Extended-aperture angle-range estimation of multipleFresnel-region sources with a linear tripole array using cumulants

This paper presents a cumulant-based algorithm to achieve aperture extension for estimating the directions-of-arrival (DOAs) and the ranges of multiple Fresnel-region sources using a linear tripole array. The proposed algorithm defines two cumulant-based matrices, from which the DOA and the range of each source are estimated from the source's tripole steering vector using the ESPRIT technique. These are then used as coarse reference estimates to disambiguate the cyclic phase ambiguities induced from the spatial phase factors when the inter-sensor spacing exceeds a half wavelength. The algorithm does not require two-dimensional searching or parameter pairing, and can resolve 3(L−1)3(L−1) sources with L tripoles. The extension of the proposed algorithm by formulating multiple cumulant matrices and using parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis is also presented. Simulation results are provided demonstrating the significant improvement in the performance over that of several existing algorithms.

► A cumulant-based algorithm is proposed to estimate the parameters of Fresnel-region sources.
► The algorithm utilizes a linear tripole array and can resolve 3(L−1)3(L−1) sources with L tripoles.
► An extension of the proposed algorithm by using parallel factor analysis is presented.
► Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm.