Movable-Antenna Array Enhanced Multi-Target Sensing: CRB Characterization and Optimization

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Main Authors: Mao, Haobin, Zhu, Lipeng, Ma, Wenyan, Xiao, Zhenyu, Xia, Xiang-Gen, Zhang, Rui
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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_version_ 1866911283548258304
author Mao, Haobin
Zhu, Lipeng
Ma, Wenyan
Xiao, Zhenyu
Xia, Xiang-Gen
Zhang, Rui
author_facet Mao, Haobin
Zhu, Lipeng
Ma, Wenyan
Xiao, Zhenyu
Xia, Xiang-Gen
Zhang, Rui
contents Movable antennas (MAs) have emerged as a promising technology to improve wireless communication and sensing performance towards sixth-generation (6G) networks through flexible antenna movement. In this paper, we propose a novel wireless sensing system based on MA arrays to enhance multi-target spatial angle estimation performance. We begin by characterizing the Cramér-Rao bound (CRB) matrix for multi-target angle of arrival (AoA) estimation as a function of the antenna's positions in MA arrays, thereby establishing a theoretical foundation for antenna position optimization. Then, aiming at improving the sensing coverage performance, we formulate an optimization problem to minimize the expectation of the trace of the CRB matrix over random target angles subject to a given distribution by optimizing the antennas' positions. To tackle the formulated challenging optimization problem, the Monte Carlo method is employed to approximate the intractable objective function, and a swarm-based gradient descent algorithm is subsequently proposed to address the approximated problem. In addition, a lower-bound on the sum of CRBs for multi-target AoA estimation is derived. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed MA-based design achieves superior sensing performance compared to conventional systems using fixed-position antenna (FPA) arrays and single-target-oriented MA arrays, in terms of decreasing both CRB and the actual AoA estimation mean square error (MSE). Fundamentally, the designed MA array geometry exhibits low correlation and high effective power of sensitivity vectors for multi-target sensing in the angular domain, leading to significant CRB performance improvement. The resultant low correlation of steering vectors over multiple targets' directions further helps mitigate angle estimation ambiguity and thus enhances MSE performance.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_18907
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Movable-Antenna Array Enhanced Multi-Target Sensing: CRB Characterization and Optimization
Mao, Haobin
Zhu, Lipeng
Ma, Wenyan
Xiao, Zhenyu
Xia, Xiang-Gen
Zhang, Rui
Signal Processing
Movable antennas (MAs) have emerged as a promising technology to improve wireless communication and sensing performance towards sixth-generation (6G) networks through flexible antenna movement. In this paper, we propose a novel wireless sensing system based on MA arrays to enhance multi-target spatial angle estimation performance. We begin by characterizing the Cramér-Rao bound (CRB) matrix for multi-target angle of arrival (AoA) estimation as a function of the antenna's positions in MA arrays, thereby establishing a theoretical foundation for antenna position optimization. Then, aiming at improving the sensing coverage performance, we formulate an optimization problem to minimize the expectation of the trace of the CRB matrix over random target angles subject to a given distribution by optimizing the antennas' positions. To tackle the formulated challenging optimization problem, the Monte Carlo method is employed to approximate the intractable objective function, and a swarm-based gradient descent algorithm is subsequently proposed to address the approximated problem. In addition, a lower-bound on the sum of CRBs for multi-target AoA estimation is derived. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed MA-based design achieves superior sensing performance compared to conventional systems using fixed-position antenna (FPA) arrays and single-target-oriented MA arrays, in terms of decreasing both CRB and the actual AoA estimation mean square error (MSE). Fundamentally, the designed MA array geometry exhibits low correlation and high effective power of sensitivity vectors for multi-target sensing in the angular domain, leading to significant CRB performance improvement. The resultant low correlation of steering vectors over multiple targets' directions further helps mitigate angle estimation ambiguity and thus enhances MSE performance.
title Movable-Antenna Array Enhanced Multi-Target Sensing: CRB Characterization and Optimization
topic Signal Processing
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.18907