S4-3 - Effect of UAV Size on EKF-Based Position Uncertainties and the Performance of UAV-Mounted RIS

D. Müller; M. Mönnigmann; K. Weinberger; A. Sezgin

S4-3 - Effect of UAV Size on EKF-Based Position Uncertainties and the Performance of UAV-Mounted RIS

Event: 23. ITG/GMA-Fachtagung Sensoren und Messsysteme 2026
2026-06-09 - 2026-06-10
Nürnberg
Band: Vorträge
Chapter: Positions-, Schwingungs- und Akustikmessung mit Hilfe von Drohnen
Author(s): D. Müller, M. Mönnigmann - Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, K. Weinberger, A. Sezgin - Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum
Pages: 67 - 74
DOI: 10.5162/sensoren2026/S4-3
ISBN: 978-3-910600-11-9
Price: free

Abstract

Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) are able to extend the range of radar applications, allowing coverage of areas that were previously impossible or hard to reach. This is achieved by dynamically manipulating the electromagnetic wave properties with multiple adjustable reflecting elements in real time. This capability proves most effective when the RIS is positioned in line-of-sight (LoS) and proximity to the transmitter and receiver. To meet these criteria in real-world applications, the RIS is mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). However, a UAV is exposed to many disturbances during flight, which compromise the performance of the RIS-enabled link. Our previous work has shown that dynamically adjusting the RIS using the UAV position estimates from an extended Kalman filter (EKF) can effectively counteract disturbances and significantly enhance the channel link quality compared to a static RIS configuration. We quantified the uncertainties regarding the position estimation of the RIS in experiments. Data have so far been collected using a laboratory-scale UAV, i.e. a UAV with a rotorto-rotor diameter of 500mm. In this work, we deploy a UAV with a rotor-to-rotor diameter of 10⁶⁰mm to investigate the position uncertainties of the UAV-mounted RIS and their impact on the channel link quality for a UAV that is capable of more demanding real-word missions. Building on this, we conduct a comprehensive comparison with our laboratory-scale UAV to assess the scalability of the proposed measurement methodology.