Characterizing the performance of single‐channel Pseudo‐Doppler direction finding systems at 915 MHz for vehicle localization

In this work, we present a performance analysis of two‐phase‐based single‐channel radio‐frequency (RF) direction finding (DF) methods in two wireless environments: open field and an open parking lot. A wireless channel model is created for both environments, and a software receiver is used to process the incoming RF signal to estimate the angle of arrival (AOA). The channel and receiver models are compared against measurements from a hardware prototype. Results shows a 100% pass rate in the open field environment when the receiver is located at the exterior center roof of the car. The pass rate does not exceed 25% if the receiver module is placed inside the car or if the system is evaluated in the open parking lot environment. This paper shows that a phase‐based single‐channel DF approach will not perform reliably in a highly reflective wireless environment. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.