Full-Solid Angle Angle-of-Arrival Estimation Using the Phase Reversal Weighting Method

This paper presents the phase reversal weighting (PRW) method that provides an angle of arrival (AOA) estimation antenna operating over the full-solid angle three-dimensional space for use in flying car-to-car communications. So far, we have developed a compact interferometric AOA antenna arranged in a circular array for ordinary ground-based car applications. The radiation pattern directs its beam to the horizontal plane and there is a weak radiation to the zenith. This results in some difficulties in realizing the AOA antenna to be used for flying car applications because flying cars have a high degree of freedom in varying their flight routes in both horizontal and vertical directions, allowing communication targets to spread over all solid angles in a three-dimensional manner. In this paper, the PRW method is applied to achieve the AOA antenna with upper and lower hemispheres illumination. The analytical results reveal that a precise angle estimation with a large radiation gain is achieved over the entire three-dimensional space.