M-SEQUENCE GROUND-PENETRATING RADAR WITH NOVEL FRONT-END CONCEPT

Abstract

This article deals with the ultra-wideband (UWB) front-end circuits for the ground penetrating radars (GPRs). New concepts for the GPR front-end circuits are proposed, which exploit electrically short active antennas to achieve minimal dimensions and the wide frequency band of the radar system as well as offer enhanced user experience in comparison to the currently used conventional GPR systems. This work suggests using the M-sequence radar as the core for the proposed GPR and sums up the specific issues, which have to be taken into account when designing the device transmitting radio waves through the inhomogeneous high-attenuation environment, typical for the GPR. Additionally, an overview of commercially available GPR antennas in the frequency band below 300 MHz is introduced for the comparison with the proposed solution. The theoretical working principles are discussed and confirmed by the measurements to pave the way for the future research.