The Sensor
Each Mirage Systems' 3D Underground Detection and Imaging System is equipped with a ground penetrating radar (GPR) sensor operating in a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mode. The sensor is comprised of a state-of-the-art customized GPSAR combined with a carrier-phase differential Global Positioning System integrated with a 3-axis inertial sensor suite (dGPS+I). These two subsystems comprise the mobile portion of the SAR data collection system.
The Ground-Based System
The ground-based systems include a fixed GPS station to provide data for dGPS corrections and a GPR control system to control GPR emissions and to operate the data collection system. After data is collected over the surveyed region, it is then processed on a separate data processing computer.
Data Processing
The GPSAR data is merged with the extracted dGPS+I position and orientation data. A 3D SAR image can then be formed using the merged data.
Other Contributing Factors
Soil Conditions
Soil conditions can alter a GPSAR system's effectiveness in detecting underground features. The various physical properties in soil such as conductivity, density, texture, and water content effect the penetration of the radar signal and therefore the clarity of the image produced.
Dry beach, desert, or other sandy terrains - The Mirage Systems' GPSAR system delivers favorable results from a standoff range in these soil conditions. The radar signal easily penetrates the soil and provides accurate representations of buried objects. This effect is similar for both metallic and non-metallic objects.
Wet, sandy terrains - water and salt diminish a radar signal. However, The Mirage Systems' GPSAR system is adept at detecting metallic objects buried in shallow, fresh water. Non-metallic objects mines buried in shallow, wet sand are also detected with Mirage's GPSAR system.
|
