Domain Adaptation-Based Sorting Method for UAV Swarm Targets on Multi-Station Features
Xihui Zhang1, Meng Zhang1, Wen Sun1
1Southwest China Institute of Electronic Technology, Chengdu 610036, China.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 28, 2026
Summary
This study introduces a new passive sorting framework for Synchronous Non-Orthogonal Frequency Hopping (SNOFH) UAV swarm signals. The method significantly improves sorting accuracy and robustness in challenging SNOFH environments.
Area of Science:
- Electrical Engineering
- Signal Processing
- Robotics
Background:
- Synchronous Non-Orthogonal Frequency Hopping (SNOFH) presents significant challenges for target sorting due to spectrum overlap and limited data.
- Existing sorting methods fail under these complex SNOFH conditions, necessitating novel approaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a passive sorting framework for SNOFH UAV swarm signals.
- To overcome the limitations of current methods in spectrum overlap and scarce single-source points.
Main Methods:
- Developed a spatial-location-driven sorting feature system.
- Designed a kernel joint distribution adaptation module for inter-station discrepancy elimination.
- Utilized a multi-scale wavelet-based method for sub-sampling level hopping time extraction.
Main Results:
- Achieved the highest sorting accuracy of 98% on a simulated SNOFH dataset.
- Demonstrated superior performance compared to baseline methods in most SNOFH scenarios.
- Exhibited robust performance against noise, clock errors, frequency offsets, and multipath effects.
Conclusions:
- The proposed passive sorting framework is effective for SNOFH UAV swarm signals.
- The method offers high accuracy and robustness, suitable for regular and slow-varying UAV formations.
- Reduced reliance on prior frequency hopping parameters and hardware fingerprints.
