Accurate PPCC-Based DoA Estimation Using Multiple Calibration Planes for WSN Nodes Equipped with ESPAR Antennas

In this paper, we have introduced a new direction-of-arrival (DoA) estimation method, which relies on received signal strength (RSS) values measured at the output port of electronically steerable parasitic array radiator (ESPAR) antenna and uses the power pattern cross-correlation (PPCC) estimator. In the method, we have successfully incorporated measurements of ESPAR antenna's radiation patterns performed at multiple calibration planes within the PPCC estimator in a way easily implementable in wireless sensor network (WSN) nodes equipped with ESPAR antennas. Performed anechoic chamber measurements of our ESPAR antenna prototype indicate that the proposed approach provides much lower DoA estimation errors in a wide span of incoming signal elevation angles than other methods currently available in the literature, which makes the concept applicable in practical WSN deployment scenarios.