Hands-On Experience with UWB: Angle of Arrival Accuracy Evaluation in Channel 9

Abstract

This paper evaluates IEEE 802.15.4z standard- compliant NXP SR040 and SR150 chips in Angle of Arrival (AoA) capabilities in Channel 9 (7.737—8.237 GHz) of the Ultra-WideBand (UWB) spectrum. Due to the shorter wavelength, higher frequencies may encounter certain limitations when it comes to harsh environments, as more reflections and multipath propagation can occur. Furthermore, they also can be affected by their enclosure used to protect the electronics in such an environment, which needs to be taken into account during product design. This work presents the results of the evaluation measurement scenario relatable to real-life use cases and concludes potentially valuable insight important for consideration when creating a new UWB product. Besides a basic overview of the theoretical estimation of AoA by Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) and Phase Difference of Arrival (PDoA), and the evaluation of the corresponding results, the main contribution is the repeatable topology considered for the conducted measurements. The presented results allow vendors to compare their solutions with the various radio chips or antenna configurations.