Autonomous Robotic Detection of Anti-personnel Landmines Using Ground-penetrating Radar and On-contact Antennas

Autonomous Robotic Detection of Anti-personnel Landmines Using Ground-penetrating Radar and On-contact Antennas
Author: Margery Jeanne Hines
Publisher:
Total Pages: 159
Release: 2014
Genre: Antennas (Electronics)
ISBN:

Download Autonomous Robotic Detection of Anti-personnel Landmines Using Ground-penetrating Radar and On-contact Antennas Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Ground-penetrating radar is a mature technology which has promise as a solution for humanitarian demining. The technology is fast, inexpensive, and capable of detecting both metallic and non-metallic landmine casings. However, the rough air-ground interface below which anti-personnel mines are buried, reduces the efficacy of air-coupled GPR by increasing clutter and masking target responses. Recent literature focuses on optimizing signal processing techniques to remove the effects of the surface and reliably extract the target reflection. Conversely, this work proposes the use of ground-contact antennas, which greatly improve signal penetration and are less affected by ground clutter, thereby simplifying data analysis. Achieving contact between the surface and the antennas is done by integrating the antennas onto the feet of the Walking Tri-Sphere, a non-articulated walking robotic platform designed by Square One Systems Design (Jackson, WY, USA). Rather than imaging the subsurface, localization of potential targets is achieved using a robust geometric analysis, minimizing the required number of GPR scans. Overall, by using fewer scans and simpler data processing techniques, this method is capable of increasing the surveying speed of traditional GPR methods. 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.

Online Dictionary Learning for Classification of Antipersonnel Landmines Using Ground Penetrating Radar

Online Dictionary Learning for Classification of Antipersonnel Landmines Using Ground Penetrating Radar
Author: Fabio Giovanneschi
Publisher: Fraunhofer Verlag
Total Pages: 134
Release: 2021-05-03
Genre:
ISBN: 9783839616758

Download Online Dictionary Learning for Classification of Antipersonnel Landmines Using Ground Penetrating Radar Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) target detection and classification is a challenging task. Here, online dictionary learning (DL) methods are considered to obtain sparse representations (SR) of the GPR data to enhance feature extraction for target classification via support vector machines. Online methods are preferred because traditional batch DL algorithms are not scalable to high-dimensional data. A Drop-Off MINi-batch Online Dictionary Learning (DOMINODL) method, which exploits the fact that a lot of the training data may be correlated, is also developed. For the case of abandoned anti-personnel landmines classification, the performance of K-SVD is compared with three online algorithms: classical Online Dictionary Learning, its correlation-based variant and DOMINODL. Experiments with real data from L-band GPR show that online DL methods reduce learning time by 36-93% and increase mine detection by 4-28% over K-SVD. DOMINODL is the fastest and retains similar classification performance as the other approaches. For the selection of optimal DL input parameters, the Kolmogorov-Smirnoff test distance and the Dvoretzky-Kiefer-Wolfowitz inequality are used.

Ground Penetrating Radar

Ground Penetrating Radar
Author: X. Lucas Travassos
Publisher: Control, Robotics and Sensors
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2021-01-26
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9781785614934

Download Ground Penetrating Radar Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This book covers modeling and simulation methods as well as the support tools available to improve imaging and sensing for Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). After an introduction to the basic concepts, the authors present a more detailed discussion, enabling readers to identify and apply the technique that best suits their goals. It is therefore an invaluable resource for anyone working with GPR. An appendix provides the basic concepts for a general mathematical description of the variables of interest and their spatial and temporal variations.

Convolutional Models for Landmine Identification with Ground Penetrating Radar

Convolutional Models for Landmine Identification with Ground Penetrating Radar
Author: Friedrich Roth
Publisher: Delft University Press
Total Pages: 174
Release: 2004-01-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9789040725685

Download Convolutional Models for Landmine Identification with Ground Penetrating Radar Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This is a Ph.D. dissertation. Contents include: The global landmine problem, Current demining techniques, Ground penetrating radar (GPR) for landmine detection and identification, The GPR response of a landmine and its use for target identification, Scope of the research, Thesis outline, Scattering from a homogeneous minelike target, Convolutional models for backscattering from a buried minelike target, deconvolutional and target characterization, 3D finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation results and verification, Host medium transformation of the response of a dielectric minelike target, Scattering from a minelike target with internal structure, Convolutional models for backscattering from a buried dielectric minelike target with internal structure Deconvolution and target characterization, 3D finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation results and verification, GPR landmine identification, GPR hardware, Convolutional GPR models, preprocessing, Deconvolution and target characterization, Experimental results and validation, Data acquisition, Data analysis, Overview of the research results and recommendations.

Ground Penetrating Radar

Ground Penetrating Radar
Author: David J. Daniels
Publisher: IET
Total Pages: 754
Release: 2004-08-20
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0863413609

Download Ground Penetrating Radar Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This book describes the key elements of the subject of surface penetrating radar, and in general terms the inter-relationship between those topics in electromagnetism, soil science, geophysics and signal processing which form part of its design.

Ground Penetrating Radar

Ground Penetrating Radar
Author: Mohammed Serhir
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2024-05-21
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1789451574

Download Ground Penetrating Radar Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This book offers an overview of modern advances in Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for the reader hoping to understand comprehensive electromagnetic culture, combining instrumental development of radar, signal processing, imaging, and calibration/correction of measured data. GPR has a multi-disciplinary character that can bring together a diverse and broad community. Of concern are the design and optimization of innovative radars, by virtue of the antennas and associated electronics, imaging algorithms, methodological diversity, calibration procedures, and the development of tools for the interpretation of data in mono-static or multi-static configurations within frequency or transient domains. This book provides illustrations in civil engineering for the diagnosis of transport infrastructures and buildings, archeological surveys for the appreciation of cultural heritage, detection of underground pipes and cavities, estimation of soil water content for agriculture, and mapping of root trees developing underground, and in planetology, the analysis of the internal structure of planets and other celestial bodies through electromagnetic waves.

Advanced Techniques for Ground Penetrating Radar Imaging

Advanced Techniques for Ground Penetrating Radar Imaging
Author: Yuri A ́ Lvarez-Lo ́pez
Publisher: Mdpi AG
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2021-11-08
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9783036521497

Download Advanced Techniques for Ground Penetrating Radar Imaging Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) has become one of the key technologies in subsurface sensing and, in general, in non-destructive testing (NDT), since it is able to detect both metallic and nonmetallic targets. GPR for NDT has been successfully introduced in a wide range of sectors, such as mining and geology, glaciology, civil engineering and civil works, archaeology, and security and defense. In recent decades, improvements in georeferencing and positioning systems have enabled the introduction of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) techniques in GPR systems, yielding GPR-SAR systems capable of providing high-resolution microwave images. In parallel, the radiofrequency front-end of GPR systems has been optimized in terms of compactness (e.g., smaller Tx/Rx antennas) and cost. These advances, combined with improvements in autonomous platforms, such as unmanned terrestrial and aerial vehicles, have fostered new fields of application for GPR, where fast and reliable detection capabilities are demanded. In addition, processing techniques have been improved, taking advantage of the research conducted in related fields like inverse scattering and imaging. As a result, novel and robust algorithms have been developed for clutter reduction, automatic target recognition, and efficient processing of large sets of measurements to enable real-time imaging, among others. This Special Issue provides an overview of the state of the art in GPR imaging, focusing on the latest advances from both hardware and software perspectives.