Development of Signal Processing Methods for Imaging Buned Pipes

A new imaging technique for subsurface radars is described for reconstructing clear images of buried pipes in soil. The method developed has two signal processing stages; preprocessing and aperture synthesis. The preprocessing extracts signals scattered from the pipes by reducing clutter noise. The synthetic-aperture processing analyzes only the scattered signals derived by the first stage and reconstructs high-quality images in a short processing time. The imaging technique developed was successfully applied to the imaging of actual buried metallic pipes. It was experimentally confirmed that the new imaging method was capable of reconstructing clear images in a short time without losing image quality.     

Advanced subsurface radar system for imaging buried pipes

A subsurface radar system for imaging buried pipes was developed. The system is capable of reconstructing clear pipe images under unfavorable conditions, such as large attenuation rate of the radio waves propagating in soil. The output power of a pulse generator, the amplifier gain, and average number are controlled by moving the observation depth to improve the detection capability. Fast image processing methods are also used. A 6.5-cm-diameter steel pipe, buried at a depth of 2.5 m, was clearly reconstructed as a color image averaged attenuation rate of 12.6 dB/m in the soil. A plastic pipe (6.5 cm in diameter), buried at a depth of 1 m, was also imaged by the system