Two-Dimensional DOA Estimation Method of Multipath Signals Using Dynamic Metasurface Antennas

Existing Two-dimensional Direction-of-Arrival (2-D DOA) estimation methods of multipath signals using uniform planar array (UPA) face challenges related to high hardware costs and high computational complexity. In this letter, we exploit the current advances in Dynamic Metasurface Antennas (DMA) to propose a new 2-D DOA estimation method of multipath signals using DMA. The proposed method first employs DMA with fewer RF chains to design a space-time isomeric scheme, which acquire equivalent multi-dimensional received signals by rapidly changing the pattern within a single pilot symbol period. Then, the array data are accurately reconstructed using a generalized inverse matrix algorithm. After that, we obtain two standard linear array data by summing over the rows data and the columns data, respectively. The corresponding angles of each multipath are estimated by the Method of Direction Estimation (MODE) algorithm. Finally, the elevation and azimuth angles are obtained by trigonometric function calculation according to the geometric relationship. Simulation results illustrate that the proposed method reduces computational complexity and verifies its effectiveness using DMA, demonstrating that DMA with fewer RF chains can achieve the same estimation performance as the UPA.