Through-Wall Mapping Using Radar: Approaches to Handle Multipath Reflections

Through-wall mapping is an emerging field of research with promising applications varying from search and rescue, to health care and to security. Radar is a valuable tool in this process, mainly due to its long wavelength, which can pass through construction materials. However, this capability comes at a price, namely multipath reflections caused by the environment, which can reduce the usability of the produced map considerably. This paper proposes methods to detect and isolate these multipath reflections, eventually leaving out a usable map of the enclosed environment. For this purpose, two different radars, one operating at 24GHz and the other at 76GHz, were evaluated in various wall configurations constructed inside an enclosed space using portable wall segments. The testing arena was probed from the outside with the radars mounted on the top of a differential drive mobile robot. The paper shows that the proposed methods are effective in eliminating multipath reflections and in building an accurate representation of the environment using the radars.

Automated summary

Through-wall mapping is a promising emerging field of research with various applications, where radar plays a crucial role. This paper proposes methods to eliminate multipath reflections and build an accurate map of the enclosed environment using radar technology.