronics without adding external antenna components. The compact size meets the need for UAV miniaturization, and the half-wave dipole configuration provides high radiation efficiency for reliable UAV communication with ground stations.

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Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that increases flight height by using dual-polarized antennas oriented in two perpendicular directions. The UAV has a horizontal antenna to transmit and receive signals over long distances along the horizontal plane, and a vertical antenna to compensate for the weaker vertical polarization signals. This allows the UAV to achieve much higher vertical flight heights than a traditional UAV with only vertical antennas.

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Antenna system for drones that allows them to communicate effectively using cellular networks while flying. The system uses a combination of omnidirectional and directional antennas on the drone. The omnidirectional antenna is used for initial cell selection and link quality measurement. Then the drone can switch to a directional antenna for beamforming and better signal strength. This allows the drone to have the benefits of omnidirectional coverage for initial connection and cell selection, while still being able to focus a directional beam for improved performance during flight.

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A dual-frequency antenna for drones that enables separate reception and transmission of signals to optimize communication performance. The antenna has two circular platforms, one with an X-band transmitter and the other with an X-band receiver. The X-band antennas have holes in the center that contain separate Ku-band antennas for the other frequency. The Ku-band antennas pass through the platforms and connect to their respective ports on the bottom. This allows dedicated antennas for each frequency to be mounted on the drone instead of using a single antenna for both.

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An antenna design for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that improves signal stability compared to traditional UAV antennas. The antenna is mounted on the UAV arm instead of the fuselage to provide more space and a simpler environment for the antenna. It has two radiating parts, each with a microstrip feeder, antenna element, and ground return wire. The antenna feed line and return line are parallel. This configuration provides stable radiation from both sides of the substrate, avoiding substrate loss.

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A configuration for small, lightweight antennas in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that provides full coverage without external antennas. The UAV body itself acts as a transparent radome. The antennas are placed inside the UAV near the inner surface, facing outwards. The body material minimally attenuates signals. The antennas are opposed pairs with omnidirectional coverage. One pair has better front coverage, the other rear coverage. This avoids external antennas while utilizing the UAV body itself for signal transmission and reception.

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Beamforming for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that uses the UAV's and remote station's locations and the UAV's rotation to determine the beamforming direction without channel characterization. The UAV determines the direction based on its own location, rotation, and the remote station's location. It then beams data to that direction without channel feedback or training. This allows dynamic beamforming without the overhead and complexity of frequent channel characterization as the UAV moves.

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In this paper, we investigate a simultaneous transmitting and reflecting reconfigurable intelligent surface (STAR-RIS)-assisted non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) communication system where the STAR-RIS is mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with adjustable altitude. Due to severe blockages in urban environments, direct links from base station (BS) users are assumed unavailable, signal transmission realized via STAR-RIS. We formulate joint optimization problem that maximizes sum rate by jointly optimizing UAVs altitude, BS beamforming vectors, phase shifts, while considering Rician fading channels altitude-dependent factors. To tackle maximum achievable problem, adopt block-wise framework employ semidefinite relaxation gradient descent methods. Simulation results show proposed scheme achieves up 22% improvement significant reduction bit error (BER) compared benchmark schemes, demonstrating its effectiveness integrating UAV NOMA networks.

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The article presents an in-depth examination of how Software-Defined Radio (SDR) technology can be integrated into Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems to enhance communication reliability, adaptability, and security. aim the is demonstrate SDR-based architectures address critical challenges such as non-stationary channels, intentional jamming, signal spoofing by enabling real-time reconfiguration dynamic frequency management. flexible nature SDR allows UAVs rapidly modify transmission parameters, apply robust coding techniques, switch among multiple channels maintain resilient links. results obtained: case studies experimental data indicate that SDR-equipped significantly improve situational awareness mission survivability. Through continuous spectrum monitoring advanced error-correction methods, these platforms swiftly detect mitigate interference or jamming attempts. Moreover, integration machine learning algorithms further refines threat classification, facilitating accurate identification barrage GPS spoofing, other radio-based attacks. Conclusions: adopting in UAV not only str... Read More

