Precision of direction of arrival (DOA) estimation using novel three dimensional array geometries

Numerous methods for direction of arrival (DOA) estimation, used in smart antennas have been already reported in previous studies. The precision of DOA estimation depends on the choice of the algorithm and the geometrical configuration of the antenna array. In this work, the performance of new geometrical configurations, i.e. 2D with equal area and 3D with equal volume including circular, square, triangular, hexagonal and star geometries, with equal number of antenna elements, are examined and compared to each other to find the most proper geometry. Monte-Carlo simulations are performed to evaluate the DOA precision of the proposed arrays using the MUSIC algorithm. It is shown that in three cases of comparison including 2D geometries, 3D geometries and 3D rotated geometries, with the star and triangular configurations one achieves better resolution in DOA estimation. It is also revealed that the rotated configurations show lower estimation error compared to normal configurations.