Concealed Object Detection With Microwave Imaging Using Vivaldi Antennas Utilizing Novel Time-Domain Beamforming Algorithm

Abstract

A time-domain novel beamforming algorithm for ultra-wideband (UWB) microwave imaging is furnished in this paper. A monostatic and bistatic antenna setup is utilized to transmit and receive custom UWB pulses. This setup is employed to image various metallic and non–metallic threats attached to a human body. The imaging results demonstrate that the proposed beamforming algorithm allows effective reconstruction of different targets for both monostatic and bistatic cases. An ultra-wideband high gain Antipodal Vivaldi Antenna (AVA) is used as the transducer for the proposed imaging setup. The designed transducer demonstrates measured impedance bandwidth from 660 MHz to 15 GHz (182%) with a peak gain of 15 dBi at 8 GHz. The quality and accuracy of the proposed beamforming algorithm is tested outside the anechoic chamber just to make it more convincing in a real-world dynamic scenario. The result shows that different concealed materials can be detected accurately with the beamforming algorithm. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the proposed algorithm can effectively add up the target responses to obtain a clear and distinct image of the metallic and non-metallic targets.