FMCW Radar-Based Detection and Tracking of Drones Using DBSCAN Clustering and Extended Kalman Filter for Anti-Drone Defense Systems

Abstract

This paper aims to develop a radar-based detection and tracking system to mitigate the threats posed by drones, particularly those carrying malicious payloads. Due to the limitations of cameras in adverse weather and the high costs of LiDAR systems, radar technology is employed as a cost-effective alternative. The system utilizes 3D FFT followed by CA-CFAR for drone range-azimuth detections. The range-azimuth detections are clustered using DBSCAN. We simplified the extended target tracking problem into point target tracking based on the drone's size, with the dBSCAN cluster center acting as the measurement for the tracker. The tracking algorithm combines an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) with Global Nearest Neighbor (GNN) data association. Experiments were conducted using a 77 GHz AWR1642 radar sensor to track a micro drone of hexacopter type within a range of 10m to 100m. The results demonstrated effective tracking capabilities with radar sensors successfully generating tracks. This study highlights the viability of radar-based systems for anti-drone applications, offering a practical solution for enhancing infrastructure security against potential drone threats. © 2024 IEEE.