TCLA Array: A New Sparse Array Design with Less Mutual Coupling

The recent criteria of a preferable linear sparse array for a robust direction of arrival (DOA) estimation are the closed-form expression for its sensor locations, the large central uniform linear array (ULA) segment in its resulting co-array and the fewer sensor pairs with small separations in its configuration. This paper aims to introduce a new proposed sparse array that takes into account all these considerations. The new sparse array configuration is proposed based on utilizing the two coordinates of a linear axis (TCLA) to situate its sub-arrays. Compared to the (super) nested array having the same sensor number, the TCLA array owns the same number of uniform degrees of freedom (DOFs) but possesses less mutual coupling effects. These properties are quantitatively covered, and numerical simulations are included to demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed array.