A covariance fitting approach to parametric localization of multiple incoherently distributed sources

In this paper, a new algorithm for parametric localization of multiple incoherently distributed sources is presented. This algorithm is based on an approximation of the array covariance matrix using central and noncentral moments of the source angular power densities. Based on this approximation, a new computationally simple covariance fitting-based technique is proposed to estimate these moments. Then, the source parameters are obtained from the moment estimates. Compared with earlier algorithms, our technique has lower computational cost and obtains the parameter estimates in a closed form. In addition, it can be applied to scenarios with multiple sources that may have different angular power densities, while other known methods are not applicable to such scenarios.