The azimuth angle of a vector is the angle between
the x-axis and the orthogonal projection of the vector onto the
xy plane. The angle is positive in going from the
x axis toward the y axis. Azimuth angles lie
between –180 and 180 degrees. The elevation angle is the angle
between the vector and its orthogonal projection onto the xy-plane. The
angle is positive when going toward the positive z-axis from the
xy plane. By default, the boresight direction of an element or array
is aligned with the positive x-axis. The boresight direction is the
direction of the main lobe of an element or array.
Note
The elevation angle is sometimes defined in the literature as the angle a vector makes
with the positive z-axis. The MATLAB® and Phased Array System Toolbox™ products do not use this definition.
This figure illustrates the azimuth angle and elevation angle for a vector shown as a
green solid line.