DRONE DEFENSE SYSTEM

Abstract

Described herein is a system for drone defense, comprising at least one jammer and at least one radio detector, wherein the jammer is set up to send an interference signal over a frequency range, and the radio detector is set up to detect a radio control signal of a drone, the frequency range of the interference signal comprises a carrier frequency of the radio control signal or a GPS signal, wherein the jammer is configured to temporarily interrupt the interference signal and the radio detector is configured to receive the interference signal, detect the interruptions and detect the radio control signal of the drone within the interruptions of the interference signal.

Claims

1. A system for drone defense, comprising at least one jammer and at least one radio detector, wherein the jammer is configured to transmit an interference signal over a frequency range, and the radio detector is set up to detect a radio control signal from a drone, wherein the frequency range of the interference signal comprises a carrier frequency of the radio control signal or a GPS signal, characterized in that the jammer is set up to temporarily interrupt the interference signal and the radio detector is set up to receive the interference signal, to detect the interruptions and to detect the radio control signal of the drone within the interruptions of the interference signal.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one jammer and the at least one radio detector are arranged spatially separated without a wired connection.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one radio detector has a radio direction finder which is set up to detect a position of the drone and/or a position of a transmitter which sends out the radio control signals to control the drone.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the interference signal comprises a takeover of a protocol of the control data of the drone in order to deflect the drone, the at least one jammer receiving information about the protocol of the control data from the at least one radio detector.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the at least one jammer wirelessly receives information about the protocol of the control data from the at least one radio detector.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the interference signal comprises a spoofing of the GPS signal in order to falsify a position determined by the drone via GPS.

7. A system according to claim 1, which comprises multiple radio detectors which are set up to determine the position of the drone and/or the transmitter by means of a cross bearing.

8. A system according to claim 1, which comprises multiple jammers which are arranged spatially spaced and/or are set up to emit interference signals in different directions.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one radio detector is configured to transmit information regarding the position of the drone and/or with regard to a frequency range of the detected control signal of the drone to the at least one jammer.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein the at least one radio detector is configured to transmit information wirelessly to the at least one jammer.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one jammer is configured to adapt the interference signal to the frequency range of the detected control signal, and/or to adapt the spatial emission of the interference signal according to the detected position of the drone.

12. A system according to claim 8, wherein the multiple jammers are configured to adapt the interference signal to the frequency range of the detected control signal, and/or to adapt the spatial emission of the interference signal according to the detected position of the drone.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The figures show the following:

[0015] FIG. 1 shows schematically a system for drone defense according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0016] FIG. 2 schematically shows an interference signal of the jammer and a control signal received at the radio detector in a system for defense against drones according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] With reference to FIG. 1, a system for drone defense is described which comprises a radio detector 10 and, in this embodiment, two jammers 20, 21. However, a single jammer 20 is also sufficient for embodiments of the invention. Alternatively, even more jammers and/or radio detectors can be present. The jammers are set up to send a jamming signal which forces a drone 30 to turn around or land. The interference signal can include, for example, the frequency range of a control signal from the drone. A GPS signal can also be disrupted so that the drone can no longer be steered over a wider area. The system also enables the position of the drone to be determined. For this purpose, a radio direction finder is provided in the radio detector 10, which can determine the direction and distance of the drone. As an alternative or in addition, several radio detectors 10 could also be provided which, for example, determine the position of the drone by means of a cross bearing.

[0018] However, since the radio detector 10 cannot operate simultaneously on the same frequency as the jammers emitted interference signal, it is provided that the jammers temporarily interrupt the transmission of the interference signal. As shown in FIG. 2, a jammer can send out an interfering signal over time (hatched area in the upper bar) and temporarily, e.g. in a time window between 1 μs and 10 ms, interrupt the emission of the interfering signal.

[0019] In one embodiment, the interference signal from the transmitter can simply superimpose the control signal on the same frequency band so that the drone no longer receives a control signal. According to further embodiments, however, it is also possible to specifically supply the drone with incorrect transmission data by adopting the protocol of the control data in order to deflect the drone or force it to land. Furthermore, it is also possible, by changing the GPS data (so-called spoofing), to simulate a wrong position for the drone, so that the drone, which determines its flight path according to the GPS reception, is forced onto a wrong course. The control signal from the transmitter cannot even determine that the drone has been deflected, because response data from the drone to the control data transmitter also contain the wrong position data.

[0020] The radio detector 10 is set up to receive the interference signal and to determine the interruptions in the interference signal. In the time windows in which the interference signal from jammer 20 is interrupted, the radio detector can detect the control signal of the drone, for example in order to locate the drone or to record the content of the control signal. Furthermore, the radio detector 10 can also determine whether the control signal is changing. This information can optionally be forwarded to one or more jammers 20, 21, preferably wirelessly, in order to readjust the jammer or jammers accordingly so that the interference signal is adapted to the changed control signal.

[0021] The interruption of the interference signal can only be a few microseconds, e.g. less than 20 microseconds, since the relatively short pauses are sufficient for the radio detector 10 to locate the drone.

[0022] The interruption of the jamming signal can also occur at irregular intervals in order to prevent any drone control systems from recognizing probable interruptions and using the interruptions to control the drone only in the interruption phases. The radio detector does not have to know the length of the interruptions in the interfering signal from the start because it detects the interruption of the interfering signal independently, i.e. without a direct connection to the jammer, and uses it to detect the control signal.

[0023] In embodiments in which the interference signal is used specifically to deflect the drone (e.g., transfer of the control data log or GPS spoofing) the jammer preferably receives data from the radio detector in order to set the control data or GPS data according to the actual position of the drone or the intercepted log of the control data. Nevertheless, the jammer is preferably connected wirelessly to the radio detector, so that the radio detector can be operated independently of the jammer. In simple embodiments, however, it would be possible to establish a wired connection between the jammer and the detector, but not to interrupt the control data, but only to forward the control signals received and tapped by the radio detector to the jammer.