Patent ID: 7353056

Claim:
A method for implementing a switching configuration that minimizes the errors introduced by a network of switches during control of a reconfigurable array of sensor elements, comprising the following steps: (a) generating an initial switching configuration; and (b) performing an iterative algorithm comprising the following steps: (i) inputting a switch configuration into a model of the system that calculates the response of the system, taking into account all of the switching network errors, said initial switching configuration being inputted at the start and successively derived modified switching configurations being inputted in succession thereafter; (ii) generating an image or radiation pattern using the model with the inputted switch configuration; (iii) calculating a value for a cost function based at least in part on data representing the generated pattern; (iv) determining whether the calculated value substantially represents a minimum for said cost function; and (v) if the calculated value is not a minimum for said cost function, modifying the current switching configuration as a function of the results of said value calculation to arrive at a modified switching configuration, steps (i) through (v) being repeated for each switching configuration; and (c) if the calculated value is a minimum for said cost function, configuring said switching network with the modified switching configuration that caused the cost function value to be minimized.