# US 12,216,220 B2 · Method and apparatus for measuring angle of arrival

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- Number: US 12,216,220 B2
- Document ID: US12216220B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/848,652
- Filed: 2022-06-24
- Published: 2022-10-27
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2019-12-26
- Assignees: Shenzhen Yinwang Intelligent Technologies Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Ben Wang; Dejian Li
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12216220B2

## CPC

- G01S 3/043: {Receivers}
- G01S 3/14: Systems for determining direction or deviation from predetermined direction {(aerial arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00; combinations of different interacting aerial units for giving a desired directional characteristic H01Q21/29; aerials or aerial systems providing at least two radiation patterns H01Q25/00)}
- G01S 7/03: Details of HF subsystems specially adapted therefor, e.g. common to transmitter and receiver
- G01S 7/285: Receivers
- G01S 3/46: using antennas spaced apart and measuring phase or time difference between signals therefrom, i.e. path-difference systems
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES

## Abstract

A method and apparatus for measuring an angle of arrival. The method includes: determining L×N values based on received values obtained by a first antenna array and a second antenna array by receiving a signal and determining an angle of arrival (AoA) of the first signal based on the L×N values. The first antenna array includes L rows of array elements arranged in a first direction and K columns of array elements arranged in a second direction. The second antenna array includes P rows of array elements arranged in the first direction and Q columns of array elements arranged in the second direction. N=K+Q. An included angle between the first direction and the second direction is greater than 0 degrees.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for measuring an angle of arrival (AoA), comprising:
receiving a first signal by using a first antenna array and a second antenna array;
determining L×N values based on received values obtained by the first antenna array and the second antenna array by receiving the first signal, wherein the first antenna array comprises L rows of array elements arranged in a first direction and K columns of array elements arranged in a second direction, and the second antenna array comprises P rows of array elements arranged in the first direction and Q columns of array elements arranged in the second direction; N=K+Q, P<L, L, K, P, and Q are all positive integers; the L×N values comprise received values obtained by each array element in the first antenna array by receiving the first signal, and values determined based on received values obtained by the Q columns of array elements in the second antenna array by receiving the first signal; and an included angle greater than 0 degrees exists between the first direction and the second direction; and
determining an AoA of the first signal based on the L×N values,
wherein the L×N values are divided into L groups of values, each group of values comprises N elements, N elements in an lth group of values comprise K received values obtained by an lth row of array elements in the first antenna array by receiving the first signal, and Q values determined based on the received values obtained by the Q columns of array elements in the second antenna array by receiving the first signal, an arrangement order of the N elements is the same as an arrangement order of the K columns of array elements in the first antenna array and the Q columns of array elements in the second antenna array in the second direction, and l is any integer from 1 to L.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
generating, based on the L×N values, a matrix whose dimension is L×N, wherein one row of elements in the matrix is a group of values in the L groups of values; and determining the AoA of the first signal based on the L×N values further comprises:
determining the AoA based on the matrix.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
generating, based on the L×N values, a first vector whose length is L×N, wherein the L groups of values in the first vector are sequentially arranged; and
determining the AoA of the first signal based on the L×N received values further comprises:
determining the AoA based on the first vector.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the Q values comprised in the lth group of values are Q received values received by a predefined row of array elements in the Q columns of array elements.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein Q values that are comprised in each of at least two groups of values in the L groups of values and that are determined based on the received values of the Q columns of array elements are Q received values received by different rows of array elements in the Q columns of array elements, respectively.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the Q values comprised in any group of the L groups of values are Q values obtained by performing a mean operation on received values of each column of the Q columns of array elements.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the AoA of the first signal based on the L×N values further comprises:
generating, based on the L×N values, a second vector whose length is 1×N; and
determining the AoA based on the second vector, wherein the second vector comprises K values obtained by summating received values of each column of array elements in the first antenna array, and the second vector further comprises:
Q values obtained by summating L values determined based on one or more of P received values received by each column of the Q columns of array elements, or
Q values determined based on a multiple of a mean value of P received values received by each column of the Q columns of array elements, wherein the multiple equals the mean value multiplied by L.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the AoA is obtained through FFT or DBF based on the L×N values.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the first antenna array or the second antenna array or both are virtual antenna arrays.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the AoA comprises an included angle between a direction of arrival of the first signal and the first direction and an included angle between the incoming direction of the first signal and the second direction.

