• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    A radar assembly includes a hollow drum and an antenna holding structure located inside the hollow drum so that the hollow drum is able to rotate around the antenna holding structure. An antenna is connected to the antenna holding structure and located inside the hollow drum so that the hollow drum is able to rotate around the antenna. The antenna holding structure is connected to a base frame and to which the hollow drum is connected via at least one axle so that the hollow drum is able to rotate around the antenna holding structure while the antenna holding structure and antenna remain stationary. A handle is connected to the base frame so that in use a user can direct the antenna towards a surface of interest which is to be radiated and can then roll the hollow drum over the surface whilst maintaining the antenna in a user selected orientation. Switch controls for the radar are preferably mounted at or near a bottom end of the handle where they are conveniently located for a user to be able to switch the radar on and off.
    公开号:SE1750639A1
    申请号:SE1750639
    申请日:2017-05-23
    公开日:2018-01-09
    发明作者:Johannes Nortje Stephanus；Jacobus Van Der Merwe Paulus；STEYN Werner；Wynand Baard Charl
    申请人:Reutech Radar Systems Pty Limited；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    A RADAR ASSEMBLY gAckenouNp oF TH§ |Nv§NT|oN The present application relates to a radar assembly, specifically for aground penetrating radar system.
    One application of such ground penetrating radar (GPR) is for underground use in mines, such as gold or platinum mines as a sub-surface profiler.
    A GPR detects subterranean objects in ground or rock by radiatingelectromagnetic waves into the ground or rock medium by means of atransmitter driving an antenna. lt then collects waves that are reflected backin the direction of the radar by underground objects by means of anantenna that provides an electrical signal for a receiver. The receiveramplifies, processes and samples the signal.
    The sampled signal is processed digitally with a digital signal processor todetect, identify and classify reflecting objects. ln many GPRs separate transmit and receive antenna elements are used,but radars that use the same antenna for transmitting and receiving signals are also common.
    To ensure efficient radiation into a ground or rock medium and to minimiseabove-ground radiation, it is required that the antenna elements are closeto, or in contact with, the ground or rock. While horn antennas have beenused for ground penetrating radars, the preferred antenna element is a"bow-tie" dipole antenna.
    An arrangement that is often used in existing GPRs is to mount the antennaelement on a thick rubber mat that is placed directly on the ground or rocksurface. Such an antenna assembly may weigh several kilogrammes. The _2_ antenna assembly is then dragged along the surface to perform a linearscan of the site under investigation. The rubber mat serves the dualpurpose of protecting the antenna elements while the relatively highdielectric constant of the rubber improves the radiation efficiency into theground or rock.
    However, there is an appreciable amount of friction between the antennaassembly and the ground or rock surface and it may require an appreciableeffort to drag the antenna across the surface.
    With separate transmit and receive antennas, the rubber mat will usuallytake on a square shape to accommodate both antennas, and consequentlyhas a large footprint compared to the size of a radar with only one antennaelement. The large footprint increases the spacing that can be achievedbetween the antennas and a rough surface, thus reducing radiationefficiency into the rock.
    Especially in underground applications in deep mines it can be very difficultand exhausting for the operator to drag a heavy radar antenna across theroof of the mine while the operator has to move on his knees over a rockysurface because of the limited confines of the mine. The operator mustexert considerable force to not only support the radar but also keep it incontact with the rock surface. The constant rubbing between the antennaassembly and the mine surface can also cause appreciable wear of therubber surface, especially on uneven rock surfaces. ln cases where post-processing is done on recorded data, the position of the antenna must alsobe known so that measurements can be taken at fixed distances. For thispurpose a grid usually has to be marked out on the roof surface before a scan can be undertaken.
    A second operator may be required to tell the first operator when to take measurements as he drags the antenna across the mine roof surface. _3_ An alternative arrangement is to mount the antenna on a low wheeledtrolley. Such an arrangement is not well suited to rough surfaces, astypically encountered in platinum and gold mines, nor for overhead use.
    There is a clear need for a lightweight antenna arrangement suitable for scanning overhead uneven rock surfaces with minimal physical effort.
    The present invention provides a radar assembly to address this.
    SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one example embodiment there is provided a radar assembly including: a hollow drum; an antenna holding structure located inside the hollow drum so thatthe hollow drum is able to rotate around the antenna holdingstructure; an antenna connected to the antenna holding structure and locatedinside the hollow drum so that the hollow drum is able to rotatearound the antenna; a base frame to which the antenna holding structure is connectedand to which the hollow drum is connected via at least one axle sothat the hollow drum is able to rotate around the antenna holdingstructure while the antenna holding structure and antenna remain stationary; and a handle connected to the base frame so that in use a user candirect the antenna towards a surface of interest which is to beradiated and can then roll the hollow drum over the surface whilst maintaining the antenna in a user selected orientation.
