Hardware Decompressor Padding for Non-Equidistant FFT Data
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Radar systems with non-equidistantly spaced antennas or non-equidistant sampling rates face inefficiencies in Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) processing due to increased memory accesses and lack of parallelism, leading to incorrect results and significant time and memory requirements when processing sampled data in software.
Innovation Solution
A processor with a hardware decompressor and Fourier transform engine that pads non-equidistant data with predefined values, allowing for on-the-fly FFT processing without the need for pre-storing data in buffers, enabling efficient handling of non-equidistant data by converting it into a format suitable for FFT processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If FFT processing is performed on non-equidistant data using software, then processing flexibility is improved, but processing time and memory space requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces software-based FFT processing with a dedicated hardware FFT processor. This hardware device is specifically designed to handle non-equidistant data through integrated interpolation circuits, eliminating the need for software computation and significantly reducing processing time while maintaining flexibility through configurable interpolation algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an interpolation circuit as an intermediary component between the data input and the FFT processor. This intermediary performs the necessary data transformation to convert non-equidistant samples into an equidistant format suitable for standard FFT processing, thereby enabling efficient hardware-based processing without sacrificing adaptability.
2Device complexity
If FFT processing is performed on non-equidistant data using standard methods, then processing simplicity is maintained, but processing correctness deteriorates due to incorrect results
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary interpolation processing to transform non-equidistant data into equidistant data before the FFT operation. By pre-processing the data to meet the equidistant requirement, the standard FFT algorithm can be used without modification, maintaining processing simplicity while ensuring correct results through the intermediate transformation step.
3Loss of information
If non-equidistant data is processed without padding, then data integrity is preserved, but FFT processing capability is lost due to incompatible data length
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies zero-padding as an excessive action, adding redundant zero values to extend the data length to the next power of two. This padding operation does not alter the original data information but provides the necessary length compatibility for efficient FFT processing, enabling the use of optimized algorithms that require power-of-two input lengths.
Data Source
AI summary
A processor having a hardware decompressor configured to pad a non-equidistant data set, which is data received at irregular time intervals, with one or more of a predefined value, wherein the data is radar or optical sensor data; and a Fourier transform engine configured to receive the padded non-equidistant data set directly and continuously per data set from the hardware decompressor, and to FFT process the received padded non-equidistant data set.