Incorporating array nonidealities into adaptive Capon beamformer for source tracking

An adaptive algorithm for azimuth-angle estimation of moving sources in the presence of array nonidealities is proposed. The method, termed unitary element-space Capon (UESCapon) beamformer, is robust in the face of small number of snapshots and fully takes into account effects such as mutual coupling, mounting platform reflections, and sensor´s misplacement errors. Unlike most of the robust beamformers available in the literature, the proposed method is based on QR-decomposition and real-valued polynomial root tracking. Furthermore, it is applicable to sensor arrays of arbitrary configuration. Numerical results using a real-world antenna array are included, illustrating the excellent performance of the proposed method, both in terms of SINR and fast adaptivity to moving sources.