Patent ID: 7619563

Claim:
A beamformer for use with a plurality of sensors each configured to generate a sensor input signal representable by an input vector having phase and magnitude components, the beamformer comprising: a phase difference enhancement circuit configured to enhance a phase difference between at least two sensor input signals as a function of a phase difference of input vectors corresponding to at least two sensor input signals and to thereby generate one or more phase-enhanced signals; a first circuit configured to generate a first circuit output signal form at least two first circuit input signals; a second circuit configured to generate a second circuit output signal from at least two second circuit input signals; an adaptive filter configured to receive the second circuit output signal and generate a filtered signal therefrom; and a third circuit configured to receive the filtered signal and a delayed version of the first circuit output signal and generate a difference signal therefrom, wherein at least one phase-enhanced signal is applied as one of the input signals to at least one of the first and second circuits.