Design of Sparse Dome Antenna Array for Angle of Arrival Localization Systems

A design of a conformal 16-element patch array with antennas non-uniformly distributed over a hemispherical surface is presented. The considered array type allows 3D-positioning by angle of arrival (AOA) in hemispherical angular coverage that is desired for localization of UAV and other mobile robots in GNSS-denied environments. At the same time, the optimization of antenna positions helps to highly reduce the number of antennas needed to achieve suitable localization accuracy in desired angular range. The realized array was integrated as a receive array of a 24 GHz ISM band local positioning radar unit. Calibration and measurement results with transponder mounted on a 6D positioning system show the applicability of such type of highly sparse conformal array for use in 3D local positioning systems. Thus, the presented array introduces a cost-effective design solution for wireless localization within hemispherical coverage utilizing only two positioning units.