Comparison of subspace-based and steered beamformer-based reflection localization methods

This paper presents a comparative study of several techniques that are applicable to the localization of the most significant reflectors in an acoustic environment. It focuses on subspace-based and steered beamformer-based localization techniques and includes eigenbeam (EB)-ESPRIT, EB-MUSIC, and EB-minimum variance distortionless response (EB-MVDR) methods. The directions of arrival (DOAs) of the sound sources and reflective surfaces in an acoustic environment are estimated from the acoustic images of rooms, which are obtained using a microphone array. The applicability of the presented methods in practice is confirmed by experimental results from real measurements.