Matthew Southgate

A Review of Nonimaging Stand-Off Concealed Threat Detection with Millimeter-Wave Radar [Application Notes]

There is now, more than ever before, a need for technologies that enable the screening of people from a distance. A wide variety of weapons can be easily concealed under clothing and carried into crowded public sites to target national infrastructure, spread fear, and inflict mass murder and casualties. The most feared and devastating terrorist weapon is the suicide bomb or person borne improvised explosive device (PBIED). Such devices are relatively simple to conceal on the body, and successful detection is required at considerable distance or stand-off range before the bomber reaches the target area.

Detection of concealed explosives at stand-off distances using wide band swept millimetre waves

Millimetre waves in the range 20 to 110 GHz have been used to detect the presence and thickness of dielectric materials, such as explosives, by measuring the frequency response of the return signal. Interference between the reflected signals from the front and back surfaces of the dielectric provides a characteristic frequency variation in the return signal, which may be processed to yield its optical depth [Bowring et al, Meas. Sci. Technol. 19, 024004 (2008)]. The depth resolution depends on the sweep bandwidth, which is typically 10 to 30 GHz. By using super-heterodyne detection the range of the object can also be determined, which enables a signal from a target, such as a suicide bomber to be extracted from background clutter. Using millimetre wave optics only a small area of the target is illuminated at a time, thus reducing interference from different parts of a human target. Results are presented for simulated explosive materials with water or human backing at stand-off distances. A method of data analysis that involves pattern recognition enables effective differentiation of target types.

Active millimeter wave detection of concealed layers of dielectric material

Extensive work has been published on millimetre wave active and passive detection and imaging of metallic objects concealed under clothing. We propose and demonstrate a technique for revealing the depth as well as the outline of partially transparent objects, which is especially suited to imaging layer materials such as explosives and drugs. The technique uses a focussed and scanned FMCW source, swept through many GHz to reveal this structure. The principle involved is that a parallel sided dielectric slab produces reflections at both its upper and lower surfaces, acting as a Fabry-Perot interferometer. This produces a pattern of alternating reflected peaks and troughs in frequency space. Fourier or Burg transforming this pattern into z-space generates a peak at the thickness of the irradiated sample. It could be argued that though such a technique may work for single uniform slabs of dielectric material, it will give results of little or no significance when the sample both scatters the incident radiation and gives erratic reflectivities due to its non-uniform thickness and permittivity . We show results for a variety of materials such as explosive simulants, powder and drugs, both alone and concealed under clothing or in a rucksack, which display strongly directional reflectivities at millimeter wavelengths, and whose location is well displayed by a varying thickness parameter as the millimetre beam is scanned across the target. With this system we find that samples can easily be detected at standoff distances of at least 4.6m.

A swept millimeter-wave technique for the detection of concealed weapons and thin layers of dielectric material with or without fragmentation

Active millimetre wave systems, operating at frequencies up to 110 GHz have been used to detect the presence of both concealed dielectric and metallic objects at standoff distances. Co- and cross-polarized superheterodyne or direct detectors are used to differentiate between metallic and purely dielectric objects. The technique determines the thickness of a dielectric target and detects the presence of concealed handguns or fragmentation by utilising the pattern of the responses from both the co- and cross-polarized detectors. The returned signals are processed and analysed by an artificial neural network, which classifies the responses according to their correspondence to previous training data.

Ultra wide band detection of on body concealed weapons using the out of plane polarized late time response

A method of detecting concealed handguns and knives, both on and off body, has been developed. The method utilizes aspect-independent natural, complex resonances (poles) excited by illuminating the target with frequency swept, ultrawide band microwaves in the range 0.5 - 18 GHz. These natural resonances manifest as a Late Time Response (LTR) that extends significantly (~ 5 ns) beyond the direct reflections from the human body (the Early Time Response) and are of the form of a superposition of exponentially decaying sinusoidal waveforms. Two handguns are examined, both on the human body and in isolation, by the established methodology of applying the Generalised-Pencil-Of-Function to the late time response data of the target. These poles allow the weapon to be effectively classified. Out of plane polarized (cross-polarized) scattered response is used here as this gives improved discrimination between the early and late time responses. Determination of the presence or absence of particular weapons concealed under clothing, on the human body, is demonstrated. A novel bow-tie slot antenna is described which has good pulse and frequency response over the range 0.3-1 GHz and which is suitable for excitation of the fundamental natural resonances.

