Development of Through-Wall Imaging Radar with Planar MIMO Array

This paper describes development of an ultra-wideband through-wall imaging radar, which was carried out in the framework of the EU project PROBANT. The hand-held radar is intended for security and rescue operations. Its electronics is built on the frequency modulated continuous wave technology with flexible selection of operational frequencies within 1-4 GHz range. The antenna system represents a novel multiple input multiple output array with four transmit and eight receive antennas. The imaging is done by means of digital beamforming that uses a modified Kirchhoff migration. The capability to image a person through various walls, including thick reinforced concrete, has been demonstrated by experiments with an operational demonstrator.