Adaptive beamformer

About: Adaptive beamformer is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 4934 publications have been published within this topic receiving 93100 citations.

Fully Automatic Computation of Diagonal Loading Levels for Robust Adaptive Beamforming

Abstract: The main drawback of the conventional diagonal loading (DL) approaches is that there is no clear guideline on how to choose the DL level reliably or how to select user parameters appropriately. An algorithm that can be used to compute the DL level completely automatically from the given data without the need of specifying any user parameter is considered. In this algorithm an enhanced covariance matrix estimate obtained via a shrinkage method, instead of the sample covariance matrix, is used in the standard Capon beamforming formulation. The performance of the resulting beamformer is illustrated via numerical examples, and it is compared with several other adaptive beamformers.

A Bayesian approach to robust adaptive beamforming

Abstract: An adaptive beamformer that is robust to uncertainty in source direction-of-arrival (DOA) is derived using a Bayesian approach. The DOA is assumed to be a discrete random variable with a known a priori probability density function (PDF) that reflects the level of uncertainty in the source DOA. The resulting beamformer is a weighted sum of minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) beamformers pointed at a set of candidate DOAs, where the relative contribution of each MVDR beamformer is determined from the a posteriori PDF of the DOA conditioned on previously observed data. A simple approximation to the a posteriori PDF results in a straightforward implementation. Performance of the approximate Bayesian beamformer is compared with linearly constrained minimum variance (LCMV) beamformers and data-driven approaches that attempt to estimate signal characteristics or the steering vector from the data.

Evaluation of an adaptive beamforming method for hearing aids.

Abstract: In this paper evaluations of a two-microphone adaptive beamforming system for hearing aids are presented. The system, based on the constrained adaptive beamformer described by Griffiths and Jim [IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag. AP-30, 27-34 (1982)], adapts to preserve target signals from straight ahead and to minimize jammer signals arriving from other directions. Modifications of the basic Griffiths-Jim algorithm are proposed to alleviate problems of target cancellation and misadjustment that arise in the presence of strong target signals. The evaluations employ both computer simulations and a real-time hardware implementation and are restricted to the case of a single jammer. Performance is measured by the spectrally weighted gain in the target-to-jammer ratio in the steady state. Results show that in environments with relatively little reverberation: (1) the modifications allow good performance even with misaligned arrays and high input target-to-jammer ratios; and (2) performance is better with a broadside array with 7-cm spacing between microphones than with a 26-cm broadside or a 7-cm endfire configuration. Performance degrades in reverberant environments; at the critical distance of a room, improvement with a practical system is limited to a few dB.

Adaptive beamforming with the generalized sidelobe canceller in the presence of array imperfections

Abstract: Antenna designers often employ linearly constrained adaptive beamforming as an antijamming measure. With minimal a priori knowledge of the signal environment, this technique nulls out jammers while simultaneously preserving the quality of the main lobe so that a friendly look-direction signal can be received with unity gain. Unfortunately, in the absence of special strategies, linearly constrained adaptive beamforming is hypersensitive to array imperfections when the input signal-to-noise ratio exceeds a certain threshold. This hypersensitivity manifests itself as a nailing of the friendly signal as if it were a jammer. Luckily, the signal nulling problem can be easily remedied by artificial receiver noise injection. A particularly simple and general structure for linearly constrained adaptive beamforming was proposed during the 1970's, and is known as the generalized sidelobe canceller. A detailed analysis of the generalized sidelobe canceller in the presence of array imperfections is discussed, and two new artificial receiver noise injection algorithms are proposed. Computer simulations are included to demonstrate that use of these new algorithms alleviates the signal nailing problem without seriously compromising jammer nulling. For the special case of the Capon maximum-likelihood beamformer, simple approximations are presented for: 1) the Wiener output signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio ( SINR_{0}\astr ), 2) the antenna element error variance that causes a 3 dB loss of SINR_{0}\astr from its value for an ideal array, and 3) the optimal artificial receiver noise that maximizes SINR_{0}\astr .

An adaptive array in a spread-spectrum communication system

Abstract: This paper describes the integration of an LMS adaptive array into a pseudonoise (PN) coded biphase modulated communication system. The paper explains how these systems my be combined and presents a systems overview of the interaction between the adaptive array and the signaling waveform. An experimental system is described, and typical performance results are presented. The hybrid system requires only very modest spectrum-spreading ratios, such as 5:1, for the adaptive array to null interference. The combined system provides the interference protection of the adaptive array during the code timing acquisition phase as well as after code lockup.