Description
The objective of this activity is to develop and evaluate efficient digital beamforming algorithms and techniques that are compatible with non-uniform antenna arrays or non-uniform beam lattices. The developed techniques will be implemented and evaluated on a representative processor test bed. Targeted Improvements: 30 to 70% power reduction on the implementation of digital beamforming algorithms with non-uniform input/outputs with respect to current digital beamforming implementations. Description: Current Very High Throughput Satellite (VHTS) payloads that employ digital beamforming often use Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithms as it reduces the beamforming complexity from NxN to Nlog(N), where N is the number of input values. Unfortunately, FFT-based beamforming algorithms require uniformity of the antenna array elements and on the generated beam lattice. To achieve full steering flexibility for digitally formed beams, the required resources (mass/power) are significant and currently it is not possible to form hundreds of beams this way. This activity aims to overcome this limitation. A power efficient digital beamforming technique will be developed that is compatible with both irregular arrays and irregular beam lattices or antenna array architectures, and that allows full steering flexibility for a high number of beams. Application scenarios apply to many satcom systems, in particular for non-geostationary satellites that are often more limited in terms of power and mass due to the smaller platform capabilities. A combined software and hardware processor testbed will be developed and used to test and implement the developed beamforming technique.