An original Propagator for large array

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel non-eigenbased propagator method for estimating the angles of arrival of signals using large antenna arrays, effective at moderate SNR and applicable when the array-to-source ratio is at least 2.

Contribution

It proposes a new set of propagator operators for AoA estimation that do not rely on eigen-decomposition, suitable for large arrays with specific antenna-to-source ratios.

Findings

Effective at moderate SNR levels

Applicable for array-to-source ratios ≥ 2

Demonstrated through simulations for various array sizes

Abstract

In this paper, we demonstrate that when the ratio $n$ of the number of antenna elements $N$ to the number $P$ of radiating sources is superior or equal to $2$, then it is possible to choose a propagator from a set of $n(n+1)/2-1$ operators to compute the Angles of Arrival (AoA) of the narrowband incoming waves. This new non eigenbased approach is efficient when the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) is moderate, and gives multitude of possibilities, that are dependent of the random data, to construct the complex sets whose columns are orthogonal to the signal subspace generated by the radiating sources. Elementary examples are given for $n=3$, $n=4$ and $n=6$. The simulation results are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed computational methods.