ALMOST REAL-TIME SAMPLING FOR GROUND-PENETRATING RADAR IMPULSES

• US 20140002292A1
• Filed: 06/28/2012
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tektronix Incorporated (Fortive Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Tektronix Incorporated (Fortive Corp.)
• Inventors: Knierim, Daniel G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,581,690 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/003 Bistatic radar systems; Multistatic radar systems
• 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 13/222 using random or pseudorandom pulse repetition frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/411 Identification of targets based on measurements of radar reflectivity G01S7/415 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/5273 using digital techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/12 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005

Abstract

A ground-penetrating RADAR-based system can include a transmitter configured to transmit multiple RADAR impulses and a receiver configured to receive a signal comprising return waves generated responsive to the transmitted RADAR impulses. The signal can include a direct wave portion and a reflected wave portion. The system can also include a processing unit configured to analyze the return waves by determining the direct wave portion, fitting the direct wave portion to determine parametric information corresponding to the return waves, determining the reflected wave portion, determining characteristics of the reflected wave portion based on the parametric information, and comparing the determined characteristics against known characteristics.

Claims

1. A ground-penetrating RADAR-based system, comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit a plurality of RADAR impulses;

a receiver configured to receive a signal comprising return waves generated responsive to the transmitted plurality of RADAR impulses, the signal comprising a direct wave portion and a reflected wave portion; and

a processing unit configured to analyze the return waves by determining the direct wave portion, fitting the direct wave portion to determine parametric information corresponding to the return waves, determining the reflected wave portion, determining one or more characteristics of the reflected wave portion based on the parametric information, and comparing the one or more characteristics against at least one known characteristic.

2. The ground-penetrating RADAR-based system of claim 1, wherein the parametric information comprises a relative timing of the return waves.

3. The ground-penetrating RADAR-based system of claim 2, wherein the processing unit is further configured to align the return waves based on the relative timing of the return waves to generate a higher resolution image of the return waves prior to determining the one or more characteristics of the reflected wave portion.

4. The ground-penetrating RADAR-based system of claim 1, wherein the parametric information comprises an amplitude of each of the return waves.

5. The ground-penetrating RADAR-based system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the plurality of RADAR impulses into a particular location of ground.

6. The ground-penetrating RADAR-based system of claim 5, wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine whether a particular device is present at the particular location based on the analyzing.

7. The ground-penetrating RADAR-based system of claim 6, wherein determining whether the particular device is present at the particular location is based on the comparing.

8. The ground-penetrating RADAR-based system of claim 6, wherein the particular device comprises a land mine.

9. The ground-penetrating RADAR-based system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter comprises a transmitting antenna.

10. The ground-penetrating RADAR-based system of claim 1, wherein the receiver comprises a receiving antenna.

11. The ground-penetrating RADAR-based system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit comprises a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

12. The ground-penetrating RADAR-based system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit comprises an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

13. The ground-penetrating RADAR-based system of claim 1, further comprising a vehicle housing the transmitter, the receiver, or both.

14. The ground-penetrating RADAR-based system of claim 1, further comprising a vehicle housing the processing unit.

15. The ground-penetrating RADAR-based system of claim 1, wherein the direct wave comprises a Nyquist-band-limited copy of a transmitted RADAR impulse sent directly to the receiver.

16. The ground-penetrating RADAR-based system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of RADAR impulses are transmitted at a non-uniform rate.

17. A method, comprising:

a receiver receiving a signal comprising a plurality of return waves generated responsive to a plurality of transmitted RADAR impulses; and

a processing unit analyzing the plurality of return waves, said analyzing comprising;

identifying a direct wave portion of the signal;

fitting the direct wave portion of the signal to determine a relative timing of the plurality of return waves;

evaluating a reflected wave portion of the signal based on the relative timing of the plurality of return waves, the evaluating comprising determining at least one characteristic of the reflected wave portion of the signal; and

comparing the determined at least one characteristic again a known characteristic.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

transmitting the plurality of RADAR impulses.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of RADAR impulses are transmitted into a particular area of ground.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the signal is received from the particular area of ground.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

the processing unit determining the presence of a particular device in the ground based on the comparing.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the particular device comprises a land mine.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein identifying the direct wave portion of the signal comprises comparing a first one of the plurality of return waves against a previously determined pattern.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the processing unit comprises a digitizer.

25. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing the determined at least one characteristic as output information.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein the direct wave portion of the signal is created by sending a Nyquist-band-limited copy of a transmitted RADAR impulse directly to the receiver.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of RADAR impulses are transmitted at a non-uniform rate.