Generalized Broadband Beamforming Using a Modal Subspace Decomposition

We propose a new broadband beamformer design technique which produces an optimal receiver beam pattern for any set of field measurements in space and time. The modal subspace decomposition (MSD) technique is based on projecting a desired pattern into the subspace of patterns achievable by a particular set of space-time sampling positions. This projection is the optimal achievable pattern in the sense that it minimizes the mean-squared error (MSE) between the desired and actual patterns. The main advantage of the technique is versatility as it can be applied to both sparse and dense arrays, nonuniform and asynchronous time sampling, and dynamic arrays where sensors can move throughout space. It can also be applied to any beam pattern type, including frequency-invariant and spot pattern designs. A simple extension to the technique is presented for oversampled arrays, which allows high-resolution beamforming whilst carefully controlling input energy and error sensitivity.