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The widespread use of drones in commercial, industrial, military and security applications has led to a growing need for techniques analyse their signals. Understanding the communication signals is essential such as airspace monitoring, counter-unmanned aerial vehicles technologies electronic warfare. This defines topicality topic. That why purpose study focuses on identification analysis DJI drone using software defined radio. research aims find frequencies usage, look activities spectrogram, record them characterize modulation types drones, specifically Air 3 Phantom 4. working methods are based HackRF One radio alongside DragonOS operating system Spectral Analyzer, SDR++ Inspectrum software. Signal performed controlled urban non-urban environments, allowing examination telemetry signal. Different signal processing used including spectral classification applied identify ID. By analysing frequency bands, bandwidth requirements, transmission structures, indicates how both communicate adapt environmental factors interference. Main conclusions from this paper revealing that hopping, or... Read More

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The aperture-coupled patch antenna, characterized by its low profile and cost-effectiveness, has been developed for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) communication in this research. A significant advantage of the antenna is simplified design process compared to other types. This configuration minimizes complexity transmission lines while enhancing radiation pattern plane. In context UAV communication, crucial, faciliating efficient between users. It effectively transmits electromagnetic energy interference, thereby improving efficiency applications. performance designed evaluated through simulation results, demonstrating high gain, an optimal pattern, a Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR), strong polarization ratio.

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Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communication system that enables long-range, broadband communication between a UAV and ground control without satellites. The system uses ground broadband networks and terrestrial repeater stations instead of satellites. The UAV has omnidirectional and directional antennas. It broadcasts its position to find the nearest repeater. The repeater aims its directional antenna and establishes link. UAVs can fly long distances over land using ground broadband. This reduces cost vs satellite and expands UAV range and applications.

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Low-cost airborne dual-antenna communication system for target drones that provides reliable communication even when the drone is maneuvering or at angles. The system uses two antennas, one on the top and one on the belly, connected to a switch. By default, only one antenna is selected. During flight, the user can remotely enable automatic antenna switching. The drone then dynamically selects the top or belly antenna based on flight conditions to maintain better communication. This allows using both antennas without complex switching logic or size/cost penalties.

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Communication link system, antenna, and control method for reliable and safe communication between ground stations and unmanned vehicles like aerocars. The system uses dual antennas at the ground station - an omnidirectional antenna for short-range communication and a high-gain array antenna for long-range communication. The ground station switches between antennas based on the vehicle's communication needs. This provides reliable short-range links close to the vehicle using the omnidirectional antenna, and long-range links using the high-gain array antenna.

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An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) dual antenna array system that provides full-space coverage while avoiding signal occlusion caused by the UAV body. The system uses a primary tail antenna and a secondary belly antenna that can be switched based on signal quality. The primary tail antenna covers most of the upper and lower halves, while the secondary belly antenna covers the lower half and part of the upper half. This complementary arrangement ensures complete space coverage. The antenna selection is controlled by a switch that switches based on remote control signal quality.

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A drone antenna assembly that provides reliable communication and image transmission in dynamic environments where the drone's attitude can change rapidly. The assembly uses a circularly polarized antenna instead of the conventional vertically polarized antenna. Circular polarization ensures consistent signal reception regardless of drone orientation. The circularly polarized antenna can be realized using a light-emitting diode (LED) based active phased array. The LEDs are driven in a specific sequence to generate circular polarization. The LED array allows dynamic adjustment of polarization without mechanical components. This ensures consistent signal reception from the drone's perspective as its orientation changes during flight.

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An antenna system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that overcomes the limitations of existing antennas like FPC and copper tube antennas. The system uses a coaxial cable with a shorted section at one end connected to the UAV's circuit board. The other end is fixed to the UAV's body at an angle between 45-135 degrees. This provides omnidirectional antenna performance without disconnecting the signal when the UAV rotates. A ground connection completes the circuit. The shorted coaxial section reduces weight and improves omnidirectionality compared to full-length dipoles.

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An antenna system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that improves range by using a coaxial line with a short exposed element connected to the UAV's circuit board. The element length is 5-35% of the coaxial line length. The coaxial line is fixed to the UAV body at an angle of 45-135 degrees. This configuration provides better omnidirectionality and reduces signal dropouts compared to traditional UAV antennas like FPCs and copper tubes. A ground connection completes the circuit.

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Bidirectional communication array antenna for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that allows reliable satellite communication without large antennas. The antenna array is installed on the UAV wing skin. The array has multiple antenna units with specific radiation characteristics. A strain sensor in each sub-unit measures wing curvature during flight. This curvature data is used to dynamically adjust the radiated energy of each antenna unit to compensate for wing flex and maintain stable communication.

