Nonlinear Programming Algorithm for Optimizing Conventional Beamformer Shading Weights

摘要

A numerical method to determine the optimal shading weights for a conventional delay-and-sum beamformer has been developed. The method employs a maximization of the deflection coefficient under the constraint of maintaining signal gain. This provides an optimal array shading scheme based on available noise data. The algorithm has been implemented using off-the-shelf numerical methods that are applicable only for small arrays. For large arrays, a special- purpose optimization algorithm has been developed. The performance of the algorithms on measured test array data is included to show the level of performance improvement.