Galileo satellites could help drones fly solo

Could the Galileo global navigation satellite system one day be used to control drones? The EU-backed LOGAM project, in which CEA-Leti was a partner, looked at the feasibility of using Galileo, currently under construction, to control things like drones’ pitch and roll. Specifically, the project set out to assess the suitability of an inclinometer accurate to within a degree based on an estimation of the phase shift between two low-cost GPS antennas.
The antennas were on-spec when tested on a phase-shift test bench developed for the research—but only in isolation. When integrated into the drone, their performance was hindered by noise reflecting off the drone’s structure. The researchers came up with two potential fixes: either move the antennas further away from the drone’s structure or rethink the antennas’ design so that only the actual signal is picked up—minus the noise. A manufacturing company has already expressed interest in the test bench.
 

Contact: serge.bories@cea.fr

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