US 12,169,247 B2
UAV and UAV operator detector
Anthony Michael Burnell, Potterhanworth (GB); Lee Carter, Bracebridge Heath (GB); and Alexander Cruickshanks, North Hykeham (GB)
Assigned to Metis Aerospace Ltd, Lincoln (GB)
Appl. No. 17/913,949
Filed by Metis Aerospace Ltd, Lincoln (GB)
PCT Filed Mar. 25, 2021, PCT No. PCT/GB2021/050738
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 23, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/191625, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 30, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2004501 (GB), filed on Mar. 27, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0131377 A1, Apr. 27, 2023
Int. Cl. G01S 5/04 (2006.01); G01S 5/02 (2010.01); H01Q 1/28 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 5/04 (2013.01) [G01S 5/0249 (2020.05); H01Q 1/281 (2013.01); G01S 2205/03 (2020.05)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A UAV and/or UAV operator detector suitable for mounting to an aircraft;
the detector comprising:
an array of two conical beam Directional Radio Frequency (RF) antennae;
a radio receiver;
a reprogrammable integrated circuit (RIC); and
a processor;
the antennae, radio receiver, RIC and processor all being in electrical communication with one another;
wherein in use, the detector is mounted to an aircraft with the antennae mounted adjacent one another about a reference axis which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft and with the boresights of the antennae pointed outwardly of the reference axis in opposite directions to one another;
the receiver demodulating any modulated RF waves received from the antennae;
the RIC measuring the amplitude of the demodulated waves;
the processor calculating the position of the origin of the RF waves with respect to the detector from the amplitude data from the RIC.