Weighted subspace fitting for general array error models

Model error sensitivity is an issue common to all high-resolution direction-of-arrival estimators. Much attention has been directed to the design of algorithms for minimum variance estimation taking only finite sample errors into account. Approaches to reduce the sensitivity due to array calibration errors have also appeared in the literature. Herein, one such approach is adopted that assumes that the errors due to finite samples and model errors are of comparable size. A weighted subspace fitting method for very general array perturbation models is derived. This method provides minimum variance estimates under the assumption that the prior distribution of the perturbation model is known. Interestingly, the method reduces to the WSF (MODE) estimator if no model errors are present. Vice versa, assuming that model errors dominate, the method specializes to the corresponding “model-errors-only subspace fitting method.” Unlike previous techniques for model errors, the estimator can be implemented using a two-step procedure if the nominal array is uniform and linear, and it is also consistent even if the signals are fully correlated. The paper also contains a large sample analysis of one of the alternative methods, namely, MAPprox. It is shown that MAPprox also provides minimum variance estimates under reasonable assumptions.