High-Resolution Automated Millimeter Wave Imaging System

Abstract

Millimetre-wave imaging has promising applications in security screening, non-destructive testing and medical diagnostics due to its high resolution, non-ionising radiation and ability to penetrate optically opaque materials. However, the use of conventional high-resolution systems based on synthetic aperture radar (SAR) usually requires the use of mechanical scanning devices or tracking equipment for coherent aperture synthesis. In this paper, we propose a millimetre wave imaging system consisting of a FMCW (frequency modulated continuous wave) radar module, a programmable electromechanical XY scanning platform and dedicated control software. The system automatically acquires the echo data on a preset scanning grid, and then reconstructs the image by distance FFT and spatial frequency domain phase compensation. Experimental validation of the method for metal detection shows that the method can clearly distinguish target features and accurately locate the depth.