Robust Low-Cost Drone Detection and Classification in Low SNR Environments

TL;DR

This paper presents a robust, low-cost drone detection system using CNNs on spectrogram data, effective in low SNR environments, validated through real-world testing and supported by a comprehensive dataset.

Contribution

It introduces a publicly available dataset, compares CNN models for low SNR drone detection, and demonstrates a practical detection system deployed in real-world conditions.

Findings

CNN models achieve >=85% accuracy at SNR > -12dB

Field tests show >80% accuracy depending on conditions

System is low-cost and suitable for real-world deployment

Abstract

The proliferation of drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), has raised significant safety concerns due to their potential misuse in activities such as espionage, smuggling, and infrastructure disruption. This paper addresses the critical need for effective drone detection and classification systems that operate independently of UAV cooperation. We evaluate various convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for their ability to detect and classify drones using spectrogram data derived from consecutive Fourier transforms of signal components. The focus is on model robustness in low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) environments, which is critical for real-world applications. A comprehensive dataset is provided to support future model development. In addition, we demonstrate a low-cost drone detection system using a standard computer, software-defined radio (SDR) and antenna, validated through real-world field testing. On our development dataset, all models consistently achieved an average balanced classification accuracy of >= 85% at SNR > -12dB. In the field test, these models achieved an average balance accuracy of > 80%, depending on transmitter distance and antenna direction. Our contributions include: a publicly available dataset for model development, a comparative analysis of CNN for drone detection under low SNR conditions, and the deployment and field evaluation of a practical, low-cost detection system.