Electronically Steerable Antenna for Indoor
Positioning Systems
Thi Duyen BUI Minh Thuy LE
Faculty of Automation Technology School of Electrical Engineering,
Electric Power University, Hanoi, Hanoi University of Science and
Vietnam Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
duyenbt@epu.edu.vn thuy.leminh@hust.edu.vn
Abstract—This paper presents the 2.45 GHz electronically
steerable antenna array for indoor positioning system
applications. This antenna uses RO4003C substrate with εr = 3.55
and h = 0.8mm. The main beam of antenna can be steered from -
37o, -12o, 12o to +36o in vertical by the main controller circuit.
This proposed antenna has the 20o ÷ 27o of beam-width in vertical
and 240o of beam-width in horizontal. Simulation and
measurement results are well matched. The fully electronically
steerable antenna prototype has been designed, fabricated and
demonstrated.
Keywords—Electronically steerable antenna array, Smart
antenna, Butler matrix, dipole antenna.
I. INTRODUCTION
In recent years, indoor positioning is attracting considerable
attention not only for the localization of specific tagged items
but also to help to track, locate and navigate elderly and people
with special needs (such as blind person, drumb person) in
unfamiliar building [1]. Accurate and resolution of position
estimation as well as system cost are big challenges of
positioning system. Microstrip electronically steerable antenna
is a good candidate to improve read-range and accurate of
positioning system. This kind of antennas can provide high
directivity, small beam-width and sweep of radiation beam,
therefore it is suitable for tracking and positioning target [2-6].
This paper deals to design an array of four dipole antennas
which is integrated with phase-shifter based on 4×4 planar
Butler matrix and 1-to-4 switch network to steer main-beam to
the desired direction. The main-beam of this antenna is quasi-
fan-beam in vertical plane and is quasi-omnidirectional in
horizontal plane. It can be steered to four positions in vertical
plane in order to improve the locating error of localization
system.
II. SWITCHED BEAM ARRAY ANTENNA DESIGN
The proposed switched-beam array antenna has been
designed for operating at 2.45GHz and it consists of several
components as illustrated in Fig. 1: The phase-shifter based on
4x4 Butler matrix were integrated with an array of four dipole
antenna element on a Roger substrate. The switching controller
selects 1-to-4 switch network (SP4T). Each port is selected,
each direction is steered. This antenna can be steered to 4
directions.
Quoc Cuong NGUYEN
School of Electrical Engineering,
Hanoi University of Science and
Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
cuong.nguyenquoc@hust.edu.vn
Fig. 1. Schematic of the switched beam array antenna.
A. Dipole Antenna Array Design
Due to the demand for narrow fan beam radiation pattern,
the printed dipole has been chosen as an element of the linear
array antenna. In order to avoid mutual coupling, the element
spacing (d) between two continuous elements in the array must
be greater than 0.5λ, and after studying, the optimized value of
d (d= 0.57λ) has been obtained. The reflection coefficient of
each element is well-matching as shown in Fig. 2. The
relationship between the steer angle (θ) and phase difference
between two continuous elements in the array (β) is given in
the following equation (1):
θ arccos (1) where k = 2πλ, is the wave number.
When β = ± 45° or β = ± 135° then θ = ± 12.6° or θ = ±
37.7°.
B. 4×4 Butler Matrix Design
The Butler matrix consists of four RF inputs that
independently feed four RF outputs with varying phase delays.
As shown in Fig. 1, a 4x4 Butler matrix includes four
90°couplers, two 45° phase shifters, two 180° phase shifters
and two crossovers. The purpose of this network is to
uniformly feed the four antenna elements, progressive phase
delays of -45°, +135°, -135°, and +45°, which are determined
by the respective input port selected. These hybrid couplers
provide a high isolation between each input port, which allows
a switch network to toggle between these ports without
affecting the antenna performance. It creates four fixed
radiating beams corresponding to four independent inputs.
Using the principle of reciprocity, this structure can be utilized
in the same manner for transmitting or receiving antenna
applications.
 Port 1 is excited
Insertion loss Phase response

Fig. 2 Simulated reflection coefficient of each elements (d = 0.57λ).

The 4x4 Butler matrix, were designed using Computer
Simulation Technology (CST) as shown in Fig. 3. The S11 of Port 2 is excited
four input ports are presented in Fig. 4, and the impedance
bandwidth of all cases, where the return loss is lower than -
10 dB, is about 500 MHz ranging from 2.2 GHz to 2.7 GHz:

Port 3 is excited
Fig. 3. Model of the 4x4 Butler matrix on CST

Port 4 is excited

Fig. 4. Simulated reflection coefficient of each port of the Butler matrix.

