Threshold levels of electromagnetic susceptibility for unarmed air vehicles

Abstract

Nowadays, the multi-rotor vehicles are spreading into many different fields where it can find its application. Each area comes with a different variety of threats. Despite all areas have one common threat called the electromagnetic interference, which is the problem of all developers. These vehicles need to operate in open areas where can be many other devices which can generate a disturbing signal. This signal can impact not only the communication between the transmitter and the receiver, but also it can impact the electronic inside the quadcopter. Both situations can cause a crash of the vehicle. According to these threats, a big quadcopter was tested to ensure sufficient reliability in real time conditions. The experiment was carried out in the certificated laboratory which is placed in the Tomas Bata University in Zlin. The laboratory consists of the anechoic chamber where the special antennas can generate the electromagnetic radiation. Simulated radiation should have the same properties as real sources of electromagnetic interference. A wide spectrum of frequencies was applied to the working vehicle to cover as much as possible interfering devices. The range was divided into several parts according to the tested segment of the vehicle. The susceptibility of the quadcopter was measured in several distances from one to three meters. The quadcopter was able to soar during the experiment to ensure real time operation. The experiment was done using several different situations which can occur in the real time process. The main purpose of this article is to determine threshold levels of electromagnetic susceptibility. © 2018 Electromagnetics Academy. All rights reserved.