A Novel Method for Direction of Departure Estimation Using a Linear Frequency Modulated Signal

A novel method for the Direction of Departure (DoD) estimation with a parallel transmitter array is presented. It requires the use of a signal which frequency increases linearly in time, regardless of whether this variation is discrete or continuous in time. Due to the properties of these signals, adding different delays to the signals transmitted by each of the antennas enables to separate them at the receiver. The advantages of this novel method are fast real-time measurements, simplicity and low hardware cost. Once separated, the signals can be treated with a high-resolution algorithm to estimate the DoD. In order to validate the capability of this method, simulation results and preliminary real measurements are presented.