Multimode electromagnetic target discriminator: preliminary data results

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper describes the Multi-mode Electromagnetic Target Discriminator (METD) sensor and presents preliminary results from recent field experiments. The METD sensor was developed for the US Army RDECOM NVESD by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. The METD, based on the technology of the previously developed Electromagnetic Target Discriminator (ETD), is a spatial scanning electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensor that uses both the time-domain (TD) and the frequency-domain (FD) for target detection and classification. Data is collected with a custom data acquisition system and wirelessly transmitted to a base computer. We show that the METD has a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the ability to detect voids created by plastic anti-tank (AT) mines, and is practical for near real-time data processing. Keywords: EMI sensor, electromagnetic induction, METD, landmine detection 1. INTRODUCTION Most EMI sensors currently used in the field can successfully detect metal and low-metal content landmines at shallow depths. However, metal clutter objects found in the environment complicate mine detection because they represent false targets. Without discrimination, high false alarm rates in mine detection operations significantly slow the rate of clearance. The ability to discriminate mines from clutter will greatly lower the cost of landmine clearance. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory has developed a wideband, spatial scanning Electromagnetic Target Discriminator