The simulation results of each port of Butler matrix are

obtained and plotted in Fig. 5 and Table I. In the case of input
Port being excited, the insertion losses at four output ports
(Port 5 - Port 8) of the Butler matrix are approximately -6 dB at
2.45 GHz (as shown in Fig. 5 (a)). In addition, Fig. 5 (b) shows
that the phase difference between two adjacent output signals is
+45° at the operating frequency. Similarly, when the input
Port 2 is excited, the value of the insertion losses at four output
ports is -6dB (as given in Fig. 5.(c)). The phase responses of
four output signals are presented in Fig. 5 (d), and the phase
difference between neighboring output signals is -135° at Fig. 5. Simulation results of insertion loss and phaseresponse of the Butler
matrix.
2.45 GHz. Based on the symmetric structure of the Butler
matrix, it is expected that the other two excited input ports (P3 III. FABRICATION, ASSEMBLY AND MEASUREMENTS
and P4) can generate the same magnitude response and
A. Fabrication and Assembly of fully Switched Beam Antenna
complementary phase response (-45° and +135°):
TABLE I An array of 1×4 dipole antennas (with 0.57λ0 spacing)
Phase shifts at the output ports of the Butler matrix integrated with 4×4 Butler matrix is shown in Fig. 8. The total
Output Port Phase shifts
Input Port antenna size is 200 mm × 294 mm, which is equivalent to
Port 5 Port 6 Port 7 Port 8 β
1.6λ0× 2.4 λ0:
Theoretical 00 450 900 1350 450
Port 1
Simulated 00 41.30 86.60 132.30
Theoretical 00 -1350 900 -450 -1350
Port 2
Simulated 00 -130.00 87.6 0
-39.00
Theoretical 00 1350 -900 450 1350
Port 3
Simulated 00 125.80 -91.450 38.30
Theoretical 00 -450 -900 -1350 -450
Port 4
Simulated 00 -45.90 -91.180 -132.70

C. Switch Network Design a) Top view b) Bottom view

Fig. 8. Fabricated microstrip antenna array with 4x 4 Butler matrix
We have used SP4T switch (13322-375-EVB) Skyworks as
in Fig. 6 to select excitation port of 4x4 Butler matrix in order The fully design of the switch network and the Butler
to steer antenna to desired main beam direction: Matrix with dipole antenna array is presented in Fig. 9:

SKY13322-375 Truth Table [7]

RF out
V1 V2 V3 V4
enable
1 0 0 0 RF out 1
0 1 0 0 RF out 2
0 0 1 0 RF out 3
0 0 0 1 RF out 4
Note: “1” = + 1.8V to + 5V;
“0” = +0V to + 0.2V
Fig. 6. SP4T switch by Skyworks
Fig. 7 presents the schematic of switching controller using
89S52 microcontroller, this switching controller selects
excitation port to 1of 4 ports in 4x4 Butler matrix through
SP4T (1 input & 4 outputs):

Fig. 9. Fully electronically steerable antenna array system

B. Simulation and Measurement results

Fig. 10 The electronically steerable antenna prototype mounted in the

Fig. 7. Schematic of switching controller circuit
semi-anechoic chamber.
Fig. 11 shows the comparison between simulated and
measured reflection coefficient of electronically steerable
antenna array. The operating frequency range of this proposed
antenna is from 2.3 GHz to 2.7 GHz, covering the LTE band
as well as 2.4GHz ISM band (Zigbee, Wifi and Bluetooth).
The radiation pattern of antenna is also presented in Fig. 12,
and it is clear that the peak gain of antenna is about 8 dBi and
the efficiency is greater than 70%.
 The measured E-plane and H-plane are compared with the
simulated results in CST. Error! Reference source not found.
and Error! Reference source not found. give the normalized
radiation patterns at 2,45 GHz for each beam state. In the E -
plane, the scanned beams for excited Port1 (P1) and excited
Port 4 (P4) have been steered to ±12° with a half-power
beamwidth of 200, while P2 and P3 can steer the main beam to
+36° and -37°, respectively. The half-power beamwidth of
antenna at these two positions are 27°. In the H-plane, P1 and
P4 can provide the main beam with a half-power beamwidth of
about 240°, and which is about 200° in the case of excited P2
and P3:

Fig. 12. Simulated gain, efficiency and directivity plot for the antenna
array.

Fig. 11. The simulated results of return loss at input ports of aray antenna
with the Butler matrix.
E_Plane H_Plane

Port 1

Port 2
 Port 3

Port 4

Port 1234

Fig. 13. Radiation pattern 2D in vertical beam steering antenna

C. Comparison with Related Work

Table II gives the comparison of the proposed antenna [9] 45 ~11 30 -5.5
and the related works in [3-5]. It is observed that in [10] 45 6.4 33 -8
comparison with the others, this proposed antenna has This work 37 7.925 26.3 -5.5
smaller beam-width in vertical (20o), wider beam-width in [8] -12 6.6 55.7 -3.1
horizontal (240o) and higher gain: [9] -15 ~11 28 -9
1R
TABLE I: The comparison of the antenna performance [5] -15 6.4 30 -7.5
Beam Gain BW SLL This work -12 7.95 21.3 -9.0
Beam Ref
angle (°) (dB) (3dB) (dB)
IV. CONCLUSION
[3] 12 11.8 34.9 -16
[4] 15 ~11 28 -9.5 The design of a fully electronically steerable antenna
1L array using 4x4 Butler matrix has been presented and tested.
[5] 12 6.4 30 -9
This work 12 8.16 20.7 -9.3 This antenna has advantages of high gain, low-profile, small
[3] -39 7.4 60.6 -11.9 beam-width in steering direction (vertical) while quasi-
[9] -45 ~11 30 -8 omnidirectional with 240o beam-width in horizontal helps
2R localization system can work at different higher-level
[10] -42 6.4 33 -2
compared with ground as well as with smaller locating
This work -36 8.15 27 -8.1 error.
2L [8] 40 7.1 34.9 -3.7
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We would like to thank Professor Truong Vu Bang
Giang and Master Nguyen Minh Tran at Modeling and
simulation laboratory of Faculty of Electronic and
Telecommunication, 144 Xuan Thuy, CauGiay, Hanoi for
their supports in antenna measurement.
This research is supported by the project B2015-01-93.
Authors would like thank to project for the support during
our work.
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