DirectionOfArrival Estimation Using Separated SubarraysThis workwassupported in part by Ericsson Microwave Systems AS

In this paper we study direction-Of-Arrival (DOA) estimation with a particular class of sparse linear arrays, characterized by two widely separated subarrays. Since a large array aperture is obtained with a small number of elements, this structure can provide very accurate angle estimates at a reasonable cost, but at the expense of near ambiguities. Thepotential and theoretical limitations in DOA estimation with this class of arrays are investigated. We evaluate the performances of DOA estimation algorithms and compare with theoretical bounds, taking the effects of near ambiguities into account.