Propeller Effects on mmWave UAV Channels: A Statistical and Empirical Modeling Study

Abstract

In this study, a statistical analysis of the simplest drone-to-drone millimeter waves (mmWave) communication channel is presented along with the field measurement results. The statistical analysis reveals that propeller blade rotation for the simplest transmission scenario could be modeled with angle modulation accompanied with an on-off process whose characteristics are determined by several factors including blade shape and material, vibrating body due to propeller thrust, antenna position and its possible wobble. The results are presented along with discussion and future directions.