Signal Self-nulling Based DOA Estimation Method Using Acoustic Vector Sensor Array

Abstract

The acoustic vector sensor (AVS) array is a powerful tool for direction of arrival (DOA) estimation of underwater targets. However, traditional DOA estimation algorithms generally suffer from low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) as well as snapshot deficiency. A novel signal self-nulling based DOA estimation method is proposed. Firstly, achieve the crude estimation of the desired DOA using the traditional algorithms. Secondly, set the observation angular interval around the crudely estimated DOA. Thirdly, make the observation direction vary in the observation angular interval, and for each imaginary DOA, calculate the amplitude response of the minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) beamformer. Finally, the pseudo spatial spectrum is achieved. Computer simulations verify that the proposed method is efficient in DOA estimation, especially in low SNR and insufficient snapshot data scenarios.