Statistical Performance Analysis of Sparse Linear Arrays

Direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation remains an important topic in array signal processing. With uniform linear arrays (ULAs), traditional subspace-based methods can resolve only up to M-1 sources using M sensors. On the other hand, by exploiting their so-called difference coarray model, sparse linear arrays, such as co-prime and nested arrays, can resolve up to O(M^2) sources using only O(M) sensors. Various new sparse linear array geometries were proposed and many direction-finding algorithms were developed based on sparse linear arrays. However, the statistical performance of such arrays has not been analytically conducted. In this dissertation, we (i) study the asymptotic performance of the MUtiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm utilizing sparse linear arrays, (ii) derive and analyze performance bounds for sparse linear arrays, and (iii) investigate the robustness of sparse linear arrays in the presence of array imperfections. Based on our analytical results, we also propose robust direction-finding algorithms for use when data are missing. We begin by analyzing the performance of two commonly used coarray-based MUSIC direction estimators. Because the coarray model is used, classical derivations no longer apply. By using an alternative eigenvector perturbation analysis approach, we derive a closed-form expression of the asymptotic mean-squared error (MSE) of both estimators. Our expression is computationally efficient compared with the alternative of Monte Carlo simulations. Using this expression, we show that when the source number exceeds the sensor number, the MSE remains strictly positive as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) approaches infinity. This finding theoretically explains the unusual saturation behavior of coarray-based MUSIC estimators that had been observed in previous studies. We next derive and analyze the Cramér-Rao bound (CRB) for general sparse linear arrays under the assumption that the sources are uncorrelated. We show that, unlike the classical stochastic CRB, our CRB is applicable even if there are more sources than the number of sensors. We also show that, in such a case, this CRB remains strictly positive definite as the SNR approaches infinity. This unusual behavior imposes a strict lower bound on the variance of unbiased DOA estimators in the underdetermined case. We establish the connection between our CRB and the classical stochastic CRB and show that they are asymptotically equal when the sources are uncorrelated and the SNR is sufficiently high. We investigate the behavior of our CRB for co-prime and nested arrays with a large number of sensors, characterizing the trade-off between the number of spatial samples and the number of temporal samples. Our analytical results on the CRB will benefit future research on optimal sparse array designs. We further analyze the performance of sparse linear arrays by considering sensor location errors. We first introduce the deterministic error model. Based on this model, we derive a closed-form expression of the asymptotic MSE of a commonly used coarray-based MUSIC estimator, the spatial-smoothing based MUSIC (SS-MUSIC). We show that deterministic sensor location errors introduce a constant estimation bias that cannot be mitigated by only increasing the SNR. Our analytical expression also provides a sensitivity measure against sensor location errors for sparse linear arrays. We next extend our derivations to the stochastic error model and analyze the Gaussian case. We also derive the CRB for joint estimation of DOA parameters and deterministic sensor location errors. We show that this CRB is applicable even if there are more sources than the number of sensors. Lastly, we develop robust DOA estimators for cases with missing data. By exploiting the difference coarray structure, we introduce three algorithms to construct an augmented covariance matrix with enhanced degrees of freedom. By applying MUSIC to this augmented covariance matrix, we are able to resolve more sources than sensors. Our method utilizes information from all snapshots and shows improved estimation performance over traditional DOA estimators

Statistical Nested Sensor Array Signal Processing

Source number detection and direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation are two major applications of sensor arrays. Both applications are often confined to the use of uniform linear arrays (ULAs), which is expensive and difficult to yield wide aperture. Besides, a ULA with N scalar sensors can resolve at most N − 1 sources. On the other hand, a systematic approach was recently proposed to achieve O(N 2 ) degrees of freedom (DOFs) using O(N) sensors based on a nested array, which is obtained by combining two or more ULAs with successively increased spacing. This dissertation will focus on a fundamental study of statistical signal processing of nested arrays. Five important topics are discussed, extending the existing nested-array strategies to more practical scenarios. Novel signal models and algorithms are proposed. First, based on the linear nested array, we consider the problem for wideband Gaussian sources. To employ the nested array to the wideband case, we propose effective strategies to apply nested-array processing to each frequency component, and combine all the spectral information of various frequencies to conduct the detection and estimation. We then consider the practical scenario with distributed sources, which considers the spreading phenomenon of sources. Next, we investigate the self-calibration problem for perturbed nested arrays, for which existing works require certain modeling assumptions, for example, an exactly known array geometry, including the sensor gain and phase. We propose corresponding robust algorithms to estimate both the model errors and the DOAs. The partial Toeplitz structure of the covariance matrix is employed to estimate the gain errors, and the sparse total least squares is used to deal with the phase error issue. We further propose a new class of nested vector-sensor arrays which is capable of significantly increasing the DOFs. This is not a simple extension of the nested scalar-sensor array. Both the signal model and the signal processing strategies are developed in the multidimensional sense. Based on the analytical results, we consider two main applications: electromagnetic (EM) vector sensors and acoustic vector sensors. Last but not least, in order to make full use of the available limited valuable data, we propose a novel strategy, which is inspired by the jackknifing resampling method. Exploiting numerous iterations of subsets of the whole data set, this strategy greatly improves the results of the existing source number detection and DOA estimation methods

DOA estimation with a rotational uniform linear array (RULA) and unknown spatial noise covariance

Direction of Arrival (DOA) estimation is one of the major tasks in array signal processing. In this paper, a new DOA estimation method is proposed using a rotational uniform linear array (RULA) consisting of omnidirectional sensors. The main contribution of the proposed method is that the number of distinguishable signals is larger than the methods in the literature with a uniform linear array consisting of the same number of omnidirectional sensors. Moreover, the new method can effectively reduce unknown spatial noises using a generalized complement projection matrix under the RULA framework. Simulations are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method and comparison with some existing DOA estimation methods is also made

Aeronautical engineering: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 251)

This bibliography lists 526 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in April 1990. Subject coverage includes: design, construction and testing of aircraft and aircraft engines; aircraft components, equipment and systems; ground support systems; and theoretical and applied aspects of aerodynamics and general fluid dynamics

SPATIAL TRANSFORMATION PATTERN DUE TO COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY IN KAMPONG HOUSE

ABSTRACT Kampung houses are houses in kampung area of the city. Kampung House oftenly transformed into others use as urban dynamics. One of the transfomation is related to the commercial activities addition by the house owner. It make house with full private space become into mixused house with more public spaces or completely changed into full public commercial building. This study investigate the spatial transformation pattern of the kampung houses due to their commercial activities addition. Site observations, interviews and questionnaires were performed to study the spatial transformation. This study found that in kampung houses, the spatial transformation pattern was depend on type of commercial activities and owner perceptions, and there are several steps of the spatial transformation related the commercial activity addition. Keywords: spatial transformation pattern; commercial activity; owner perception, kampung house; adaptabilit

Safety and Reliability - Safe Societies in a Changing World

The contributions cover a wide range of methodologies and application areas for safety and reliability that contribute to safe societies in a changing world. These methodologies and applications include: - foundations of risk and reliability assessment and management - mathematical methods in reliability and safety - risk assessment - risk management - system reliability - uncertainty analysis - digitalization and big data - prognostics and system health management - occupational safety - accident and incident modeling - maintenance modeling and applications - simulation for safety and reliability analysis - dynamic risk and barrier management - organizational factors and safety culture - human factors and human reliability - resilience engineering - structural reliability - natural hazards - security - economic analysis in risk managemen