Characteristic Mode Analysis of the Effect of the UAV Frame Material on Coupling and Interference

Most studies that investigate electromagnetic coupling and interference to wires and Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) simulate these structures in free-space or in a simplistic environment. In this work, we study how the frames of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), which can be fabricated from a wide range of conducting and dielectric materials, can affect coupling and interference to the mounted wires and PCBs. Characteristic Mode Analysis (CMA) is evoked to calculate fundamental modes of perfectly conducting and dielectric UAV frames and to identify the locations on the UAV's frame where the modes will exhibit maximum or minimum effective currents. Using the CMA analysis, we develop a framework that can be used to optimize the placement of sensitive wires and PCBs on the frame mitigating interference from undesired electromagnetic sources.