Detection of the number of signals by a threshold based on peak-to-average ratio

Source number is a crucial factor in array signal processing. A new method is present here to estimate the source number. The array output data is firstly weighted by the eigenvectors of the covariance matrix, and then the peak-to-average power ratio (PAR) of the weighted data is computed. The inherent properties of the PAR are exploited. A new multiple targets detection threshold criterion: peak-to-average power ratio threshold criterion (PARTC) is established by concerning the inherent properties of the PAR. Simulation results show that PARTC method performs better than AIC and MDL under all conditions.