A novel reconstruction method based on changes in phase for subsurface large sloped dielectric target using GPR

Abstract

In ground-penetrating radar (GPR) subsurface target reconstruction, various techniques based on amplitude (or energy) information of echoes from metal target with small size can work well. However, for environmental and geological applications, the quantitative analysis of the target's geometric features, like location, shape and size, is exactly what we are concerned about. Amplitude-based reconstruction method faces challenges in these applications. A large sloped target under the surface may lead to abundant virtual image energy and cause position deviation. In addition, the echoes from the inner part of the penetrable dielectric target may be too weak to be detected. However, changes in phase may highlight the effects of echoes from the target on that from the surroundings, even if the effect is small due to the weak energy. In this paper, a novel method based on changes in phase is proposed to reconstruct subsurface large sloped dielectric target. To remove the virtual image, the main idea is based on the geometric relationship between the recorded signal plotted beneath the receiving antenna and the reflected signal emanated from the target position which is “ahead” or “behind” of the receiving antenna. Furthermore, the electromagnetic (EM) wave propagating through the penetrable target will change its velocity and result in advancing or lagging related to the geometric shape of the target. In this case, the weak echoes from the back surface of the target can be compensated according to the advancing or lagging. With the proposed method, the virtual image is eliminated and both front and back surface of the target are reconstructed. Results from the laboratory experiments demonstrate the validity of the proposed method.