Beam forming device and method

• US 9,121,943 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2012
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Stirling-Gallacher, Richard, Wang, Qi, Boehnke, Ralf
• Primary Examiner(s): BYTHROW, PETER M
• Application Number:
  US13/461,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20120299773A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 342/22, 342/74, 342/81, 342 89-101, 342/368, 342/371, 342/372, 342/417, 342/422, 342444-446, 342/459, 342463-465
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 transmitter comprising at least two transmit elements that transmit radiation towards a scene;

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

beam forming circuitry configured to;

perform beam forming to obtain beam formed output signals from said receive signals by use of beam forming weights; and

adapt said beam forming weights based on a distance between said scene and one or more of said transmit elements and said receive elements, by changing said beam forming weights based on a distance indicator that indicates said distance between said scene and one or more of said transmit elements and said receive elements when said distance indicator indicates said distance has been changed such that a difference of said distance among said transmit elements and said receive elements is compensated for, said difference changing according to said distance.

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 circuitry is configured to perform beam forming by multiplying all receive signals generated by the different receive elements 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 claim 1,

further comprising a storage 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 circuitry is configured to take a first set of beam forming weights assigned to a present distance or take a second set of beam forming weights assigned to a distance closest to the present distance when there is no set of beam forming weights assigned to the present distance from said storage for performing the beam forming.

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

wherein said beam forming circuitry is configured to take a plurality of sets of beam forming weights assigned to a plurality of distances within a determined distance from the present distance from said storage and to calculate a set of interpolated beam forming weights from the plurality of sets taken from said storage for performing the beam forming.

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

wherein said beam forming circuitry is configured to determine the beam forming weights according to a present distance between said scene and one or more of said transmit elements and said receive elements.

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

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 either optical measurement circuitry, ultrasound measurement circuitry or electronic measurement circuitry.

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

wherein said distance determination unit 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, chirp pulses, or FMCW pulses.

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

wherein said distance determination unit is configured to calculate the distance from a single-beam formed receive signal or from an 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 determination unit is configured to calculate the distance from a maximum peak representing a highest detected power or voltage.

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

wherein said distance determination unit is configured to calculate the distance from a 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 to enter the distance or modify the distance.

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

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

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

wherein said distance indicator is an average distance of two or more distances between said scene and different transmit elements and receive elements arranged on said one-dimensional row or said two-dimensional array.

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

a beam forming device as claimed in claim 1; and

a processor that is configured to process said beam formed output signals to construct an image from said beam formed output signals and to detect an object in said scene.

21. A beam forming method comprising:

transmitting, using at least two transmit elements, radiation towards a scene;

receiving, using at least two receive elements, radiation from said scene;

generating receive signals from said received radiation;

performing, using circuitry, beam forming to obtain beam formed output signals from said receive signals by use of beam forming weights; and

adapting, using said circuitry, said beam forming weights based on a distance between said scene and one or more of said transmit elements and said receive elements, by changing said beam forming weights based on a distance indicator that indicates said distance between said scene and one or more of said transmit elements and said receive elements when said distance indicator indicates said distance has been changed such that a difference of said distance among said transmit elements and said receive elements is compensated for, said difference changing according to said distance.

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

performing a beam forming method as claimed in claim 21; and

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

24. A beam forming device comprising:

beam forming circuitry configured to;

receive signals generated from radiation received from a scene by at least two receive elements in response to radiation transmitted towards said scene from at least two transmit elements;

perform beam forming to obtain beam formed output signals from said receive signals by use of beam forming weights; and

adapt said beam forming weights based on a distance between said scene and one or more of said transmit elements and said receive elements, by changing said beam forming weights based on a distance indicator that indicates said distance between said scene and one or more of said transmit elements and said receive elements when said distance indicator indicates said distance has been changed such that a difference of said distance among said transmit elements and said receive elements is compensated for, said difference changing according to said distance.

25. A processing method comprising:

receiving receive signals generated from radiation received from a scene by at least two receive elements in response to radiation transmitted towards said scene from at least two transmit elements;

performing, using circuitry, beam forming to obtain beam formed output signals from said receive signals by use of beam forming weights; and

adapting, using said circuitry, said beam forming weights based on a distance between said scene and one or more of said transmit elements and said receive elements, by changing said beam forming weights based on a distance indicator that indicates said distance between said scene and one or more of said transmit elements and said receive elements when said distance indicator indicates said distance has been changed such that a difference of said distance among said transmit elements and said receive elements is compensated for, said difference changing according to said distance.

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