A precise bearing estimation method of digital split-beam array system

A precise bearing estimation method of digital split-beam array system is considered. The method is based on time delay estimation in terms of cross power spectrum of a two-element system proposed by A.G. Piersol. By using the concept of equivalent acoustic center, this method is generalized to linear array and circular array with multiple elements. The incidental angle of target signal can be calculated directly from the input data. The method of weighting the estimation value in each frequency bin of DFT in terms of its power spectrum value is shown to be an effective method to achieve good accuracy. Some results of system simulation are presented. For a digital sonar it is possible to track more than one target simultaneously in real time by using the method described in this paper.