Experimental validation of a coprime linear microphone array for high-resolution direction-of-arrival measurements.

Area of Science:

• Acoustics and Signal Processing
• Array Signal Processing
• Electromagnetics and Wave Propagation

Background:

• Traditional uniform linear arrays require numerous sensors for narrow beamforming.
• Coprime arrays offer a method to achieve higher spatial resolution with fewer elements.
• The coprime sampling theory enables enhanced directional band capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally validate the coprime sampling theory using a linear microphone array.
• To demonstrate the practical implementation of coprime arrays for improved beamforming.
• To compare predicted and measured results for a 16-element coprime array.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of coprime sampling theory in a 16-element linear microphone array.
• Utilizing two staggered uniform linear subarrays with coprime numbers of elements (9 and 8).
• Applying spatial filtering to subarrays and combining their outputs.

Main Results:

• Experimental validation of the coprime array theory was achieved.
• The 16-element coprime microphone array successfully produced narrow beampatterns.
• Measured results confirmed the predicted performance of the coprime array.

Conclusions:

• Coprime linear microphone arrays effectively achieve narrow beampatterns with reduced sensor count.
• The experimental results validate the practical application of coprime sampling theory in acoustics.
• This technology offers a promising approach for advanced microphone array design.