Design of a four-element array for accurate direction of arrival estimation in phase interferometry systems

Abstract

This article proposes the design of a four-element array antenna for the accurate direction of arrival (DOA) estimation of Global Positioning System (GPS) interference signals. The proposed array antenna has four individual antenna elements, and each element consists of a radiating patch on the upper layer and a feeding loop on the lower layer. The patch and loop are intentionally designed in a circular shape to obtain the symmetric current distributions on the radiators. The feeding loop is directly connected by two output ports of an external hybrid chip coupler, and the radiating patch is then electromagnetically coupled by near-fields of the feeding loop. This feeding mechanism in the proposed structure allows for a more uniform current and H-field distribution for phase characteristics of the radiation that are close to the ideal isotropic radiators in the azimuth angle. In addition, the high-dielectric ceramic substrate is adopted to minimize the physical height of the antenna for the phase characteristics of the radiation close to the ideal isotropic radiators in elevation angles. To validate that the phase characteristics are similar to those of an ideal radiator, the DOA estimation performances are observed using a dual-axis interferometry. The results demonstrate that the proposed four-element array antenna with phase difference characteristics similar to those of an ideal radiator is suitable for the accurate DOA estimation of GPS interference signals.