Direction finding using nRF5340 development kits.

[Madan C]

Hello, guys,

I am working on direction finding using nRF5340 DKs and v.2.9.0 SDK. I found that an antenna array is required to find the direction using nRF5340 DKs. So is an antenna array compulsory to find the direction? if not please give some information regarding the alternate solution.

Regards,
Madan

[AHaug]

Hi,

https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Wireless/Bluetooth-Direction-Finding

found that an antenna array is required to find the direction using nRF5340 DK

This is correct. You need an antenna array for Direction finding to calculate the angle of arrival.

The alternative solution is to look into Channel Sounding for the nRF54L15. This only requires a 1-1 connection and some encryption. https://docs.nordicsemi.com/bundle/ncs-latest/page/nrfxlib/softdevice_controller/doc/channel_sounding.html and https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Wireless/Bluetooth-Low-Energy/Channel-Sounding 

Let me know if this answers your questions.

Kind regards,
Andreas

[Madan C]

Hi,

Thanks for your response.

Can you please confirm that will be able to find the direction only using nRF54L15 DKs without any additional hardware requirements and also is there APIs or sample code support in SDK for direction finding application using nRF54L15 DK.

Regards,
Madan

[AHaug]

Yes, the samples in 3. and 4. supports the nRF54L15Dks, so you can set up this without additional hardware than the nRF54L15DK

See 

1. https://docs.nordicsemi.com/bundle/ncs-latest/page/nrf/libraries/bluetooth/cs_de.html
2.  https://docs.nordicsemi.com/bundle/ncs-latest/page/nrf/libraries/bluetooth/services/rrsp.html
3. https://docs.nordicsemi.com/bundle/ncs-latest/page/nrf/samples/bluetooth/channel_sounding_ras_initiator/README.html 
4. https://docs.nordicsemi.com/bundle/ncs-latest/page/nrf/samples/bluetooth/channel_sounding_ras_reflector/README.html 

Kind regards,
Andreas

[PaKa]

You will need multiple antennas to do direction finding.Insight SIP, ublox and CoreHW have antenna arrays available. ublox also has algorithms for their antenna, for the other you will have to develop these.

What you can do with Channel Sounding is use distance and trilateration to locate units unlike Direction Finding and Triangulation.

Just to be clear:

• nRF54L15 does not support Direction Finding.
• nRF52/53 does not support Channel Sounding

[AHaug]

PaKa said:

Just to be clear:

• nRF54L15 does not support Direction Finding.
• nRF52/53 does not support Channel Sounding

What Paal says is an important clarification.

Madan C said:

Can you please confirm that will be able to find the direction only using nRF54L15 DK

My bad for not being clearer. Channel Sounding is NOT the same as Direction Finding.

Kind regards,
Andreas