Title :
A statistical resolution theory of the beamformer-based spatial spectrum for determining the directions of signals in white noise
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng., Ryerson Polytech. Unit., Toronto, Ont., Canada
fDate :
8/1/1995 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
Due to its simplicity and ease of implementation, the beamformer-based spatial spectrum (BSS) is widely used in practice to determine the angles of arrival of signals in white noise in array processing. As the most important performance to this application, the resolution capability of the BSS is roughly assessed by a deterministic measure, borrowed from optics, which takes into account only the influence of the effective aperture of the linear array of sensors. For a linear array operating in a stochastic environment, resolving two incoming signals is essentially a random event, thereby demanding a probabilistic resolution measure. In the paper, the probabilistic performance of the BSS in resolving two incoming signals is studied. The author derives a simple expression, in a closed form, for its failure probability in distinguishing the two signals. The results reveal the way various parameters of signals, noise, and array of sensors affect the resolution performance. Computer simulations are also presented to confirm the validity of the theory
Keywords :
direction-of-arrival estimation; probability; signal resolution; spectral analysis; statistical analysis; stochastic processes; white noise; BSS; angles of arrival; beamformer-based spatial spectrum; closed form; deterministic measure; directions; effective aperture; failure probability; linear array; probabilistic resolution measure; random event; resolution capability; statistical resolution theory; stochastic environment; white noise; Apertures; Array signal processing; Optical arrays; Optical noise; Optical sensors; Sensor arrays; Signal processing; Signal resolution; Spatial resolution; White noise;
Journal_Title :
Signal Processing, IEEE Transactions on