SBIR PHASE II: Electronic Beam Steering for Ground Probing Radar

SBIR 第二阶段：地面探测雷达电子波束控制

• 批准号: 9708205
• 负责人: Scott Thompson
• 金额: $ 30.48万
• 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: 1997-10-01 至 1999-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9708205&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; PHASE; II; Electronic; Beam

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop a marketable beam steering transmitter array for ground probing radar (GPR). Research conducted under Phase I demonstrated feasibility of forming a focused beam, from the superposition of multiple antenna elements, that can be steered to targets beneath the subsurface. Beam steering opens opportunities for enhanced target discrimination, increased depth of penetration, and broader area of coverage from a single location. Through post processing, three-dimensional images may be created of an area under investigation. The beam steered array product will be positioned as a hardware accessory that enhances the operation of existing GPR systems. Therefore, it is important that such an "add-on" be versatile, cheap, easy-to-used, and compatible with as many of the existing GPR systems as possible. In Phase II, testing of a prototype in as many realistic GPR environments as possible will be done to extend capabilities to the operational domain of typical GPR systems. To facilitate analytical understanding of subsurface beam-forming, the Phase II effort will extend the modeling of Phase I (which was done without targets and in an homogeneous subsurface) to more realistic media. The analysis will employ finite difference time-domain methods in order to model more complex media. In addition, refinement of the array hardware and its associated software will be accomplished in order to enhance end-user features. Markets exist in subsurface exploration; geophysical and hydrological studies; location of underground facilities, hazardous wastes, and unexploded ordinance; non invasive exploration of subsurface tunnel systems such as mining tunnels and subway systems; detection of fluid front migration from underground spills; and large areas surveys (added coverage from beam steering). This award is supported by the SBIR Program and the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCOR).

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）二期项目将为地面探测雷达（GPR）开发一种可销售的波束转向发射机阵列。在第一阶段进行的研究证明了通过多个天线元件的叠加形成聚焦波束的可行性，该波束可以引导到地下目标。波束控制为增强目标识别、增加突防深度和扩大单一位置的覆盖范围提供了机会。通过后期处理，可以创建一个正在调查的区域的三维图像。波束操纵阵列产品将被定位为硬件附件，增强现有GPR系统的操作。因此，重要的是，这种“附加组件”是多功能的，便宜的，易于使用的，并与尽可能多的现有GPR系统兼容。在第二阶段，将在尽可能多的真实探地雷达环境中对原型进行测试，以扩展典型探地雷达系统的操作领域。为了便于对地下波束形成的分析理解，第二阶段的工作将把第一阶段的建模（没有目标，在均匀的地下进行）扩展到更真实的介质中。分析将采用时域有限差分方法，以便模拟更复杂的介质。此外，将完成阵列硬件及其相关软件的改进，以增强最终用户的功能。地下勘探存在市场；地球物理和水文研究；地下设施、危险废物和未爆物的位置；矿井隧道、地铁系统等地下隧道系统的非侵入式勘探；地下溢油流体锋面偏移检测以及大面积的调查（增加了波束控制的覆盖范围）。该奖项由SBIR计划和刺激竞争性研究实验计划（EPSCOR）支持。