A multifaceted active swept millimetre-wave approach to the detection of concealed weapons

The effective detection of concealed handguns and knives in open spaces is a major challenge for police and security services round the world. Here an automated technique for the detection of concealed handguns that relies on active swept illumination of the target to induce both scattered fields and aspect independent responses from the concealed object is presented. The broad frequency sweep permits information about the objects size to be deduced from transformations into the time/distance domain. In our experiments we collect multiple sweeps across the frequency range at very high speed, which produces a time evolved response from the target, from both normal and cross polarized detectors. From this we extract characteristic signatures from the responses that allow those from innocent objects (e.g. mobile phones, keys etc) to be distinguished from handguns. Information about the optical depth separation of the scattering corners and the degree and shape of cross polarization allows a neural network to successfully concealed handguns. Finally this system utilizes a range of signal processing techniques ranging from correlation between cross and normally polarized scattering through to a neural network classifier to deduce whether a concealed weapon is present.

Active Millimeter Wave Sensor for Standoff Concealed Threat Detection

We present a millimeter radar for threat level evaluation developed for the detection concealed threats, such as guns and person borne improvised explosive devices (PBIED). The system uses a Gaussian optic lens antenna to achieve stand-off ranges up to 25 m. Ultra-wideband swept frequency radar, using direct detection receivers, is implemented to achieve short radar range resolution . The system is capable of detecting a wide range of objects positioned in front of the body by interpretation of the scattered waveform. Threat detection is rendered autonomously by a neural network that processes the scattered polarimetric, depth domain radar waveforms. The system may be configured to alarm or reject certain classes of objects, allowing for the detection of specific or broad spectrum threats. The radar system is portable and manually steered by the operator to enable standoff monitoring of walking human targets in real time. A video feed provides the operator with a wide field of view that allows tracking of persons and greatly facilitates aiming of the sensor. Rapid (1 ms) radar sweep times and fast signal acquisition and processing are implemented to provide threat detection at video frame rates (30 fps). Performance parameters for the detection of hand-guns and simulated PBIED are presented for ranges up to 25 m.

Development of a longer range standoff millimetre wave radar concealed threat detector

A millimeter wave (75 - 110 GHz) polarimetric radar system (MiRTLE) has been developed for the detection of threat objects, such as guns, knives, or explosive devices, which have been concealed under clothing upon the human body. The system uses a Gaussian lens antenna to enable operation at stand-off ranges up to 25 meters. By utilizing ultra-wideband Swept Frequency Continuous Wave Radar very high range resolution (~ 10mm) is realized. The system is capable of detecting objects positioned in front of the body and of measuring the range of a target. By interpretation of the scattered waveform, the presence of a wide spectrum of threat items concealed on the human body may be detected. Threat detection is autonomously rendered by application of a neural network to the scattered time domain, polarimetric radar returns and the system may be taught to alarm or reject certain classes of objects; this allows for highly specific or broad spectrum threat detection. The radar system is portable and operator steerable allowing standoff monitoring of moving human targets in real time. Rapid (1ms) sweep times and fast signal acquisition and processing allow decisions to be made at video frame rates (30 fps) and integrated directly to a video feed providing the operator with a field of view and facilitating aiming. Performance parameters for detection of guns and simulated explosive devices are presented for ranges up to 25 meters.

Millimetre radar threat level evaluation (MiRTLE) at standoff ranges

A millimetre wave (75 - 110 GHz) polarimetric RADAR system is demonstrated for the detection of threat objects concealed under clothing upon the human body at stand-off ranges of up to 25 metres. The system implements Swept Frequency Continuous Wave RADAR with low cost components to deliver a compact, UWB, high resolution (~ 1 cm) RADAR system capable of detecting, resolving and discriminating a wide spectrum of threat items concealed on the human body. Threat detection is autonomously rendered by application of a neural network to the scattered time domain polarimetric radar return, the system may be taught to alarm or reject certain classes of objects; allowing for highly specific through to broad spectrum threat detection. The authors present data for some simple envisaged threat scenarios at stand off ranges out to 25 metres.

An aviation security (AVSEC) screening demonstrator for the detection of non-metallic threats at 28-33 GHz

The unique selling proposition of millimetre wave technology for security screening is that it provides a stand-off or portal scenario sensing capability for non-metallic threats. The capabilities to detect some non-metallic threats are investigated in this paper, whilst recommissioning the AVSEC portal screening system at the Manchester Metropolitan University. The AVSEC system is a large aperture (1.6 m) portal screening imager which uses spatially incoherent illumination at 28-33 GHz from mode scrambling cavities to illuminate the subject. The imaging capability is critically analysed in terms of this illumination. A novel technique for the measurement of reflectance, refractive index and extinction coefficient is investigated and this then use to characterise the signatures of nitromethane, hexane, methanol, bees wax and baking flour. Millimetre wave images are shown how these liquids in polycarbonate bottles and the other materials appear against the human body.