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Technological Means for Drone Governance

1 、Research Background

  Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, are aircraft operated by radio remote control equipment and onboard programmed control devices, characterized by the absence of a human pilot and the presence of their own power systems. Currently, UAVs have been widely applied in fields such as aerial photography, high-altitude monitoring, pesticide spraying, and disaster relief. With the continuous development of the UAV industry and the integration and empowerment of UAVs with information technologies such as 5G, it has become an inevitable trend for the future application and development of UAVs to conduct relay flights through communication base stations or the internet, and to implement distributed operations or large-scale UAV swarm flights. This also continuously enriches and expands the application scenarios of UAVs. At the same time, in the process of industrial development and scenario application, UAVs still face prominent issues such as non-standard production and modification standards, "black flight" of UAVs disrupting aviation order, and criminals using UAV equipment for illegal and criminal activities. Therefore, it is necessary to utilize UAV governance technical means such as human-machine identification systems, information supervision service platforms, electronic fences, and UAV countermeasure technologies to ensure the safety of UAV production and use, and to achieve governance of the chaos such as "black flight" of UAVs.(www.chinaantidrone.com)

2、Technical Means for Drone Governance

  (1) Drone Human-Machine Identification System:

 The drone human-machine identification system uses biometric technologies such as facial and fingerprint recognition to conduct precise identity verification for drone operators. In practical applications, the drone human-machine identification system collects the operator's biometric information through hardware devices such as cameras or fingerprint scanners. This information includes facial images, fingerprint images, etc. The system compares the collected operator information with the operator information registered in the cloud in advance. Only when the collected operator information belongs to the operator registered in the cloud can the operator successfully activate the drone's flight status. The application of the drone human-machine identification system can achieve real-name authentication for drone operators before flight, ensuring the traceability of the operator's identity. This identification method effectively prevents operators who do not meet the relevant regulations for drone operators from flying drones illegally, thereby improving the operational safety of drones and the efficiency of operator management.(www.chinaantidrone.com)

  (2) Drone Information Supervision Service Platform:

 The drone information supervision platform is a platform capable of sharing drone-related information across multiple departments and withoutThe platform for real-time collection of human-machine flight status information plays a significant role in facilitating multi-department collaborative supervision and achieving real-time dynamic monitoring of drone flight. Firstly, departments can use the drone information supervision platform to share information about drone production, registration, and usage that they have collected within their respective responsibilities. Through information sharing, departments can more efficiently collaborate in supervision, avoiding information silos and redundant information collection, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of supervision. In addition, the platform can also serve as a channel for information dissemination, where departments can publish important drone-related information on the platform, such as temporary flight control areas, safety tips, etc., conveying relevant information to drone operators. Drone operators can also submit flight applications through the platform to the relevant supervisory departments, which will review the applications based on their own functional authority. Finally, the drone information supervision service platform can collect identification information reported during drone flight to obtain relevant information such as personnel information, flight status, and location data of the drone. This information can be used to achieve dynamic monitoring of the drone's flight status: supervisory departments can monitor the flight trajectory and altitude of the drone in real-time through the platform, promptly identifying violations or abnormalities; in the event of an emergency, supervisory departments can also obtain relevant information at the first moment and take action, improving the efficiency of emergency response of relevant departments.(www.chinaantidrone.com)

  (3) Drone "Electronic Fence":

 The drone "electronic fence" is a software and hardware system that works in conjunction with the drone flight control system. It sets an electronic geographical boundary within a specific area to prevent drones from entering that area. Setting up a drone "electronic fence" is an important technical means to achieve drone flight management, helping relevant departments to control the airspace of drone flight. The working principle of the drone "electronic fence" is to input the geographical coordinate information of a specific area into the drone control system through the geographical positioning technology in the drone flight control system. When a drone enters or approaches the set electronic fence area, the flight control system will issue a warning signal or automatically control the drone to change its flight direction to avoid entering no-fly zones or sensitive areas. The application of the drone "electronic fence" technology can improve the safety and compliance of drone flight. It can help relevant departments control the airspace of drone flight, prevent drones from entering no-fly zones or sensitive areas, and reduce the risk of conflicts between drones and other aircraft or ground facilities. At the same time, the "electronic fence" can share data and information with the information supervision service platform, not only achieving dynamic updates of the drone flight airspace setting information and dynamic supervision of drone flight activities, but also enabling historical traceability of drone flight activities, improving the response and enforcement efficiency of supervisory departments.(www.chinaantidrone.com)

  (4) Drone Countermeasure Technology:

 Currently, drone countermeasure technology can be divided into four categories based on its different working principles and forms: capture technology, destruction technology, signal jamming technology, and signal deception technology. Capture technology refers to capturing the drone without damaging it while avoiding.Capture and analysis of drones can be conducted through various means, including animal capture, net capture, and drone capture: Animal capture utilizes specially trained eagles or other animals to seize drones, while net capture involves launching net devices to trap drones. Drone capture, on the other hand, uses the mechanical arms or other devices of a drone to grasp the target drone. Destruction technology is an extreme measure with high destructive power, used to directly destroy drones, and is typically applied in areas with high privacy or security requirements. Destruction technology usually includes specially designed drones, conventional firepower, microwave weapons, sonic weapons, and laser weapons: Specially designed drones are drones specifically designed to destroy other drones, while conventional firepower uses traditional artillery and missiles for destruction. Microwave weapons, sonic weapons, and laser weapons utilize microwaves, sound waves, and lasers to destroy drones. Signal jamming technology is based on the principles of drone communication technology, using the radio signals emitted by drones to block the data link between the drone and its operator, forcing the drone to execute protective measures such as landing in place or returning home automatically. Depending on the type of interference signal, signal jamming technology is mainly divided into interference with control signals and interference with positioning signals: Interference with control signals refers to disrupting the communication signals between the drone and its operator, causing the drone to lose control capabilities; Interference with positioning signals, on the other hand, disrupts the drone's positioning system, preventing it from accurately positioning or receiving erroneous positioning information. Signal deception technology involves cracking the data link of a drone and transmitting disguised false signals to the target drone, causing it to receive incorrect signal information. Depending on the type of deceptive signal, signal deception technology is mainly divided into control signal deception and positioning signal deception: Control signal deception sends false control signals to the drone, causing it to execute incorrect commands or lose control capabilities; Positioning signal deception deceives the drone's positioning system by sending false positioning information, leading the drone to be unable to accurately locate or misjudge its position. Therefore, based on the different counter-drone technologies, counter-drone equipment can be categorized into capture-type counter-drone equipment, destruction-type counter-drone equipment, signal jamming-type counter-drone equipment, and signal deception-type counter-drone equipment, etc. The application of these devices can effectively address the security threats posed by drones and ensure public safety and order. However, when using counter-drone equipment, it is essential to strictly comply with relevant laws and regulations to ensure that the interference or destruction of drones by counter-drone equipment does not cause unnecessary impact and damage to the surrounding electromagnetic environment, the flight safety of civil aircraft, and the safety of people's lives and property.(www.chinaantidrone.com)