Patent ID: 7277051

Claim:
A method of producing a digital beamformer signal using output signals generated by an array of antenna elements in response to the reception of electromagnetic waves, where each antenna element is directly associated with an antenna module, each of which processes an output signal generated by a corresponding antenna element characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: each antenna module providing a working frequency signal from the output signal generated by the corresponding associated antenna element; each antenna module converting the working frequency signal to a complex digital antenna signal at a first data rate; each antenna module multiplying the complex digital antenna signal with a complex beam coefficient generating a complex beam element signal at a second data rate; asynchronously adding the generated complex beam element signals in groups comprising at least two antenna modules forming a complex beam signal by means of complex adders on the respective antenna modules being intercoupled to form respective serial asynchronous complex adding chains; providing the digital beamformer signal from the complex beam signal.