Direction-of-arrival estimation of electromagnetic wave impinging on spherical antenna array in the presence of mutual coupling using a multiple signal classification method

A spherical antenna array (SAA) is the configuration of choice in obtaining an antenna array with isotropic characteristics. An SAA has the capacity to receive an electromagnetic wave (EM) with equal intensity irrespective of the direction-of-arrival (DoA) and polarization. Therefore, the DoA estimation of electromagnetic (EM) waves impinging on an SAA with unknown mutual coupling needs to be considered. In the spherical domain, the traditional multiple signal classification algorithm (SH-MUSIC) is faced with a computational complexity problem. This paper presents a one-dimensional MUSIC method (1D-MUSIC) for the estimation of the azimuth and elevation angles. An intermediate mapping matrix that exists between Fourier series and the spherical harmonic function is designed, and the Fourier series Vandermonde structure is used for the realization of the polynomial rooting technique. This mapping matrix can be computed prior to the DoA esti-mation, and it is only a function of the array configuration. Based on the mapping matrix, the 2-D angle search is transformed into two 1-D angle findings. Employing the features of the Fourier se-ries, two root polynomials are designed for the estimation of the elevation and azimuth angles, spontaneously. The developed method avoids the 2-D spectral search, and angles are paired in au-tomation. Both numerical simulation results, and results from experimental measured data (i.e., with mutual coupling effect incorporated), show the validity, potency, and potential practical application of the developed algorithm.