About cookies on this site Our websites require some cookies to function properly (required). In addition, other cookies may be used with your consent to analyze site usage, improve the user experience and for advertising. For more information, please review your options. By visiting our website, you agree to our processing of information as described in IBM’sprivacy statement. To provide a smooth navigation, your cookie preferences will be shared across the IBM web domains listed here.
Publication
ICASSP 2016
Conference paper
Flexibeam: Analytic spatial filtering by beamforming
Abstract
We propose a new, general, method for spatial filtering by beam-forming. The desired filter, specified analytically on an n-dimensional sphere, is extended to n+1-dimensional Euclidean space. A continuous beamforming function is then obtained by the n+1-dimensional Fourier transform of the extended filter. The beamforming weight at a given array element corresponds then to a sample of the function at the array element location., The scheme is a generalisation of focused beamforming on a single point by phase difference alignment. The analytic framework allows tractable, stable determination of beamforming weights, and for clear filter specification. By avoiding approximating a Dirac, desired areas can be covered with reduced side lobes. Multiple areas may be targeted simultaneously. In communications applications, channel information updates can be reduced, and movement accounted for. A WiFi demonstration shows that more flexible beam-shapes can be beneficial for real-life examples, factoring in attenuation.