US 11,863,280 B2
Method and apparatus for determining the directional frequency response of an arrangement of transducer elements
Gregory Singleton, Salisbury (GB); and Philip Henry Glasson, Salisbury (GB)
Assigned to The Secretary of State for Defence, Salisbury (GB)
Appl. No. 17/250,859
Filed by THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR DEFENCE, Salisbury (GB)
PCT Filed Sep. 14, 2019, PCT No. PCT/GB2019/000133
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 12, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/070462, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 9, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 1816251 (GB), filed on Oct. 5, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0060241 A1, Feb. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. H04B 7/08 (2006.01); G01N 29/22 (2006.01); G01N 29/26 (2006.01); G01S 7/54 (2006.01); H04B 7/06 (2006.01); H04R 3/00 (2006.01); H04R 29/00 (2006.01)
CPC H04B 7/086 (2013.01) [G01N 29/221 (2013.01); G01N 29/262 (2013.01); G01S 7/54 (2013.01); H04B 7/0617 (2013.01); H04R 3/005 (2013.01); G01N 2291/106 (2013.01); H04R 29/002 (2013.01); H04R 29/005 (2013.01); H04R 2201/401 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method for determining a frequency response as a function of direction of an arrangement of transducer elements, the method comprising:
(i) providing a simulation of locations of the arrangement of the transducer elements, in a spatial domain;
(ii) providing a beamforming direction and a frequency range;
(iii) converting the simulation of locations from the spatial domain into corresponding frequency response values in a spatial frequency domain, the frequency response values having spatial frequency coordinates, such that:
for each frequency of a plurality of frequencies in the frequency range, a spatial frequency contour, defined by a locus of points in the spatial frequency domain corresponding to the location of the frequency response values associated with the frequency response, as a function of direction, of the arrangement of the transducer elements with respect to that frequency and the beamforming direction, passes through an origin of the spatial frequency domain,
wherein each of the spatial frequency contours for each of the plurality of frequencies intersect at the origin;
(iv) determining the frequency response, as a function of direction, of the arrangement of transducer elements by applying a transformation to the frequency response values for the provided beamforming direction and frequency range, wherein applying the transformation comprises translating the spatial frequency domain into a modified frequency domain, such that the contours avoid intersecting; and
(v) outputting the frequency response values in the modified frequency domain, as the frequency response, as a function of direction, of the arrangement of the transducer elements with respect to the beamforming direction.