Distortion-free delta-sigma beamforming.

We have analyzed a compact, digital delay- and-sum beamformer using 1-bit delta-sigma A/D converters, where dynamic delays are applied directly to the delta-sigma modulated bitstream. It has previously been shown that the introduction of this time-variant operation into the time-invariant delta-sigma demodulator distorts the output signal, and several methods for minimizing this effect have been suggested. We have described the effect using standard system terminology. Based on this description, a new method for removing the distortion without any significant increase in system complexity is introduced. Its advantages, performance-wise, are supported by theoretical assessments and simulations.