FOCUSED RECTANGULAR SYNTHETIC ARRAY FOR MICROWAVE DETECTION AND IMAGING OF MINES

THIS PROPOSAL IS ADDRESSED TO THE TECHNICAL PROBLEM OF DETECTING AND IMAGING SUBSURFACE ANTI-TANK MINES OF EITHER DIELECTRIC OR METALLIC COMPOSITION USING MICROWAVE RADIATION. THE INNOVATIVE IDEA PROPOSED IS THE USE OF A DIGITAL FOCUSED AND SCANNED MICROWAVE ARRAY RADAR DETECTION SYSTEM. THE SYSTEM USES BISTATIC OBLIQUE FORWARD SCATTERING TO FORM A HIGH RESOLUTION THREE-DIMENSIONAL IMAGE OF THE MEDIUM THAT ALLOWS A MINE TO BE DETECTED AND IDENTIFIED. THE TECHNIQUE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PROVIDE A UNIQUE METHOD OF HIGH SPEED, HIGH RESOLUTION MINE DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION. THE PROPOSED METHOD USES A FOCUSED RECTANGULAR SYNTHETIC ARRAY AS A RECEIVER. THE SYNTHETIC ARRAY IS FORMED BY THE FORWARD MOTION OF A HORIZONTAL LINE ARRAY. THE FREQUENCY AND DIMENSIONS OF THE SYSTEM ARE CHOSEN FOR HIGH RESOLUTION, WHILE FORWARD SCATTERING AT THE BREWSTER ANGLE WILL REDUCE GROUND REFLECTIONS TO ZERO. HIGH DEPTH RESOLUTION IS OBTAINED FROM THE DEPTH OF FIELD OF THE ARRAY FOCUS.