Antenna Design for Long-Range Drone Connectivity

Drone signal enhancement antenna with integrated power generation and charging capabilities to enable long-duration flights without requiring a large battery. The antenna has separate upper and lower shells. The upper shell has dual-frequency antennas and a charging protection board. The lower shell has amplifiers, a battery, and isolation to prevent signal interference. It uses solar panels, a crank generator, and hand cranking to generate power while flying. A photovoltaic inverter charges the battery from solar panels. The antenna can charge while in use via solar or hand cranking. This allows long flights without swapping batteries.

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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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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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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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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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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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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 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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Antenna array for high altitude long endurance (HALE) aircraft that provides improved communication capabilities while minimizing weight and drag. The antenna array has multiple antennas arranged in different directions to provide a wider field of view than any individual antenna. This allows better coverage without moving the aircraft or using mechanical scanning. The array is suitable for HALE aircraft due to its light weight and low drag compared to conventional arrays. The array can be integrated into the aircraft's payload module or directly attached to the aircraft. The array uses a mix of conformal and blade antennas for flexibility in mounting on the aircraft's curved surfaces and wings.

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Compact antenna assembly for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that reduces the size of the antenna while maintaining good signal quality. The antenna assembly has a retractable design where the antenna elements can be extended and retracted inside a housing when not in use. This allows the antenna to be compact when retracted for UAV miniaturization, but extend when needed for optimal signal reception. The retractable antenna assembly can have multiple antenna elements for multi-band operation.

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Using commercial airliners as a network for enabling beyond-line-of-sight (BVLOS) communications for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Airborne communications antennas and transceivers are installed on commercial aircraft to provide a network that can communicate with UAVs beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). This leverages the wide coverage and altitude of commercial aircraft to extend the range of UAV command and control, payload data, and other communications beyond what is possible with ground-based networks.

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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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High altitude aircraft wing geometry that enables carrying large antennas while minimizing drag and weight. The wings have elliptical airflow around them to accommodate large antennas that can't be fully enclosed in conventional wings. This reduces the impact on aerodynamics compared to mounting externally or having a longer wing length. The elliptical circulation also minimizes drag compared to conventional wings with the same aspect ratio. This allows using large wings with high aspect ratios to further reduce drag. It enables high data rate, high resolution communications from unmanned high altitude aircraft like HALEs with long endurance and carrying large antennas.

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An antenna design for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that mitigates interference from nearby motors. The antenna has a radiating portion printed on one side of a substrate, and a guiding unit printed on the other side. This configuration allows the antenna to be mounted on the UAV tripod below the motor, reducing the distance between the motor and antenna. When the motor operates, it no longer directly affects the antenna's high-frequency radiation pattern as it would if mounted above the motor.

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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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Compact unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) frame design with integrated omnidirectional antennas for improved communication coverage and reduced feeder line length. The UAV frame has a central body with multiple directional antennas mounted inside and spaced around the periphery. This allows omnidirectional coverage without external antennas or long feeders. The directional antennas are positioned opposite the center to minimize internal environment influence. A switch selects which antenna to use for transmission/reception based on real-time performance.

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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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