Experimental Demonstration of Computational AoA Detection Using Conformal Frequency Diverse Metasurface Antennas

TL;DR

This paper experimentally validates a conformal frequency diverse metasurface antenna that detects angle-of-arrival over a wide field of view, offering a lightweight and cost-effective alternative to traditional bulky methods.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental demonstration of a conformal frequency diverse metasurface antenna for AoA detection, validating its practical design and sensing capabilities.

Findings

Successful experimental validation of AoA detection

Effective angular sensing over large fields of view

Potential for lightweight, conformal antenna applications

Abstract

Devices that detect angle-of-arrival (AoA) over a wide field of view are crucial for various applications such as wireless communication and navigation. They are often installed on platforms with challenging mechanical and stealth constraints like vehicles, drones, and helmets, where traditional methods -- mechanically rotating antennas or conformal arrays -- tend to be bulky, heavy, and costly. A recent work has proposed a conformal frequency diverse antenna that is designed to produce angularly diverse patterns that encode angular information into frequency sweeps. This capability allows AoA to be determined across the entire horizon using only two receiving units. This paper experimentally validates this concept, detailing the prototyping process and practical design considerations. The AoA detection capabilities of the proposed device are confirmed through experimental demonstrations. The proposed conformal metasurfaces offer an alternative hardware solution for sensing over large fields of view, with potential applications in radar sensing, situational awareness, and navigation.