Direction of arrival estimation apparatus for communication based train control system using ESPAR antenna

A 12-element Electronically Steerable Parasitic Array Radiator (ESPAR) antenna system has been designed for direction-of-arrival (DoA) estimation as part of a railway control system. The DoA is estimated using the cross-correlation and MUSIC algorithms. Whilst a majority of reported DoA estimation systems typically operate in wideband WLAN or ISM band systems with a static condition, our narrowband system operates with mobility in the UHF band at 4800 Baud within about a 6.5 kHz bandwidth. Our experimental results show that the developed system can estimate the number of the component multi-path waves.