A clustering-based method for DOA estimation in wireless communications

A novel method for direction of arrival (DOA) estimation of digitally modulated signals in wireless communication systems is presented. The method is based on the idea of exploiting the digital character of the sources through a clustering strategy. By construction, the proposed technique is capable of dealing with cases in which there are more signals than sensors, and, in addition to that, the employed clustering method is responsible for significantly mitigating the effects resultants from the presence of noise. The performance of the proposed approach is verified with the help of numerical simulations focused on spatial resolution and capability. The results reveal the advantage of taking into account the modulation information of the signals inside the estimator, in contrast with the classical MUSIC, ESPRIT and MODE estimators.