Improved Forward Looking Ground Penetrating Radar Array

A novel high performance Ultra-Wideband (UWB) Connected Array Antenna is proposed to meet the specific antenna requirements of a Forward Looking Ground Penetrating Radar (FLGPR) designed to find and classify mines and IEDs buried in roadways. The new array design exploits and integrates recent developments in Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) simulation and optimization applied to UWB Connected Array, AMC, and Rotman Lens feed network design. The new array incorporates innovations to enhance bandwidth, feed impedance matching, lower frequency response and customizable spectral beamwidth control. An optimized decade bandwidth slot element connected array architecture is used as the starting point for the design. The low frequency response is extended while keeping the array thin through use of new metamaterial UWB Artificial Magnetic Conductors. The beam width and shape are controlled with a network of specially designed Rotman Lenses networked to provide spectrally invariant beam width and beam shape. The net combination provides a superior high efficiency antenna that maximizes the FLGPR"s spectral, angle and range resolution for optimum SAR imaging capability.