SBIR PHASE I: Electronic Beam Steering for Ground Probing Radar

该小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目将尝试通过为现有GPR系统提供波束导向能力来大幅改进地面探测雷达（GPR）。地面探测雷达是一种成熟的探测地下结构和目标的技术。现有的GPR系统利用一种方法（称为线性剖面），将发射机沿着监视路径拖动并收集反射时间数据，以探测地下的介电界面。在该项目中开发的系统将依次触发发射器天线元件的线性阵列，通过元件传输的相干叠加形成单个成像波束，为更宽的发射器覆盖范围、更高的高频深度穿透（100至500 MHz）和更高的探测分辨率提供波束导向。预计这些改进还将允许从移动平台进行地面探测，这将大大降低收集区域数据的成本。由于天线成本低（由TWS工程师设计），该系统可以永久地固定在需要定期监测的区域，以大大降低成本，探测地球表面潜在的危险运动（如地下矿山）。在拟议项目的头3个月，每项任务的初步开发将由主要和共同主要研究人员同时进行。然后将评估每个任务的结果，以开发一个单独的单元，以便在项目的后半段进行测试。GPR系统的测试将在南达科他州布莱克山的自然实验室进行，以确定改进系统的波束转向精度。传输场与地球物质相互作用后直接测量。将放置接收天线以确定来自发射天线的合成场。在波束转向过程中，预计放置在目标位置的传感器将接收到强信号，因为成像波束瞄准了它们的方向，而那些位于被引导波束以外区域的传感器将接收到弱信号。在第二阶段的工作中，第一阶段的成果将用于开发和测试商业上可销售的探地雷达系统。该探地雷达系统代表了一种创新的方法，将改进和扩大探地雷达在近地表地球探测中的应用。该技术的应用包括地下公用设施的定位、关键地下结构的静态监测以预测破坏、可能与环境问题有关的地下流体锋面迁移、多相地下水流动和地质材料中的污染物运输、土壤结构相互作用、危险废物容器的位置- -特别是由介电材料构成的容器，需要大量的数据进行检测和识别。该系统作为移动平台，在提高数据质量的同时，大大降低了对实际目标的数据采集成本。该系统的设计将加强现有的商用探地雷达系统。它的低成本固定天线将增加其市场潜力，因为它们可以被认为是“消耗品”。

9561190 Thompson This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will attempt to substantially improve ground probing radar (GPR) by providing beam steering capability to existing GPR systems. Ground-probing radar is a proven technology for the investigation of structures and targets in the subsurface. Existing GPR systems utilize a method (referred to as linear profiling) of dragging the transmitter along a surveillance path and gathering reflection time data to detect dielectric interfaces in the subsurface. The system to be developed in this project will sequentially trigger a linear array of transmitter antenna elements to form a single imaging beam from coherent superpositions of the element transmissions to provide beam steering for wider transmitter coverage, greater depth penetration at high frequencies (100 to 500 MHz), and higher probing resolution. These improvements are also expected to permit ground probing from a mobile platform which will greatly reduce costs of gathering areal data. Due to low antenna cost (of those designed by TWS engineers), the system can be permanently affixed to areas requiring periodic monitoring to detect potentially hazardous movements in the earth's surface (such as underground mines) at a greatly reduced cost. Preliminary development of each task will be performed simultaneously by the principal and co-principal investigators during the first 3 months of the proposed project. The results of each task will then be evaluated to develop a single unit for testing during the second half of the project. Testing of the GPR system will be performed in the field using the natural laboratory of the Black Hills of South Dakota to determine beam steering accuracy of the improved system. The transmission field will be measured directly after it has interacted with earth materials. Receiving antennas will be placed to determine the resultant field from the transmitting antennas. During beam steering, it is anticipated that sensors placed i n target locations will receive strong signals as the imaging beam is aimed in their directions while those in areas outside the steered beam will receive weak signals. The results of Phase I will be used to develop and test a commercially marketable GPR system during the Phase II effort. This GPR system represents an innovative approach that will improve and broaden the application of GPR to near-surface earth exploration. Applications of this technology include location of underground utilities, static monitoring of key underground structures to predict failure, subsurface fluid-front migration that may be associated with environmental concerns, multiphase groundwater flow and contaminant transport in geomaterials, soil structure interaction, and location of hazardous waste containers - particularly those constructed of dielectric materials for which an abundance of data is necessary for detection and identification. When employed as a mobile platform, the system would greatly reduce the cost of data acquisition for areal targets while enhancing data quality. The system will be designed to enhance to existing commercial GPR systems. Its low-cost fixed antennas will add to its market potential because they can be thought of as "consumables."