MISOCP-QBeam: Scalable Joint Amplitude and Phase Quantization for Enhanced Beamforming and Sidelobe Control in Planar Phased Arrays

Globecom, pp. 618–623

Abstract

In modern phased-array systems, limited resolution of digital attenuators and phase shifters can degrade beamforming accuracy, increase interference, and disrupt beam tracking, impacting overall performance. While existing methods like rounding, dithering, and optimization-based approaches have addressed phase quantization, most have overlooked amplitude errors and are often limited to specific configurations, such as linear arrays. This paper introduces MISOCP-QBeam, a unified optimization framework for joint amplitude and phase quantization, applicable to both 1D and 2D arrays. Using a Mixed-Integer Second-Order Cone Program (MISOCP), the method provides deterministic, hardware-compliant solutions that enhance main-lobe accuracy and suppress sidelobes. Numerical results demonstrate significant improvements, with up to 5.8x lower pointing error and 3.4 dB reduction in sidelobe level compared to traditional rounding methods.

Authors 3

1. Xinyi Sun Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University,DSP,Germany

2. Erma Perenda Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University,DSP,Germany

3. Haris Gacanin Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University,DSP,Germany