Three-channel interferometer radar angle estimation method

To implement a portable meter wave radar, a three-channel interferometer AOA (angle of arrival) estimation method is proposed. The method implements the targets location in the whole space with only three receiving elements. Because the three receiving elements are placed on the vertexes of an equilateral triangle, the azimuth and elevation angles can be calculated through the phase differences between different elements. The phase differences are obtained by the method of FFT. For a moving target detection radar, the phase differences of the three elements can be calculated from the three channels' moving target detection (MTD) results. Then the angle of arrival (AOA) estimation based on three-channel interferometer can be achieved. It gaves the structure and implementation process of a typical radar location system based on the method. The reasons affecting the performance of the AOA estimation method are analyzed. Results of Monte-Carlo signal simulations with inputs in different SNRs are presented to demonstrate the angle accuracy performance, showing that the AOA estimation method is effective and practical.