Optimized Multi-Level Prime Array Configurations

TL;DR

This paper introduces an optimized design for multi-level prime arrays that maximizes degrees of freedom and array performance by selecting optimal subarray sizes and spacings, enhancing DOA estimation capabilities.

Contribution

It presents a method to optimize element distribution and spacing in multi-level prime arrays, achieving maximum unique and consecutive lags for improved array performance.

Findings

Optimal subarray element counts and spacings maximize array DOFs.

Unique configurations achieve maximum unique and consecutive lags.

Closed-form expressions simplify array design process.

Abstract

Antenna arrays have many applications in direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation. Sparse arrays such as nested arrays, super nested arrays, and coprime arrays have large degrees of freedom (DOFs). They can estimate large number of sources greater than the number of elements. They also have closed form expressions for antenna locations and the achievable DOFs. The multi-level prime array (MLPA) uses multiple uniform linear subarrays where the number of elements in the subarrays are pairwise coprime integers. The array achieves large DOFs and it has closed form expressions for the antenna locations and the required aperture size. For a given number of subarrays and total number of elements, there are different design alternatives. This paper finds the optimum number of elements within each subarray and the optimized ordered inter-element spacing. In almost all cases, we have found that a unique configuration jointly realizes the maximum number of unique lags and the maximum number of consecutive lags.