Modular Parallel Beamforming System for Flexible Sensor Arrays
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional beamforming systems are inflexible and require significant reconfiguration to adapt to varying numbers and types of sensors, limiting their ability to process a wide range of input signals effectively.
Innovation Solution
A modular parallel beamforming system comprising interconnected modular beamformers, each with signal generation units, delaying units, multipliers, and summers, allowing for adaptive delay and weighting of signals, and enabling easy reconfiguration by combining multiple modules to process signals from arrays of sensors or antennas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional beamforming systems are used, then signal processing capability is provided, but flexibility and adaptability to varying sensor arrays are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The beamforming system is divided into multiple independent modular beamformer units, each capable of processing a subset of sensor signals. These modules can be independently configured and combined to match different sensor array configurations, enabling flexible adaptation without requiring complete system reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
Each modular beamformer unit is designed with universal input interfaces and configurable processing parameters that allow it to work with different types and numbers of sensors. The modules can be universally applied across various sensor array configurations through software configuration rather than hardware reconfiguration.
2Productivity
If the number of sensors in the array increases, then signal processing capability is improved, but system complexity and reconfiguration difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system processes signals from a large number of sensors by dividing them into multiple modular beamformer units, each handling a subset of sensors. This segmentation allows the system to scale to handle increasing numbers of sensors while maintaining manageable complexity within each module.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple modular beamformer units are combined in parallel to process signals from expanded sensor arrays. The modules can be easily added or removed to match the desired sensor array size, allowing scalable signal processing capability without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional beamformers are used, then basic beamforming functionality is achieved, but ease of reconfiguration for different applications is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses identical standardized modular beamformer units that can be repeatedly instantiated and configured for different applications. This standardization simplifies the design process, as engineers only need to understand one module type rather than designing custom beamformers for each application.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular beamformers incorporate dynamic configuration capabilities through software control, allowing delay values, weighting factors, and other parameters to be adjusted in real-time without physical reconfiguration. This dynamic adaptability simplifies the design process for different applications.
Data Source
AI summary
The beamforming system includes a plurality of beamformers operatively coupled to each other. Each beamformer includes a plurality of signal generation units and a plurality of respective delaying units. Each beamformer includes a plurality of multipliers assigned to each delaying unit. Each beamformer includes a plurality of summers configured to receive a respective group of conditioned signals from a respective group of the plurality of multipliers, combine the respective group of conditioned signals and generate a respective phased array output signal. Each of the summers is configured to receive at least another input other than the respective group of conditioned signals. The plurality of beamformers are interconnected such that each of the plurality of summers within each beamformer receives, as the at least another input, a respective phased array output signal from a summer of a different one of the plurality of beamformers. As associated method is also provided.