Millimetre Wave Near Field SAR Scanner for Concealed Weapon Detection

Abstract:
A light weight, transportable measurement system for the inspection of suspicious humans and of luggage in a threat situation has been developed, based upon miniaturized millimetre wave radar modules operating at W-band. To allow a sufficient detection capability of objects hidden under the clothing or within a piece of luggage within buildings at a sufficiently short scanning time, a radar approach rather than a passive radiometer technique was chosen. It is generally recognized, that only synthetic aperture is able to supply a sufficient geometrical resolution at high imaging speed. Moreover a radar can also deliver a three dimensional description for the position and the shape of a concealed object using high range resolution techniques. The paper describes the measurement set-up and the evaluation algorithm. Typical examples for different set-ups are presented.