Planar Sectoral Antenna for IR-UWB Localization With Minimal Range Estimation Biasing

A planar sectoral antenna is presented, optimized for highly precise impulse-radio ultrawideband (IR-UWB) indoor localization with minimal range estimation biasing. By judiciously combining two inverted-F elements into one footprint, a large half-power beamwidth (HPBW) obtained in the [3.2448-4.7424] GHz band, thereby covering channels 1-4 of IEEE 802.15.4a-2011 standard. Through system-level optimization, system fidelity factor (SFF) maximized value at least 90$\text{\%}$ within its entire HPBW, while minimizing orientation-specific biasing down to 10 mm. To validate performance, measurements have been performed both frequency and time domain, showing HPBW larger than 120$^\circ$ complete band operation an SFF lower 4 mm antenna's HPBW.