A spatial filtering approach to electronic wideband beam steering

In wideband beam steering, when we need to change the beam direction frequently, the most convenient and flexible way is through digital circuits via FIR/IIR filtering. However this becomes infeasible when the signal frequency and bandwidth are extremely high. To solve this problem, instead of sampling the signals in the temporal domain for digital processing, we sample the signals spatially with more sensors positioned behind the original array of sensors. The spatially sampled signals are then processed using simple analogue circuits (variable gain amplifiers) to form the required steering delays. The delay between the spatially sampled signals is dependent on the sensor spacing and the directions of the designed beams, and is not limited by signal frequency. Design examples are provided to show that different delays can be effectively realised by a spatial filtering system to steer a nominal beam to required directions.