[C4] Low SWAP Target Localisation and Spatiotemporal Beamforming
The aim of this proposed work is to develop efficient generic modules and architectures for integration of the branches of an array-system, as well as on proposing novel concepts to further reduce the size, weight and the power consumption of array-sensor system for target localization and beamforming.
Beamformers have been widely used in military and commercial applications due to their many capabilities in obtaining information from the waveforms received at the array elements in a signal environment which consists of multiple emitting sources (targets) plus noise. In general this is achieved by using an array-pattern-forming-network which places relatively high gain in those directions which contain the desired signal and, at the same time, places nulls in the directions of the interferences. This will increase the detection gain of the “desired” target in a multitarget environment.
However, one main problem with conventional beamformers (time-domain beamformers) is related to their inability to detect and resolve sources/targets located close together in space. This inability is imposed from the fact that their performance is limited by the Signal-to-Noise-plus-Interference Ratio (SNIR). This gave rise to a new class of techniques, known as High-Resolution or Superresolution spatiotemporal techniques, which are mainly used in the Direction Finding Problem and beamforming.
Project Supervisor
Eric M. Yeatman has been a member of academic staff in Imperial College London since 1989, and Professor of Micro-Engineering since 2005. He is deputy head of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and has published more than 130 papers on optical devices and materials, and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). He holds several patents, and is co-founder and chairman of Microsaic Systems Ltd., a MEMS product development company spun-out of the college. He has been principal or co-investigator on more than 20 research council and industry supported projects, with over £6M in research funds raised. He has acted as a design consultant for several international companies, and technical advisory board member to two venture capital funds. His current research interests are in radio frequency and photonic MEMS devices, and energy scavenging for wireless sensor nodes.