### Claim 11

An apparatus for measuring an angle of arrival (AoA), comprising:
a transceiver, configured to receive a first signal by using a first antenna array and a second antenna array; and
a processor, configured to determine L×N values based on received values obtained by the first antenna array and the second antenna array by receiving the first signal, wherein the first antenna array comprises L rows of array elements arranged in a first direction and K columns of array elements arranged in a second direction, and the second antenna array comprises P rows of array elements arranged in the first direction and Q columns of array elements arranged in the second direction; N=K+Q, P<L, L, K, P, and Q are all positive integers; the L×N values comprise received values obtained by each array element in the first antenna array by receiving the first signal, and values determined based on received values obtained by the Q columns of array elements in the second antenna array by receiving the first signal; and an included angle greater than 0 degrees exists between the first direction and the second direction; and
the processor is further configured to determine an AoA of the first signal based on the L×N values,
wherein the L×N values are divided into L groups of values, each group of values comprises N elements, N elements in an lth group of values comprise K received values obtained by an lth row of array elements in the first antenna array by receiving the first signal, and Q values determined based on the received values obtained by the Q columns of array elements in the second antenna array by receiving the first signal, an arrangement order of the N elements is the same as an arrangement order of the K columns of array elements in the first antenna array and the Q columns of array elements in the second antenna array in the second direction, and l is any integer from 1 to L.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein
the processor is further configured to generate, based on the L×N values, a matrix whose dimension is L×N, wherein one row of elements in the matrix is a group of values in the L groups of values; and determine the AoA based on the matrix.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein
the processor is further configured to generate, based on the L×N values, a first vector whose length is L×N, wherein the L groups of values in the first vector are sequentially arranged; and
determine the AoA based on the first vector.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the Q values comprised in the lth group of values are Q received values received by a predefined row of array elements in the Q columns of array elements.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein Q values that are comprised in each of at least two groups of values in the L groups of values and that are determined based on the received values of the Q columns of array elements are Q received values received by different rows of array elements in the Q columns of array elements, respectively.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the Q values comprised in any group of the L groups of values are Q values obtained by performing a mean operation on received values of each column of the Q columns of array elements.

### Claim 17 (depends on 11)

The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to determine an AoA of the first signal based on the L×N values,
generate, based on the L×N values, a second vector whose length is 1×N, and
determine the AoA based on the second vector, wherein
the second vector comprises K values obtained by summating received values of each column of array elements in the first antenna array, and the second vector further comprises:
Q values obtained by summating L values determined based on one or more of P received values received by each column of the Q columns of array elements, or
Q values determined based on a multiple of a mean value of P received values received by each column of the Q columns of array elements, wherein the multiple equals the mean value multiplied by L.

### Claim 18

A non-transitory computer readable medium, wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium stores program instructions, and when the program instructions are executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations comprising:
receiving a first signal by using a first antenna array and a second antenna array;
determining L×N values based on received values obtained by the first antenna array and the second antenna array by receiving the first signal, wherein the first antenna array comprises L rows of array elements arranged in a first direction and K columns of array elements arranged in a second direction, and the second antenna array comprises P rows of array elements arranged in the first direction and Q columns of array elements arranged in the second direction; N=K+Q, P<L, L, K, P, and Q are all positive integers; the L×N values comprise received values obtained by each array element in the first antenna array by receiving the first signal, and values determined based on received values obtained by the Q columns of array elements in the second antenna array by receiving the first signal; and an included angle greater than 0 degrees exists between the first direction and the second direction; and
determining an AoA of the first signal based on the L×N values,
wherein the L×N values are divided into L groups of values, each group of values comprises N elements, N elements in an lth group of values comprise K received values obtained by an lth row of array elements in the first antenna array by receiving the first signal, and Q values determined based on the received values obtained by the Q columns of array elements in the second antenna array by receiving the first signal, an arrangement order of the N elements is the same as an arrangement order of the K columns of array elements in the first antenna array and the Q columns of array elements in the second antenna array in the second direction, and l is any integer from 1 to L.