Estimation of array element phases in adverse interference conditions

A method to estimate the element phases of a sensor array is presented. It uses a movable calibration source in the far-field zone of the array. Snapshots of the array element outputs are taken and individually transformed to make the signal appear to come from a fixed direction. The array output power from this direction is then calculated with the Capon method and maximized with respect to the estimates of element phases. This method is tolerant to many types of interference, including specular multipath interference. Computer simulations indicate that the accuracy of phase estimates is high when reasonably accurate estimates of the source direction can be obtained from the array snapshots