Polarimetric Ultra-Wideband MiMo-Radar for IED-Detection and High-Resolution Imaging Acronym: MEDICI-POLARIs

• Applicants: Dr.-Ing. Christoph Baer; Dr.-Ing. Jan Barowski; Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Sachs
• Subject Area: Electronic Semiconductors, Components and Circuits, Integrated Systems, Sensor Technology, Theoretical Electrical Engineering
• Term: from 2014 to 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 249700234

• Final Report Year: 2024

Final Report Abstract

Building on the predecessor project MEDICI, various research aspects were derived to make radar-based landmine detection more efficient and safer. The research approaches derived from this and implemented in the project MEDICI-Polaris include the development and expansion of a new code radar system with a novel antenna concept. The fully polarimetric radar demonstrator created within the project exhibits a wider bandwidth, improved transient transmission behavior, and higher measurement dynamics. Regarding the investigated radar imaging, new and improved backprojection algorithms were researched, capable of considering uneven interfaces and compensating for shortening effects caused by measurements within the ground. The developed algorithms are adaptive and self-regulating, ensuring that the output radar image always has the highest resolution. However, for these developed algorithms to be executed efficiently and correctly, a good initial estimation of the soil permittivity is required. To meet this requirement, in the third part of the project, a timedomain sensor based on dielectric waveguides was explored, enabling a simple yet highly precise measurement of permittivity. The explored sensor is simply inserted into the medium under investigation. Using orthogonal propagation modes and an integrated transpolarization reflector, a Time-Domain Transmissometry (TDT) sensor was researched, which, due to its pseudo-transmission properties, requires no a priori information about the insertion depth during data evaluation. All of the project achievements that were attained advance the state of the art in general, and demining technology in particular. Future research initiatives will make use of the project outcomes. Additionally, the obtained results can be adapted to other fields of research and cross-fertilize investigations in the field material characterization and radar imaging or even medical diagnostics. Because partners from Universidad Nacional de Colombia actively participated in the project, it is important to note that MEDICI-POLARIS was carried out as an international project. Consequently, it increased the universities' international contacts and allowed students to undertake part of their theses abroad on global research issues, which is highly gratifying in addition to the pure research work.

Publications

• A Highly Accurate Pseudo-Transmission Permittivity Sensor basing on Rectangular Dielectric Waveguides. 2022 Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference (APMC) (2022, 11, 29), 109-111. IEEE.
  Baer, Christoph
  
• A Novel Localization System in SAR-Demining Applications Using Invariant Radar Channel Fingerprints. Sensors, 22(22), 8688.
  Karsch, Nicholas; Schulte, Hendrik; Musch, Thomas & Baer, Christoph
  
• A Statistical FDFD Simulator for the Generation of Labeled Training Data Sets in the Context of Humanitarian Demining using GPR. 2022 IEEE MTT-S International Conference on Numerical Electromagnetic and Multiphysics Modeling and Optimization (NEMO) (2022, 7, 6), 1-3. IEEE.
  Schorlemer, Jonas; Jebramcik, Jochen; Baer, Christoph; Rolfes, Ilona & Schulz, Christian
  
• Cognitive FMCW-Radar Concept for Ultrafast Spatial Mapping using Frequency Coded Channels. 2021 18th European Radar Conference (EuRAD) (2022, 4, 5). IEEE.
  Karsch, Nicholas; Baer, Christoph & Musch, Thomas
  
• Comparison of Short-Range SAR Imaging Algorithms for the Detection of Landmines using Numerical Simulations. 2021 18th European Radar Conference (EuRAD) (2022, 4, 5). IEEE.
  Schorlemer, Jonas; Jebramcik, Jochen; Rolfes, Ilona & Barowski, Jan
  
• A Line Length Independent, Pseudo-Transmission Permittivity Sensor Basing on Dielectric Waveguides. IEICE Transactions on Electronics,E106.C(11), 689-697.
  BAER, Christoph
  
• Configurable Pseudo Noise Radar Imaging System Enabling Synchronous MIMO Channel Extension. Sensors, 23(5), 2454.
  Bräunlich, Niklas; Wagner, Christoph W.; Sachs, Jürgen & Del Galdo, Giovanni
  
• Microwave Angiography by Ultra-Wideband Sounding: A Preliminary Investigation. Diagnostics, 13(18), 2950.
  Chamaani, Somayyeh; Sachs, Jürgen; Prokhorova, Alexandra; Smeenk, Carsten; Wegner, Tim Erich & Helbig, Marko
  
• Shut Off! – Hybrid BICMOS Logic for Power-Efficient High Speed Circuits. 2023 19th International Conference on Synthesis, Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Methods and Applications to Circuit Design (SMACD),ch 4(2023, 7, 3), 1-4. IEEE.
  Wagner, Christoph W.; Bräunlich, Niklas; Drenkhahn, Kevin E. & Gläser, Georg
  
• A Radar Echo Simulator for the Synthesis of Randomized Training Data Sets in the Context of AI-Based Applications. Sensors, 24(3), 836.
  Schorlemer, Jonas; Altholz, Jochen; Barowski, Jan; Baer, Christoph; Rolfes, Ilona & Schulz, Christian