Parallel Factor-Based Model for Two-Dimensional Direction Estimation

Two-dimensional (2D) Direction-of-Arrivals (DOA) estimation for elevation and azimuth angles assuming noncoherent, mixture of coherent and noncoherent, and coherent sources using extended three parallel uniform linear arrays (ULAs) is proposed. Most of the existing schemes have drawbacks in estimating 2D DOA for multiple narrowband incident sources as follows: use of large number of snapshots, estimation failure problem for elevation and azimuth angles in the range of typical mobile communication, and estimation of coherent sources. Moreover, the DOA estimation for multiple sources requires complex pair-matching methods. The algorithm proposed in this paper is based on first-order data matrix to overcome these problems. The main contributions of the proposed method are as follows: (1) it avoids estimation failure problem using a new antenna configuration and estimates elevation and azimuth angles for coherent sources; (2) it reduces the estimation complexity by constructing Toeplitz data matrices, which are based on a single or few snapshots; (3) it derives parallel factor (PARAFAC) model to avoid pair-matching problems between multiple sources. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm

DOA Estimation of Cylindrical Conformal Array Based on Geometric Algebra

Due to the variable curvature of the conformal carrier, the pattern of each element has a different direction. The traditional method of analyzing the conformal array is to use the Euler rotation angle and its matrix representation. However, it is computationally demanding especially for irregular array structures. In this paper, we present a novel algorithm by combining the geometric algebra with Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC), termed as GA-MUSIC, to solve the direction of arrival (DOA) for cylindrical conformal array. And on this basis, we derive the pattern and array manifold. Compared with the existing algorithms, our proposed one avoids the cumbersome matrix transformations and largely decreases the computational complexity. The simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method

Direction and polarisation estimation using polarised cylindrical conformal arrays

In this study, the authors describe two-dimensional direction finding and signal polarisation estimation from a cylindrical conformal array consisting of directional and polarised antenna elements. Firstly, a simple and general transformation procedure, based on the mathematical framework of geometric algebra, is presented for arbitrary conformal arrays with polarised and directional antennas. Subsequently, the authors utilise the symmetry of cylindrical arrays to estimate signal parameters via rotational invariance techniques. The authors show how to iteratively estimate the azimuth and elevation angles of the incident signal, as well as its polarisation. To illustrate the versatility of this method, the results of simulations on a 3×4 cylindrical conformal array are shown and discussed. © 2012 The Institution of Engineering and Technology