Ultrawideband source localization using a particle-swarm-optimized Capon estimator

We present a realistic frequency-dependent channel model for ultrawideband (UWB) communications and develop a generalized broadband Capon estimator for localization of the spatially dispersed UWB signals. The proposed estimator is able to address the three key aspects of practical UWB radio wave propagation: presence of local scattering, wideband array signals, and frequency-dependent dispersive effects. The particle swarm optimization, which is a high-performance optimizer based on the intelligence of swarms, is then implemented to perform a multidimensional parameter search to jointly estimate the source central angles, the polynomial regression coefficients for angle spreads, and the frequency dependence of propagation modes.