Laser Ranging UAV Camera For Countermeasures Against Drones

Laser Ranging UAV Camera For Countermeasures Against Drones

A laser ranging uav camera provides a wide range of applications across a variety of industries.laser ranging uav camera Forestry professionals use them to measure tree heights to support sustainable forest management, while golfers can use them to determine the distance between their ball and the hole for optimum club selection. This technology is also used to help improve traffic patterns around airports and other sensitive areas. In addition, it can be used to prevent drones from entering restricted airspace. The need for increased safety in the airspace is growing, and new methods are being developed to detect drones and counter them. However, none of these solutions is as effective as a laser-based ranging system that can provide accurate measurements in real time.

A combination of a laser-based ranging system with a photogrammetric camera has proven to be an effective countermeasure against unauthorized drones, particularly in industrial and military domains. This combination uses a photogrammetric Phase One iXM-RS150F drone camera and a RIEGL VUX-1UAV laser scanner with a precise Applanix AP 20 GNSS/IMU unit to provide both lidar and image data, enabling the accurate tracking of multiple drones in real time.

Lidar and photogrammetric cameras can be used to identify the presence of a drone in different modes, including Mode A, which is activated when the drone is within 5 m of the target. If the drone is detected at a closer distance, then mode B is activated. In this mode, the drone is tracked by means of the coordinates of its camera, and the laser is irradiated at its camera lens to blind it.

This method is more efficient than other countermeasures that require multiple lasers and can be used in standard environmental lighting conditions. Moreover, it has a better chance of successfully dazzling a drone, since the laser can be targeted at the camera lens rather than its propellers or battery. However, the system cannot track high-speed drones that fly in any pattern since it takes a few seconds for the depth-sensing camera to read its position.

The performance of the system is assessed using a number of metrics, including the ability to detect drones at a distance greater than 500 cm and the accuracy of the measurement in different detection angles. The tests performed also assess the sensor’s ability to read drone positions accurately at different power levels and incidence angles. The results show that a drone can be effectively dazzled with a laser at a power of 23.5 mW when the angle of incidence is between 30 and 60 degrees. This allows the laser to reach the camera lens at a distance of up to 2100 cm for a drone with a wheelbase between 23 and 69 cm. Moreover, continuous dazzling can be achieved at a laser power of up to 1.2 W with an incident angle between 30 and 50 deg.