Multi-Source DoA Estimation of EM Waves Impinging Spherical Antenna Array With Unknown Mutual Coupling Using Relative Signal Pressure Based Multiple Signal Classification Approach

Spherical antenna array (SAA) is a configuration that scans almost all the radiation sphere with constant directivity. It finds applications in spacecraft and satellite communication. Multiple signal classification (MUSIC) is a widely used multiple source direction-of-arrival (DoA) estimation method because of its low complexity implementation in practical applications. Conversely, it is susceptible to noise, which consequently affects its accuracy of localization. In this paper, MUSIC-based methods that operate at low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) are developed via relative electromagnetic (EM) wave pressure measurements of a SAA. The proposed methods are the relative pressure MUSIC (RP-MUSIC), and in spherical domain (SH-RP-MUSIC). The developed SH-RP-MUSIC algorithm is in spherical domain thereby allows frequency-smoothing approach for the de-correlation of the coherent source signals towards an enhanced accuracy of localization. Both RP-MUSIC and SH-RP-MUSIC algorithms developed have the ability to estimate the number of active sources that is a priori knowledge of the conventional MUSIC algorithm. Numerical experiments were used to demonstrate the adequacy of the developed algorithms. In addition, measured data from experiment, which is the practically acceptable way to examine any procedure is employed to demonstrate the merits of the developed algorithms against the conventional MUSIC algorithm and other recent multiple source localization method in literature. Finally, in order to achieve DoA estimations with adequate localization accuracy at low SNR using SAA, SH-RP-MUSIC algorithm is a better choice.