Merged ground penetrating radar display for multiple antennas

• US 8,957,809 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2012
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Cist, David B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B
• Application Number:
  US13/588,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20140022117A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 342176-184
• US Class Current: 342/176
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/04 Display arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/20 Stereoscopic displays; Three-dimensional displays; Pseudo-three-dimensional displays

Abstract

In an embodiment of the disclosed technology, a visual output of data from a ground-penetrating radar is displayed on a visual medium. The display has a first exhibition of output from a higher frequency range antenna, a second exhibition of output from a lower frequency range antenna (compared to the other antenna; see definition in the “detailed description”), and a transition area between the first and second exhibition having merged data from the lower frequency antenna and the higher frequency antenna. The depth range of the transition area may be varied based on optimal depth range of each antenna, such as manually by a viewer viewing the visual output, which may occur in real-time, that is, while operating the radar and viewing the visual output thereof. Or, the transition depth range and/or width of the transition region may be varied as part of post-processing.

Claims

1. A visual output of data from a ground-penetrating radar, displayed on a visual display, said display exhibiting a visual output of data comprising:

a first exhibition of output from an optimal depth range of a higher frequency range antenna;

a second exhibition of output from an optimal depth range of a lower frequency range antenna;

a graphical output exhibiting data from said optimal depth ranges of each of said first and second exhibitions merged into a continuous image at a transition area exhibited between each of said first and second exhibitions produced from data from both said lower frequency antenna and said higher frequency antenna.

2. The visual output of claim 1, wherein a position and size of said transition area is determined based on said optimal depth range of each said antenna.

3. The visual output of claim 2, wherein said depth range of said first exhibition, said second exhibition, and said transition area are varied manually by a viewer of a first said visual output, creating a second visual output.

4. The visual output of claim 3, wherein said depth range of at least one of said first exhibition, said second exhibition, and said transition area is varied in real-time, while operating said radar and viewing said visual output thereof.

5. The visual output of claim 2, wherein said depth range of at least one of said first exhibition, said second exhibition, and said transition is varied after data said visual output is displayed, as part of post-processing of said data.

6. The visual output of claim 2, wherein said depth range of at least one of said first exhibition, said second exhibition, and said transition is varied automatically, based on a detected amount of disjoined data per unit area in each said output of each said antenna.

7. The visual output of claim 6, wherein said depth range is varied based on a determined noise floor of at least one said antenna.

8. The visual output of claim 1, further comprising a third exhibition of output from a third antenna, having a second said transition area between said second exhibition and said third exhibition.

9. The visual output of claim 1, wherein transmission or receiving using said higher frequency and said lower frequency range antennas occurs simultaneously.

10. The visual output of claim 1, wherein a position of said transition depth range is determined based on closeness of matching of data received from each antenna within a depth range.

11. A method of processing ground-penetrating radar measurements, comprising the steps of:

simultaneously transmitting and receiving a signal using at least two antennas;

determining a depth range at which each said received signal for each said antenna is optimized, compared to received signals of other said antennas;

displaying a combined and continuous visual output of depth, said displaying comprising;

part of a visual output from each said determined optimized depth range of each said antenna; and

at least one transition region comprising a transitioned output between two said best optimized depth ranges.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each antenna of said at least two antennas measures at a different frequency band, and each said antenna produces a different optimized depth.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said transition region comprises an outer range of a said optimized depth for two antennas.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein a depth range for exhibiting said transition region is determined manually by a viewer of said output.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said transition region further comprises imprecise frequency bands of measurement for at least two said antennas and said imprecise frequency band of each said antenna overlap each other.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein said transition region is determined automatically based on a determination of a detected concentration of disjoined data for each depth range measured from two said antennas of said at least two antennas.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a maximum depth range of said transition region is pre-defined based on known properties of each said antenna.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein said steps of determining and displaying are carried out as part of post-processing.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein said optimal depth range is determined based on a determined noise floor of at least one said antenna.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein said transition region is determined based on closeness in overlap of visual output from two said antennas.