TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes, Sensors

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: Infantry Weapons ACAT IV

OBJECTIVE: Development of algorithms which enable imaging through layered composite dielectric building materials. This effort should result in modeling of layered composite building materials and develop methods for mitigating the distorting properties to enable see-through-wall imaging. The effort will enhance the clarity of sense through structures radar images, increasing the utility of this capability for force protection and intelligence applications.

DESCRIPTION: Many branches of the federal government including the DOD, DOJ, DHS, DOA, and INS, as well as local and state law enforcement agencies are keenly interested in developing technologies which enable remote, standoff surveillance of man-made structures. Low frequency RF radar systems are demonstrating great promise in their ability to penetrate various wall materials and image objects such as furniture, construction features, and humans within. However, certain building materials, such as hollow cinder block common in both North America as well in the Middle East, results in poor imaging performance. In particular, hollow cinder block walls contain an air-gap void within the cinder block with disparate dielectric constants establishing a periodic structure resonance cavity that traps electromagnetic modes. The consequence of this layered composite structure on radar target imaging is to induce long time constant relaxations on target detections in radar range profiles. Electromagnetic simulations have suggested that walls composed of hollow cinder block obscure the imaging of humans and other objects located as far as five feet from the wall. More generally, layered walls composed of a high dielectric constant outer layer, plywood/wood stud framing and plasterboard, common in residential construction, may potentially cause similar imaging distortions.

PHASE I: Conduct research to model this property of building materials and confirm measurements by performing simulations/tests on layered composite dielectric walls. Investigate algorithms to mitigate these effects on imaging such as applying pre-distortion to the transmitted radar signature to compensate for the long time constant phenomena. Develop approaches to perform imaging through layered composite wall types without prior knowledge of the wall material. Submit a report covering the approach, design and results.

PHASE II: Develop a working prototype for the Phase I capability and demonstrate its capability against a relevant man-made layered structure. Deliver and demonstrate the working prototype. Deliver a final report documenting the performance and capability.

PHASE III: Demonstrate that the products developed under Phase I and II can be applied to civilian scenario and be transitioned to through the wall sensor programs managed by Infantry Weapons at MARCORSYSCOM, including airborne impulse synthetic aperature radars. Provide documents and prototypes to many DOD and contractor test facilities.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Topic has direct relevance to civilian law enforcement in that it will develop a more agile sense-through-wall capability. Topic is also relevant to medical applications such as ultrasound imaging.

REFERENCES:
1. Yasumoto, K., Jia, H., Toyama, H., "Analysis of Two-Dimensional Electromagnetic Crystals Consisting of Multilayered Periodic Arrays of Circular Cylinders", Electronic and Communications in Japan, Part 2, pp 19-28, Vol. 88, No. 9, 2005.

2. Fante, R., "Scattering of Electromagnetic Waves from Random Media with Multiple Scattering Included", Journal of Mathematical Physics,, pp 1213-1222, Vol. 23, No. 6, June 1982.

3. Evans, D., Levitin, M., Vassiliev, D., "Existence Theorems for Trapped Modes", Journal of Fluid Mechanics, pp 21-31, Vol. 261, 1994.

KEYWORDS: See-through-walls, radar imaging, dielectric constants, layered composite structure, reflection and transmission from boundaries, resonance trapping, trapped electromagnetic waves in periodic structures, trapping and detrapping of electromagnetic modes

TPOC: Martin Kruger
Phone: (703)696-5349
Fax:
Email: [email protected]
2nd TPOC: Andre des Rosiers
Phone: (202)404-4436
Fax:
Email: [email protected]
3rd TPOC: Joon Choe
Phone: (202)767-2936
Fax:
Email: [email protected]

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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