Range and bearing estimation of wideband sources using an orthogonal beamspace processing structure

We propose a new method for range and bearing estimation of wideband sources based on a novel beamspace structure. The proposed structure consists of an orthogonal set of beamspace processors that have a frequency-invariant beampattern property, and can be steered easily to any nearfield range while maintaining the frequency-invariance of the spatial response. These properties mean that the proposed structure can perform coherent signal subspace processing for nearfield wideband sources, making it ideal for wideband range and bearing estimation. Performance of the estimator is demonstrated through Monte Carlo simulations.