CMP Antenna Array GPR and Signal-to-Clutter Ratio Improvement

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is recognized as a promising sensor for detecting buried landmines. In this case, the GPR antenna(s) must be elevated above the ground. However, this requirement results in heavy surface clutter. It is therefore necessary to overcome the effect. A commonly used procedure of time gating and background averaging cannot suit to small shallow nonmetallic landmine beneath a rough ground surface. In this letter, we proposed techniques to enhance the target signal through common midpoint (CMP) antenna array and data processing techniques, including velocity spectrum and CMP multifold stacking. The method has been tested using experiment data over a rough ground under which small plastic antipersonnel landmines is shallowly buried. The result shows the signal-to-clutter ratio was dramatically improved.