An array pairing method for localizing distributed sources by acoustic beamforming

Abstract

An acoustic beamforming concept is presented that alleviates some misrepresentation caused by deconvolution algorithms that can oversimplify distributed sources as a series of point sources. In the Array Pairing Method (APM) an initial array beamforms the acoustic source, then an iterative randomized array is calculated whereby the square-rooted product of the beamformer output possesses a minimum product of Maximum Sidelobe Level (MSL) and Main Lobe Width (MLW). A single and distributed source simulation and a single and dual speaker experiment using the APM reveal significant improvements in MSL and MLW and resolution in the distributed source region.