Experimental Study on Multiple Drone Detection Using a Millimeter-Wave Fast Chirp MIMO Radar

Abstract

In this research, we experimentally investigated the detection of multiple drones employing a millimeter-wave fast chirp radar with MIMO configuration. The fast chirp radar can estimate not only the target distance but also the relative velocity (Doppler). Furthermore, it is possible to estimate the angle of arrival of the target by installing multiple transmitting and receiving antennas on the radar. Measurement experiments were carried out with two drones (Mavic pro, Mavic mini). The measurement results showed that the radar could detect not only the unique echoes from each drone but also the micro-Doppler due to the rotor blades, simultaneously. We also confirmed that the locations of the two drones could be detected on the range-angle map.