SBIR-STTR Award

The primary objective of this Phase I project is to develop radar-based techniques and algorithms to accurately estimate the parameters of walls, such as dielectric constant, conductivity (or loss-tangent) and thickness, as well as to devise methods that can characterize inhomogeneous walls by detecting presence of foiled-back insulation, reinforced wires/studs, water pipes, and enclosed air-gaps, e.g., in hollow concrete (cinder-block) walls. The wall parameter estimation can be performed either in time-domain (suitable for modulated pulse or impulse radar operation) or in frequency-domain (suitable for CW or step-frequency radar operation). To achieve this we propose to apply and compare the accuracy and robustness of several alternative techniques including time-domain Reflectometry, Least-Squares method, Singularity Expansion Method (SEM), Evolutionary based optimization and Ellipsometry. In addition, we will investigate the following techniques for characterization of inhomogeneous walls: i) a technique based on the frequency signature of calibrated wall’s reflected signal to detect the presence of conductor a back-plated wall, ii) a hybrid of ‘effective’ parameter estimation and subsurface imaging to characterize and image existence and location of re-bars, air-gaps and/or other wall’s interior structures, and iii) use of cross-polar scattered fields or other polarization-based radar techniques for detection of reinforced wires or water pipes and their orientations.

Keywords:
Through-Wall Radar Imaging, Wall Parameter Estimation, Reflectometry, Ellipsometry, Inverse Scattering, Singularity Expansion Method, Subsurface Imaging, Polarization-Based De

In this SBIR Phase II research, we propose to i) improve robustness and efficiency of the algorithms and techniques, which we developed in Phase I for wall parameter estimation, detection of metallic-backed walls, and characterization and near real-time imaging of wall?s interior structure, ii) extend the developed techniques to a combination of an exterior and interior walls, iii) investigate performance of the techniques in presence of ground reflections, wall edge diffraction, and other multipath effects that may be present in an operational terrain, and iv) develop handheld and portable radar systems that incorporate one or more of the developed capabilities. To achieve these tasks, we have put together an outstanding team of researchers from eWave Informatics (EWI), Villanova University (VU), University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK), and Wyle Inc. Our team has extensive expertise in both algorithms and hardware development in electromagnetics, radar, signal processing, antennas, and RF systems as applied in through-the-wall-sensing and imaging. In addition, we have teamed up with Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, a non-profit entity, which will provide us with commercialization assistance and help in securing required resources for transitioning the proposed algorithms and systems to fully developed commercial products in Phase III.

Keywords:
Through-The-Wall Radar Imaging, Wall Parameters Estimation, Diffraction Tomographic Imaging, Detection Of Reinforced Walls, Portable Uwb Radar, Polarimetric Radar.