SBIR Phase I: Enhanced Airborne Beam-Steering for Ground Probing Radar

SBIR 第一阶段：地面探测雷达的增强型机载波束控制

• 批准号: 9660920
• 负责人: Scott Thompson
• 金额: $ 7.35万
• 依托单位: ChT Engineering Systems
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1997
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1997-01-01 至 1997-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9660920&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Enhanced; Airborne; Beam

This Small Business Innovation Research project will apply recent advances in ground probing radar (GPR) technology to the aerial reconnaissance of underground facilities (UGF). Ground probing radar is a proven technology for investigating subsurface targets and structures. Its application to subsurface monitoring from airborne platforms, however, has been limited due to clutter and signal strength problems. The project seeks to overcome these problems by the use of a beamsteered antenna array that provides increased signal power and increased angular resolution. The system will ultimately be suspended from an airborne platform to facilitate rapid coverage of a region of interest (ROI). The narrow transmit array beam scans the ROI, and at the correct angle of incidence a strong reflection from the UGF is received. The phase I project comprises three main tasks: first, simulating the proposed system; second, using the results of simulations to refine existing array control algorithms, and; third, testing the hardware prototype. A large part of the effort lies in software development in simulations and algorithm refinement. The results of Phase I will be used to develop and test a commercially marketable GPR system during the phase II effort. If the technology can be successfully developed, it will make airborne detection of near-surface UGFs in realistic environments feasible. The system is designed to enhance existing commercial GPR systems and will greatly reduce the cost of data acquisition of areal targets while enhancing data quality. The dynamic monitoring aspect of the instrumentation is unique and has application from the standpoint of characterizing extensive hazardous waste sites numbering in the thousands across the United States. This option will provide a low-cost alternative to invasive monitoring techniques.

该小型企业创新研究项目将把地面探测雷达 (GPR) 技术的最新进展应用于地下设施 (UGF) 的空中侦察。地面探测雷达是一项经过验证的技术，用于调查地下目标和结构。然而，由于杂波和信号强度问题，其在机载平台地下监测中的应用受到限制。 该项目试图通过使用波束控制天线阵列来克服这些问题，该天线阵列可提供更高的信号功率和更高的角分辨率。 该系统最终将悬挂在机载平台上，以促进快速覆盖感兴趣区域（ROI）。 窄发射阵列光束扫描 ROI，并以正确的入射角接收来自 UGF 的强烈反射。 第一阶段项目包括三个主要任务：第一，模拟所提出的系统；其次，利用模拟结果改进现有的阵列控制算法；第三，测试硬件原型。很大一部分努力在于模拟和算法细化中的软件开发。第一阶段的结果将用于在第二阶段的工作中开发和测试可商业销售的探地雷达系统。如果该技术能够成功开发，将使在现实环境中近地表UGF的机载探测成为可能。 该系统旨在增强现有的商业探地雷达系统，将大大降低区域目标数据采集的成本，同时提高数据质量。 该仪器的动态监测方面是独一无二的，并且从描述美国各地数千个危险废物场特征的角度来看具有应用价值。 该选项将为侵入式监测技术提供低成本替代方案。