Leida xuebao (Jun 2021)

Advances on Penetrating Imaging of Building Layout Technique Using Low Frequency Radio Waves

  • Tian JIN,
  • Yongping SONG,
  • Guolong CUI,
  • Shisheng GUO

DOI
https://doi.org/10.12000/JR20119
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 3
pp. 342 – 359

Abstract

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Obtaining the internal layout of an unfamiliar building before entering the building has important practical significance and research value, as it can be applied for various services, such as anti-terrorism operations and disaster relief. Low-frequency electromagnetic waves can propagate through common building materials, and then the target information behind the wall is obtained safely and stably. Therefore, using low frequency radio waves to obtain the information behind the wall has become the research focus in the field of building layout reconstruction. To reveal the development context of this field and predict the possible future development trends, this paper summarizes the domestic and foreign public literature in this field since the onset of the 21st century. The results of the relevant literature indicate that the techniques of using low-frequency electromagnetic waves to reconstruct building layout currently include three types: through-the-wall radar imaging technology based on reflected wave measurement, radio-frequency tomography technology based on transmitted wave measurement, and wall position estimation technology based on multipath signals. These three technologies have achieved several practical research results. This article clarifies the development history of the main content covered by these technologies, which mainly includes the principle of through-the-wall radar imaging of stationary targets behind the wall, the observation mode of building internal structure based on through-the-wall radar, the reconstruction technology of building internal structure on the basis of through-the-wall radar imaging, the inversion technology of building internal structure on the basis of radio-frequency tomography, and the wall position estimation technology based on multipath signals. We also discuss the development trend of this field. In the past two decades, the development history of building layout penetrating imaging using low-frequency radio waves shows a change from the traditional airborne and vehicle-mounted building-layout-reconstruction platforms to new platforms such as microrobots and unmanned aerial vehicles. The corresponding reconstruction method has been developed from the traditional radar imaging technology to a variety of new methods, including image enhancement and sparse reconstruction. The results indicate that the building-layout-reconstruction technology is developing in the direction of systematization, diversification, and intelligence.

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