Multi-mode landmine detector

• US 7,310,060 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2005
• Issued: 12/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L3harris Fuzing and Ordnance Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: L-3 Communications CyTerra Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stilwell, Gregory, Solomon, Geoffrey, McCoy, Richard, McCarthy, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barker, Matthew M
• Application Number:
  US11/191,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20060284758A1
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• Field of Search: 342/22
• US Class Current: 342/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/888 through wall detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/15 specially adapted for use during transport, e.g. by a person, vehicle or boat

Abstract

An multi-mode target detection system includes a ground penetrating metal detector and a ground penetrating radar detector permitting operation of the system in a variety of target detection modes. The system includes a control section having a selection device for selecting at least two operating modes from the group consisting of a buried land mine detection mode, a through wall detection mode, a perimeter warning mode, a buried cache detection mode and an in-wall cache detection mode.

Claims

1. A multi-mode target detection system comprising:

a ground penetrating metal detector;

a ground penetrating radar detector; and

a control section having a selection device for selecting between a buried land mine detection mode and a through wall detection mode.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the ground penetrating metal detector comprises:

a transmitter,

a coil coupled to the transmitter to produce a magnetic field; and

a signal processor coupled to the coil and configured to detect a secondary magnetic field.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the ground penetrating radar detector comprises:

a radio frequency generator; and

a radio frequency transmitter coupled to the radio frequency generator to transmit radio-wave signals toward the ground.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the ground penetrating radio detector comprises:

a radio frequency receiver to receive radio-wave signals from the ground, and

a signal processor coupled to the radio frequency receiver to detect the radio-wave signals, wherein the radio frequency receiver includes an antenna.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein operating modes supported by the control section include all of the buried land mine detection mode, the through wall detection mode, a perimeter warning mode, a buried cache detection mode and an in-wall cache detection mode.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the metal detector includes a coil that produces a magnetic field and the radar detector includes a transmitting antenna to transmit radio-wave signals toward the ground and a receiving antenna to receive radio-wave signals reflected from objects within the ground.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the antennas are surrounded by the coil and the antennas are shielded from external electromagnetic radiation.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising an output device that outputs a signal indicating a presence of an object if either the ground penetrating metal detector, the ground penetrating radar detector, or both detect the presence of the object.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the ground penetrating radar detector and the ground penetrating metal detector are housed in a single housing and operation of the metal detector does not interfere with operation of the radar detector.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising an output device for indicating a detection of a target in the buried land mine detection mode and the through wall detection mode.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the output device includes a visual display.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the output device includes an audio or visual alarm.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein operating modes supported by the control section include a perimeter warning mode.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein operating modes supported by the control section include a buried cache detection mode.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein operating modes supported by the control section include an in-wall cache detection mode.

16. A target detection system comprising:

an integrated search device housing a radio-wave transmitter and a metal detector coil;

a first set of electronic components coupled to the radio transmitter;

a second set of electronic components coupled to the metal detector coil; and

a processor for detecting a target through a buried land mine detection mode and a through wall detection mode.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising a radio-wave receiver, wherein the radio-wave transmitter and receiver are shielded from external electro-magnetic radiation.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein operating modes supported by the processor include all of the buried land mine detection mode, the through wall detection mode, a perimeter warning mode, a buried cache detection mode and an in-wall cache detection mode.

19. The system of claim 16 further comprising an output device for indicating a detection of a target in the buried land mine detection mode and the through wall detection mode.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the output device includes a visual display.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the output device includes an audio or visual alarm.

22. A method of detecting targets in a multi-mode target detection system, the method comprising:

selecting, for a multi-mode target detection system having a metal detector and a radar detect or an operating mode for detecting a target, wherein the operating mode is selected between a buried land mine detection mode and a through wall detection mode;

transmitting radio-wave frequency energy into a surrounding region;

detecting radio-wave frequency energy reflected by an object in the surrounding region;

and

analyzing data obtained from transmitting and detecting radio-wave frequency to detect the target in the selected operating mode.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein selecting the operating mode comprises initiating a predetermined data processing step for the selected operating mode.

24. A method of detecting targets comprising:

providing a detection system having a metal detector and a radar detector for collecting and analyzing data taken from a surrounding region;

selecting an operating mode for detecting a target, wherein the operating mode is selected between a buried land mine detection mode and a through wall detection mode; and

detecting the target with the detection system.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein detecting the target with the detection system further comprises:

analyzing data taken from the surrounding region using the metal detector, and

analyzing data taken from the surrounding region using the radar detector.

26. The method of claim 24 further comprising training the detection system using a principal components analysis of background clutter data.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein:

the selected operating mode includes the through wall detection mode, and

detecting the target with the detection system includes doppler processing of data from the radar detector.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein doppler processing of data from the radar detector is performed during the through wall detection.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein detecting the target with the detection system during the through wall detection mode further comprises analyzing data taken from the surrounding region using the metal detector.

30. The method of claim 24 further comprising automatically adapting the detection system to the surrounding region to determine whether a target is present in the surrounding region.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein adapting the detection system includes using a principal components analysis of the data taken from the surrounding region.

32. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

analyzing data taken from the surrounding region using a metal detector,

analyzing data taken from the surrounding region using a radar detector based on training the detection system using a principal components analysis of background clutter data, and

analyzing a depth of an object detected by the radar detector using the data.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein analyzing the depth of the object includes transforming data from the radar detector from the frequency domain to the time domain.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein analyzing the depth includes receiving data from two or more antennas of the radar detector.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein analyzing data taken from the surrounding region using the radar detector includes using a principal component analysis of the data.