Autonomous robotic detection of anti-personnel landmines using ground-penetrating radar and on-contact antennas
Permanent URL:
http://hdl.handle.net/2047/d20128363
Serafim, Philip (Committee member)
Martinez-Lorenzo, Jose A. (Committee member)
The proposed detection system is evaluated experimentally using the P400 ultra-wideband impulse radar from Time Domain (Huntsville, AL, USA), and computationally using a 3D finite-difference time-domain model. Compact spiral antennas which operate from 3-6GHz were designed considering the application and desired coupling into the ground. The polarization and directivity of the antennas minimizes the direct signal, simplifying the identification of target reflections. Subsurface scans which satisfy both an amplitude and correlation threshold are then analyzed with a localization algorithm, which utilizes time-difference of arrivals to geometrically determine the target location. A minimum of four unique bistatic GPR scans are necessary to evaluate for the target's position, and an increased number of GPR scans improves the accuracy and reliability of the results. Using the proposed localization method, metallic cylindrical targets are successfully located experimentally. Consideration of non-metallic targets is also addressed experimentally and more extensively computationally. Overall, the proposed method provides a viable solution for autonomous pre-screening of an area for humanitarian demining.
ground-penetrating radar
humanitarian demining
hyperbolic multilateration
landmine detection
on-contact antennas
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Electromagnetics and photonics
Ground penetrating radar
Antennas (Electronics)
Signal detection -- Data processing
Land mines -- Detection
Mines (Military explosives) -- Detection
Autonomous robots
Time-domain analysis
Finite differences
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