Direction of arrival estimation for BLE: Antenna array design and evaluation

The use of smart antenna arrays in wireless communication systems is becoming increasingly popular, as they improve the performance of the radio link and allow the integration of communication and sensing functions. In this paper, we present the design and performance evaluation of a uniform circular antenna array (UCAA) with 12 monopole antennas and RF switches to select the active antenna for the signal direction of arrival (DoA) estimation. The antenna configuration was optimized through simulations for a different number of antennas and antenna array radius. The frequency tuning of the antennas considered the coupling of the active antenna with adjacent antennas. The performance of the antenna array was evaluated by (1) simulations that examined the proximity of the antenna to the edge of the antenna array and the influence of adjacent antennas on the performance of the active antenna, and (2) measurements in outdoor and indoor environments. The results of the simulations show that antenna coupling can cause nulls in the radiation pattern, which affects the DoA estimation by reducing the signal-to-noise ratio. In a semi-controlled environment, we achieved a DoA estimation error of less than 1 degree by using the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Angle of Arrival feature.