See-through-wall imaging using ultra wideband pulse systems

Abstract

Surveillance/navigation systems presently used make extensive use of television, infrared, and other line-of-sight-surveillance hardware. However, these systems cannot tell what is happening or locate persons/assets on the other side of a wall, behind bushes, in the dark, in a tunnel or a cave, or through a dense fog. It is our objective here to develop a new sensor, based on UWB technology. A small, lightweight, low power transceiver or multiples that are based upon the fact that microwave frequencies can be optimized to penetrate nonmetallic materials, and providing very precise ranging information. This new surveillance/navigation capability can help provide information about what is in a wall or on the other side of a door, and can be extended to provide precise global position in areas where these services are denied such as in tunnels or caves. This paper presents our efforts along these lines including image enhancements.