Sensor Self-Localization for Antenna Arrays Subject to Bending and Vibrations

A method is presented for dealing with the array self-calibration problem with persistent and noncooperating narrowband sources such as TV, GSM, and radio emissions. We consider large and flexible antennas whose sensors are subject to important static distortions and dynamical vibrations. Such antennas can be found, for example, when a high-resolution array is inserted along the wings of an aircraft. We propose a self-calibration technique that solves phase ambiguities arising from the large static bending and estimates the current array shape. This two-step method can be used with a single carrier frequency or with multiband sensors. The performance of the method is evaluated with simulated data and is compared to the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB).