Analysis of fast accurate low ambiguity beam forming for non λ/2 ultrasonic arrays

Two-dimensional ultrasonic measuring systems have found applications in a number of fields including robotics and process control. To provide two-dimensional ranging, an array of receiving and/or transmitting elements are required, which have traditionally required spacing at sub-λ/2 intervals. The λ/2 limitation has been removed by new processing methods but the process still remains computationally intensive. This paper describes a method of reducing the computational effort significantly whilst increasing the accuracy of measurement. In order to optimise the system further, an analysis of the effect of different receiving element distributions within the array on systematic and random errors is also presented.

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