Noisy Stepped Frequency (NSF) waveform in RF tomography

Russell Vela; Lorenzo Lo Monte

doi:10.1117/12.921222

Translator Disclaimer

3 May 2012 Noisy Stepped Frequency (NSF) waveform in RF tomography

Russell Vela, Lorenzo Lo Monte

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 8361, Radar Sensor Technology XVI; 836116 (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.921222
Event: SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing, 2012, Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Abstract

Radio Frequency (RF) tomography has been proposed for imaging dielectric and conducting anomalies above-ground. Accordingly, low-cost electromagnetic transmitters are placed arbitrarily above ground, surrounding a large area of interest. In a preliminary stage, sensors identify their position, orientation, and time reference. Subsequently, a transmitter radiates a known waveform. The probing wave impinges upon a target (represented in terms of dielectric or conducting anomaly), thus producing scattered elds. Spatially distributed receivers collect samples of the total electric eld, remove noise, clutter and the direct path, and store the information concerning only the scattered eld. In the next iteration, a dierent transmitter is activated, or dierent wave- forms are used. Then, the collected data is typically relayed to a centralized location for processing and imaging. To ensure persistent sensing, fast back-propagation algorithms are implemented (either involving correlation or multiplication by a hermitian matrix). Resolution using back-propagation is aected by the sidelobe structure of the ambiguity function of the wave. Clearly, Linearly Stepped Frequency (LSF) waveform requires the lowest instantaneous bandwidth, but produces poor correlation properties. On the converse, Noise waveforms exhibit the idealized thumb-tack ambiguity function but typically require large instantaneous bandwidths. In an eort to exploit the benets of both individual waveforms, a noisy LSF waveform is developed. The NLSF performance, limitation and spectral dominance in reference to RF Tomography, along with its theoretical bounds, will be provided. Reconstructed images from simulated and experimental data will be compared.

Citation Download Citation

Russell Vela and Lorenzo Lo Monte "Noisy Stepped Frequency (NSF) waveform in RF tomography", Proc. SPIE 8361, Radar Sensor Technology XVI, 836116 (3 May 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.921222

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE