A Virtual Sensor Equivalence Strategy for Sparse Array Configuration Design

This paper develops a virtual sensor equivalence strategy for sparse array configuration design, aiming to alleviate the mutual coupling effects of array configurations within the generalized nested array (GNA) family. Based on this strategy, a novel sparse sensor array configuration with suppressed mutual coupling effects, termed as MCS array, is proposed. Compared with the array configurations in the GNA family, the MCS array removes dense sensors through a sliding window and then fills the resulting holes. Numerical simulations are provided to verify superiority of the proposed MCS array.