An analysis of three-channel RSNS virtual spacing direction finding system

• Main Author: Kwai, Kevin Kiah Wen
• Other Authors: Pace, Phillip E.
• Published: Monterey California. Naval Postgraduate School 2012
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/3106

The design and performance analysis of a three-channel Robust Symmetrical Number System (RSNS) virtual spacing direction finding (DF) system was carried out in this thesis. The design was based on hardware used in the previous work in which a digital three-channel RSNS-based interferometer was built. In designing a RSNS virtual spacing DF system, it was found that the ratio between the modulus is an important parameter. The ratio affects the selection of the moduli set, the array size and the system's field of view. Based on the hardware used, the system's signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was determined for a simulated emitter. Random Gaussian noise was injected into the system to determine the accuracy of mapping the actual angle-of-arrival (AOA) to the estimated AOA. Monte Carlo simulations were carried out to determine the probability of correctly estimating the AOA of the signal. Simulation results from the effect of spacing errors, phase errors, frequency error, moduli set change and SNR change was presented and analyzed. The RSNS-based DF system was found to be relatively insensitive to spacing error. A proposed two set of moduli were used to improve the accuracy and probability of correct estimation in both low SNR and high SNR conditions.