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Compact dipole antenna for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that provides high radiation efficiency in a small size suitable for UAV miniaturization. The antenna consists of a PCB board with a helical antenna wound around the outside. The helical antenna forms one half of a dipole antenna with a second antenna element on the opposite side of the PCB. The dipole configuration provides good radiation performance while keeping the overall antenna size compact for UAV integration.

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Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) relay range extension device to enhance UAV communication range by using a signal amplifying antenna. The device connects the UAV's antenna to the remote controller's antenna via a lead. The amplifying antenna boosts the signal strength between the UAV and the controller, allowing communication over longer distances and through obstacles.

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A compact integrated antenna for drones that allows full antenna coverage in limited space. The antenna is designed for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) where space is tight but performance is critical. It uses a compact enclosure with an internal antenna board, shrapnel antennas, and a connection socket. The shrapnel antennas contact an external antenna mounted on the drone body. This allows using the internal shrapnel antennas for low frequency bands, and the external antenna for high frequency bands. The internal shrapnel antennas save space while still covering the lower frequency range. The external antenna covers the higher frequencies. The internal board has an antenna switch to select between the internal and external antennas.

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A compact, low profile UAV antenna with broadband coverage for frequencies like 840.5-845MHz, 1430-1444MHz, and 0.96-1.164GHz. The antenna is a top-loading sleeve design with a narrow metal sleeve that encloses a wider metallic ring. This configuration provides omnidirectional horizontal radiation and allows miniaturization and frequency coverage in a compact UAV antenna.

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An integrated onboard and ground radio station apparatus for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that enables simultaneous transmission of control and mission data on UAV's dedicated license frequency bands. The integrated design allows compact implementation of UAV-mounted and ground-based radios for both control and mission communication on the same frequency bands. This provides a single radio solution for UAVs that can operate on both control and mission frequencies, avoiding the need for separate radios for each purpose. The integrated design enables miniaturization and easier implementation on small UAVs compared to separate control and mission radios.

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A compact antenna assembly for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that integrates multiple communication links into a conformal design. The antenna is mounted on a flexible circuit board (FPC) that is fixed to the inner wall of the UAV housing, enabling miniaturization of the overall system while maintaining high signal transmission quality.

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Omnidirectional UAV antenna with expanded radiation coverage by combining multiple antennas using a power divider. The antenna has a housing with internal omnidirectional antennas, a directional antenna, and a power divider module. The feeders of the omnidirectional antennas and directional antenna are connected to the power divider output. This combines the signals from the antennas into a single channel, expanding the overall radiation angle. The omnidirectional antennas extend out of the housing to prevent signal weakening. A radome protects the internal components while allowing the antennas to extend externally.

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An omnidirectional conformal antenna for multi-rotor UAVs that is easy to install and provides reliable VHF/UHF communication without disassembly. The antenna is mounted directly on the UAV body and has a resonant unit, loading unit, and port connector. The resonant unit has a magnetic ring, matching resistor, and winding wire to provide omnidirectional coverage. The loading unit below enhances gain and reduces standing waves. This allows a compact, fixed antenna configuration without disassembly for multi-rotor UAVs compared to detachable antennas.

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Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) antenna system to improve coverage and signal strength. The system uses multiple antennas connected to signal processing units that amplify and enhance signals. A signal source unit provides the control and video signals. This allows redundant signal paths and coverage around the UAV body compared to just one antenna on the UAV. The signal processing units have enhancements like power amplifiers and switches to boost signal quality.

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High gain 2.4GHz antenna for drones that improves coverage and signal strength compared to conventional drone antennas. The antenna has three sequentially connected antenna arrays on a PCB. The arrays consist of flat, folded, and U-shaped sections. This configuration increases gain while expanding bandwidth compared to a single array. The PCB, coaxial line, and antennas are enclosed in a fiberglass tube for protection. This provides a compact, high gain, and stable drone antenna for long range communications.

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High-gain antenna for drones operating at 800 MHz frequency that provides long-range transmission. The antenna is made of a glass fiber tube with a coaxial line passing through it. The tube has an end cap and an N-head assembly. The coaxial line has three antenna elements spaced 60 mm apart. Each element has a plastic part with a first copper tube connected to both ends. One copper cap is connected to the plastic part. Two second copper tubes are sleeved on the coaxial line. The copper caps on adjacent elements are sleeved on the same second tube. The outer diameter of the first copper tube is 16.7 mm and 85 mm in length.

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