Patent ID: 8451173

Claim:
A method for estimating a target direction, the method comprising: receiving a wideband signal on an electronically steered array; applying convolutional or stretch processing to spatial frequency data of the wideband signal; initializing a stabilization direction to a beam pointing direction of the electronically steered array; stabilizing the convolutional or stretch processed spatial frequency data to the stabilization direction; compressing the convolutional or stretch processed spatial frequency data to a plurality of frequency range or time bins; selecting range or time bins and forming a covariance matrix; calculating an estimated target direction using the covariance matrix; determining if a stabilization direction accuracy condition is met; recalculating the stabilization direction based on the estimated target direction if the stabilization direction accuracy condition is not met; and automatically repeating stabilizing the convolutional or stretch processed spatial frequency data to the stabilization direction, compressing the convolutional or stretch processed spatial frequency data to a plurality of frequency range or time bins, calculating an estimated target direction using the covariance matrix, and recalculating the stabilization direction based on the estimated target direction until the stabilization direction accuracy condition is met.