Fast polarization parameter estimation for conformal array signal processing

Fast joint estimation of direction-of-arrival (DOA) and polarization parameters in conformal arrays is challenged by geometry-dependent polarization responses and the high-dimensional search required by conventional subspace methods. A fast polarization parameter estimation algorithm, termed TID-DESPRIT, is developed by combining phase-mode (PM) transformation with Hough Transform (HT) parameter extraction. The received data are transformed into the PM domain, and a decoupling matrix is introduced to recover an equivalent Toeplitz structure for arbitrary circular arc arrays. The multidimensional nonlinear peak-searching problem is then converted into curve-intersection detection in parameter space. Numerical simulations using 10,000 Monte Carlo snapshots with QPSK signals show that, at an SNR of 10 dB, TID-DESPRIT attains a 95% success rate for estimation errors within ± 1°, with a standard deviation of 0.08, while reducing computational time by 40% relative to MUSIC. The results demonstrate an effective trade-off between estimation accuracy and computational efficiency for conformal-array polarization parameter estimation.