Passive localisation of mixed near-field and far-field signals using the transformed symmetric nested array

Direction of arrival (DOA) estimation of mixed near-field (NF) and far-field (FF) signals is one of the key issues in the study of array signal processing. For more precise localisation performance, sparse arrays have drawn the attention of an increasing number of academics. Excitingly, sparse arrays enable larger array apertures and higher degrees of freedom (DOFs) than traditionally used uniform linear arrays. Consequently, this study proposes a transformed symmetric nested array (TSNA) for the passive localisation application regarding mixed NF and FF. There are three processes that go into building the proposed array. In the first step, we swap the positions of the uniform linear arrays and the sparse linear arrays in the nested array. In the second step, we place the corresponding array sensors extracted from the uniform linear array behind the uniform linear array to form a new subarray. In the last step, the TSNA is constructed by folding the formed array in half. Furthermore, we give the formula of the largest consecutive lags of the TSNA and its corresponding constructor. Finally, through theoretical analysis and computer performance simulation, this study illustrates the proposed array's numerous advantages over currently used symmetric sparse arrays.