Enhancing Drone Spectra Classification : A Study on Data-Adaptive Pre-processing and Efficient Hardware Deployment

Sammanfattning

Focusing on the problem of Drone vs. Unknown classification based on radar frequency-amplitude spectra using Deep Learning (DL), especially 1-Dimensional Convolutional Neural Networks (1D-CNNs), this thesis aims at reducing the current gap in the research related to adequate pre-processing techniques for hardware deployment. The primary challenge tackled in this work is determining a pipeline that facilitates industrial deployment while maintaining high classification metrics. After presenting a comprehensive review of existing research on radar signal classification and the application of DL techniques in this domain, the technical background of signal processing is described to provide a practical scenario where the solutions could be implemented. A thorough description of technical constraints, such as Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) data type requirements, follows the entire project justifying the necessity of a learning-based pre-processing technique for highly skewed distributions. The results demonstrate that data-adaptive preprocessing eases hardware deployment and maintains high classification metrics, while other techniques contribute to noise and information loss. In conclusion, this thesis contributes to the field of radar frequency-amplitude spectra classification by identifying effective methods to support efficient hardware deployment of 1D-CNNs, without sacrificing performance. This work lays the foundation for future studies in the field of DL for real-world signal processing applications.