BEAM FORMING DEVICE AND METHOD

• US 20120299773A1
• Filed: 05/01/2012
• Published: 11/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Boehnke, Ralf, STIRLING-GALLACHER, Richard, Wang, Qi
• Granted Patent: US 9,121,943 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/368
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/003 Bistatic radar systems; Multistatic radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/06 Systems determining position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S13/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/887 for detection of concealed objects, e.g. contraband or weapons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/888 through wall detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/26 varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture H01Q3/12, H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2605 Array of radiating elements provided with a feedback control over the element weights, e.g. adaptive arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/34 by electrical means active lenses or reflecting arrays H01Q3/46

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a beam forming device, comprising a transmit unit comprising at least two transmit elements that transmit radiation towards a scene, a receiver unit comprising at least two receive elements that receive radiation from said scene and that generate receive signals from said received radiation, and a beam forming unit that performs beam forming to obtain beam formed output signals from said receive signals by use of beam forming weights, wherein said beam forming weights are adapted to a distance between the scene and one or more transmit elements and/or receive elements, said distance being indicated by a distance indicator, and wherein said beam forming weights are changed if said distance changes.

Claims

1. A beam forming device comprising:

a transmit unit comprising at least two transmit elements that transmit radiation towards a scene,

a receiver unit comprising at least two receive elements that receive radiation from said scene and that generate receive signals from said received radiation, and

a beam forming unit that performs beam forming to obtain beam formed output signals from said receive signals by use of beam forming weights, wherein said beam forming weights are adapted to a distance between the scene and one or more transmit elements and/or receive elements, said distance being indicated by a distance indicator, and wherein said beam forming weights are changed if said distance changes.

2. The beam forming device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said beam forming device is configured for MIMO beam forming.

3. The beam forming device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said beam forming unit is configured to perform beam forming by multiplying all receive signals from the different transmitters by a separate beam forming weight.

4. The beam forming device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said transmit elements are configured to sequentially transmit radiation towards said scene.

5. The beam forming device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said transmit elements are configured to simultaneously transmit radiation towards said scene, wherein the radiation transmitted by different transmit elements are coded or modulated differently or are on different frequencies.

6. The beam forming device as claimed in any preceding claim,

further comprising a storage unit that stores a plurality of sets of beam forming weights for different distances.

7. The beam forming device as claimed in claim 6,

wherein said beam forming unit is configured to take the set of beam forming weights assigned to the present distance or a distance closest to the present distance from said storage unit for performing the beam forming.

8. The beam forming device as claimed in claim 6,

wherein said beam forming unit is configured to take sets of beam forming weights assigned to distances closest to the present distance from said storage unit and to calculate a set of interpolated complex weights from the sets taken from said storage unit for performing the beam forming.

9. The beam forming device as claimed in claim 1,

further comprising a weights calculation unit that determines the beam forming weights according to the present distance.

10. The beam forming device as claimed in claim 1,

further comprising a distance determination unit that determines the present distance.

11. The beam forming device as claimed in claim 10,

wherein said distance determination unit comprises a distance measurement unit, in particular an optical measurement unit, an ultrasound measurement unit or an electronic measurement unit.

12. The beam forming device as claimed in claim 10,

wherein said distance determination unit comprises a distance calculation unit that calculates the distance from said transmitted transmit signals and the receive signals obtained from radiation received in response to said transmit signals.

13. The beam forming device as claimed in claim 12,

wherein said transmit elements are configured to transmit wideband short pulses or chirp pulses, in particular FMCW pulses.

14. The beam forming device as claimed in claim 12 or 13,

wherein said distance calculation unit is configured to calculate the distance from a singlebeam formed receive signal or from the averaged or weighted average of at least two-beam formed receive signals.

15. The beam forming device as claimed in claim 14,

wherein said distance calculation unit is configured to calculate the distance from the maximum peak representing the highest detected power or voltage.

16. The beam forming device as claimed in claim 14,

wherein said distance calculation unit is configured to calculate the distance from the mean or weighted mean of at least two maximum peaks representing the highest detected power or voltage.

17. The beam forming device as claimed in claim 1,

further comprising an interface enabling a user to enter the distance or modify an assumed distance.

18. The beam forming device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said transmit elements and/or said receive elements are arranged to substantially form a one-dimensional row or a two-dimensional array.

19. The beam forming device as claimed in claim 18,

wherein said distance indicator is a distance between said scene and a reference point on said row or array, respectively.

20. The beam forming device as claimed in claim 18,

wherein said distance indicator is a distance between said scene and an average distance, said average distance of two or more distances between said scene and different transmit elements and/or receive elements arranged on said row or array, respectively.

22. An active imaging device for imaging a scene, comprising:

a beam forming device as claimed in claim 1 and

a processing unit that processes said beam formed output signals, in particular for constructing an image from said beam formed output signals and/or detecting an object in said scene.

21. A beam forming method comprising:

transmitting radiation towards a scene,

receiving radiation from said scene,

generating receive signals from said received radiation, and

performing beam forming to obtain beam formed output signals from said receive signals by use of beam forming weights, wherein said beam forming weights are adapted to a distance between the scene and one or more transmit elements and/or receive elements, said distance being indicated by a distance indicator, and wherein said beam forming weights are changed if said distance changes.

23. An active imaging method for imaging a scene, comprising:

a beam forming method as claimed in claim 21 and

processing said beam formed output signals, in particular for constructing an image from said beam formed output signals and/or detecting an object in said scene.

24. A beam forming unit comprising:

an input unit that receives receive signals generated from radiation received from a scene in response to radiation transmitted towards said scene and

processing elements that perform beam forming to obtain beam formed output signals from said receive signals by use of beam forming weights, wherein said beam forming weights are adapted to a distance between the scene and one or more transmit elements and/or receive elements, said distance being indicated by a distance indicator, and wherein said beam forming weights are changed if said distance changes.

25. A processing method comprising:

receiving receive signals generated from radiation received from a scene in response to radiation transmitted towards said scene and

performing beam forming to obtain beam formed output signals from said receive signals by use of beam forming weights, wherein said beam forming weights are adapted to a distance between the scene and one or more transmit elements and/or receive elements, said distance being indicated by a distance indicator, and wherein said beam forming weights are changed if said distance changes.

26. A computer readable non-transitory medium having instructions stored thereon which, when carried out on a computer, cause the computer to perform the steps of the method as claimed in claim 25.