Method and apparatus for identifying buried objects using ground penetrating radar

• US 20030076254A1
• Filed: 04/10/2002
• Published: 04/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Underground Imaging Technologies LLC, Witten Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Witten Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Witten, Alan
• Granted Patent: US 6,700,526 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/0209 Systems with very large relative bandwidth, i.e. larger than 10 %, e.g. baseband, pulse, carrier-free, ultrawideband
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/28 Details of pulse systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/12 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/17 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/08 the units being spaced along or adjacent to a rectilinear path waveguide fed H01Q21/0037
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2682 Time delay steered arrays

Abstract

An apparatus for identifying a buried object using ground penetrating radar (GPR) in a system containing at least one GPR sensor, comprises a data processor for detecting spatial correlations in data received from a GPR sensor in the apparatus and an image processor capable of building a data structure corresponding to an image of the buried object from data processed by the data processor. A method for identifying a buried object using GPR in a system containing a GPR sensor comprising detecting spatial correlations in data received from the GPR sensor in the system and building a data structure corresponding to an image of the buried object from the received data.

Claims

1. An apparatus for identifying a buried object using ground penetrating radar (GPR) in a system containing at least one GPR sensor, comprising:

a data processor comprising

means for detecting spatial correlations corresponding to the buried object in data received from the at least one GPR sensor, and

a wave speed calculator;

an image processor for building a data structure corresponding to an image of the buried object from data processed by the data processor using the means for detecting and the wave speed calculator; and

a descrminator for identifying the buried object from data in the data structure.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data processor further comprises:

a mono static data processor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data processor further comprises:

a multi static data processor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data processor comprises:

a time alignment calculator.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data processor comprises:

an impulse response function calculator.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a preprocessor capable of at least one of eliminating an unwanted object from the received data or admitting a target of interest in the received data.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a detector capable of identifying the buried object.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a data link to an information management system.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a display for displaying the image of the buried object.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a display that projects an image representing the buried object on the ground.

11. An apparatus for identifying a buried object using ground penetrating radar (GPR) containing at least one GPR sensor, comprising:

a data processor for processing data collected from the at least one GPR sensor to extract at least one identifiable feature of the buried object from the data; and

a detector capable of identifying the buried object from the at least one identifiable feature.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the detector further comprises:

a depth indicator for directing the detector to a specified depth range.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the detector further comprises:

a refractive index indicator for directing the detector to an object within a specified refractive index range.

14. A mobile system for identifying a buried object using ground penetrating radar (GPR) containing at least one GPR sensor, comprising:

a mobile housing for moving the mobile system along terrain under which the object is buried;

a data processor mounted in the mobile housing comprising

means for detecting spatial correlations corresponding to the buried object in data received from the at least one GPR sensor, and

a wave speed calculator;

an image processor mounted in the mobile housing for building a data structure corresponding to an image of the buried object from data processed by the data processor using the means for detecting and the wave speed calculator; and

a descrminator mounted in the mobile housing for identifying the buried object from data in the data structure.

15. The mobile system of claim 14, wherein the data processor further comprises:

at least one of a mono static or multi static data processor.

16. The mobile system of claim 14, further comprising:

a display for displaying the image of the buried object.

17. A portable system for identifying a buried object using ground penetrating radar (GPR) containing at least one GPR sensor, comprising:

a housing suitable for being hand-held by an operator;

a data processor mounted in the housing comprising

means for detecting spatial correlations corresponding to the buried object in data received from the at least one GPR sensor, and

a wave speed calculator;

an image processor mounted in the housing for building a data structure corresponding to an image of the buried object from data processed by the data processor using the means for detecting and the wave speed calculator; and

a descrminator mounted in the housing for identifying the buried object from data in the data structure.

18. The portable system of claim 17, wherein the data processor further comprises:

at least one of a mono static or multi static data processor.

19. The portable system of claim 17, further comprising:

a display for displaying the image of the buried object.

20. A method for identifying a buried object using ground penetrating radar (GPR) in a system containing at least one GPR sensor, comprising:

detecting spatial correlations corresponding to the buried object in data received from the at least one GPR sensor;

computing a wave speed associated with the received data;

building a data structure corresponding to an image of the buried object from the received data; and

identifying the buried object from the data in the data structure.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of detecting spatial correlations further comprises the substep of:

processing the received data using at least one of a mono static or multi static data processor.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of detecting spatial correlations further comprises

computing an impulse response.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

time aligning the received data.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

performing at least one of eliminating an unwanted object from the received data or admitting a target of interest in the received data.

25. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

displaying the image of the buried object.

26. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

projecting the image of the buried object on the ground.

27. An apparatus for identifying a buried object using ground penetrating radar (GPR) in a system containing at least one GPR sensor, comprising:

means for data processing comprising

means for detecting spatial correlations corresponding to the buried object in data received from the at least one GPR sensor, and

means for calculating wave speed;

means for building a data structure corresponding to an image of the buried object from data processed by the means for data processing using the means for detecting and the means for calculating wave speed; and

means for identifying the buried object from data in the data structure.

28. A computer program product for use in a computer adapted for identifying a buried object using ground penetrating radar (GPR), the computer program product comprising a computer readable medium for storing computer readable code means, which when executed by a the computer, enables the computer to identify a buried object, and wherein the computer readable code means includes computer readable instructions for causing the computer to execute a method comprising:

detecting spatial correlations corresponding to the buried object in data received from the at least one GPR sensor;

computing a wave speed associated with the received data;

building a data structure corresponding to an image of the buried object from the received data; and

identifying the buried object from the data in the data structure.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the computer readable code means further includes computer readable instructions for causing the computer to execute the step of:

processing the received data using at least one of a mono static or multi static data processor.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the computer readable code means further includes computer readable instructions for causing the computer to execute the step of:

time aligning the received data.

31. A data processor in a ground penetrating radar (GPR) system for identifying a buried object:

a time alignment calculator; and

a wave speed calculator.

32. A method for processing data in a ground penetrating radar (GPR) system for identifying a buried object:

time aligning data received from at least one GPR sensor; and

calculating a wave speed associated with the time aligned data.

33. A computer program product for use in a computer adapted for identifying a buried object using ground penetrating radar (GPR), the computer program product comprising a computer readable medium for storing computer readable code means, which when executed by a the computer, enables the computer to identify a buried object, and wherein the computer readable code means includes computer readable instructions for causing the computer to execute a method comprising:

time aligning data received from at least one GPR sensor; and

calculating a wave speed associated with the time aligned data.