Patent ID: 7472041

Claim:
A method for accommodating device and/or signal mismatch in a sensor array system having a plurality of sensors generating a plurality of input signals including first and second sensors generating first and second input signals, the plurality of input signals being representable, at at least one frequency, by input signal vectors each having a phase component and a magnitude component, including first and second input signal vectors, the method comprising: generating the first and second input signals from the first and second sensors; processing the first and second input signals, said processing including, at the at least one frequency, using the magnitudes of the first and second input vectors to obtain corresponding first and second magnitude matched vectors, the first and second magnitude matched vectors: A) each having a magnitude that is substantially equal to a mathematical mean of the magnitudes of two or more of said input signal vectors; B) each having a phase that is substantially equal to the phase of a respective one of the first and second input signal vectors; and C) having a phase relationship that is representable as a vector phase difference; enhancing the vector phase difference by modifying the phase of at least one of the first and second magnitude matches vectors, thereby generating at least one modified magnitude matched vectors, said enhancing being a function of the vector phase difference of the first and second magnitude matched vectors, and including increasing or decreasing the vector phase difference in a frequency-dependent manner; and generating an output signal that is a function of the modified magnitude matched vector.