A robust beamformer with virtual array

Traditional minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) has been widely used in digital beamforming, while due to its high side lobe and degraded performance in mismatch scenarios, several strategies have been proposed to increase its robustness, such as, Diagonal Loading (DL) and eigenspace- based beamformers etc. Recently, a convex optimization method has been proposed for increasing the robustness of array beamforming against signal mismatch situations. In this paper, a new beamformer is proposed by applying the virtual array extending technique into the convex optimization approach. The proposed beamformer which is robust in mismatch scenarios narrows the mainlobe and suppresses the sidelobe greatly. Finally, simulation results illustrate that the proposed beamformer has good performance in mismatch scenarios.