Novel image reconstruction algorithm for a UWB cylindrical microwave imaging system

A theoretical and experimental study of a novel image reconstruction algorithm for an Ultra Wideband (UWB) Microwave Imaging System aiming at detecting and locating small targets in a homogenous circular cylindrical body is presented. The system uses a double circular scan in which the second scan is achieved after rotating by a small angle the antenna sub-system or the imaged body. The obtained two sets of data serve the purpose of subtracting the background that masks the target. Assuming that the target is asymmetric with respect to the axis of rotation, the difference data includes the original target and its negative “ghost”. In order to eliminate the “ghost” only the positive valued difference data is extracted. This data is scaled and mapped to show the original target location. The validity of the proposed image reconstruction algorithm is demonstrated in an example of a cylindrical plastic container filled with a vegetable oil and small cylindrical targets.