    A matching section element for the antenna may also be connected to theantenna holding structure.
    Preferably, a printed circuit board including radar electronics is also locatedinside the hollow drum so that the hollow drum is able to rotate around theprinted circuit board. ln one example, the hollow drum is covered with rubber.
    Preferably, the antenna holding structure is connected to the base frame by means of a suspension.
    Switch controls for the radar are preferably mounted at or near a bottomend of the handle where they are conveniently located for a user to be ableto switch the radar on and off.
    BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a radar assembly according to the present invention;Figure 2 is an exploded view of an antenna assembly of Figure 1;Figure 3 shows the complete antenna assembly; Figure 4 shows an exploded view of the radar assembly; Figure 5 shows a partial cut-away view of the radar assembly; Figure 6 shows the complete radar assembly; Figure 7 shows the radar assembly mounted on a base frame by means of two suspension frames; and _5_ Figure8 shows a cross section through the antenna showing the basic parts.
    DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Referring to Figure 1, a radar assembly 10 includes an antenna assemblyportion 12 connected to a base frame 14.
    A handle 16 is also connected to the base frame 14. lt will be appreciatedthat the handle 16 is elongate to allow the antenna assembly portion 12 tobe easily held up against an overhead surface and rolled over the surfaceas will be described in more detail below.
    Referring now to Figure 2-8, the antenna assembly portion 12 includes ahollow drum 18.
    An antenna holding structure 20 is located inside the hollow drum 18 sothat the hollow drum 18 is able to rotate around the antenna holdingstructure 20, as will be described in more detail below.
    The rotatable drum 18 is covered with rubber on its outer surface.
    As can best be seen in Figure 2, in the illustrated embodiment, the antennais a bowtie dipole antenna 22 which is mounted on the antenna holdingstructure 20 which is made from a plastic material in the form of a curvedplastic surface. This forms the bottom element of the bow tie antenna.
    A matching section element 24 of the bow-tie antenna is manufacturedfrom a suitable material with a high dielectric constant, such as neoprenerubber. lt has a mainly electromagnetic function and serves to improve theelectrical coupling between the antenna 22 and the ground surface, so thatradiation is directed into the ground or rock that is scanned. _6_ A centre support 26 is made from a plastic material and serves as astructural member and also houses the axles for the rotating parts.
    A printed circuit board (PCB) 28 (Figure 8) is also contained within thehollow drum 18.
    This PCB 28 houses the radar electronics. A conducting layer on thebottom of the PCB shields the radar electronics from the antenna radiation.
    The radar electronics typically include a digital signal processing module, aWi-Fi communications module and an optical counter that counts therevolutions of the hollow drum 18.
    Referring again to Figure 2, the figure shows the location of stub axles 30that house cable glands 32 for the battery cable.
    The stub axles 30 are firmly fixed to the centre support 26 by means ofscrews and also serve to keep bow-tie shield ends 34 in position.
    The shield ends 34 support the PCB 28 and bow-tie antenna elements 20,22 and 24 to realise a structurally strong assembly by means ofpolycarbonate screws.
    Figure 3 shows the complete antenna assembly.
    Referring now to Figures 4-6 which show the radar assembly including the antenna assembly.
    The rotating hollow drum 18 is made of a suitable plastic material that ismechanically strong and transparent to electromagnetic waves, such aspoly-acrylic plastic. _7_ As mentioned above, the hollow drum 18 is covered with a rubber tyremade of a suitable material with the desired electrical and mechanicalproperties, such as neoprene rubber.
    The hollow drum, tyre and drum edges are protected by two rim protectors36 made from a suitable material such as neoprene rubber.
    The rim protectors 36 mount onto two rotating hubs 38 that in turn rotate onthe two stub axles 30, made from a suitable bearing material such aspolyacetal.
    The rotating hubs are kept in position by washers 40 and the axle bosses42.
    The axle bosses 42 are supported by spring guide pins 44.
    Figure 7 shows the radar assembly mounted on the base frame 14 by means of a suspension in the form of two suspension frames 46.
    The suspension frames 46 support the radar assembly by means ofsuspension springs 48 that are kept in position by the spring guide pins 44(See Figure 4).
    The suspension allows the roller to follow rough terrain by allowing relativemovement between the radar assembly and the base frame.
    The base frame 14 also houses a battery compartment, with a screw-onbattery cover 50. The battery compartment is used for housing a battery to power the assembly when in use.
    The base frame 14 also makes provision for housing cable connections andcan be fixed to the handle as illustrated in Figure 1. _8_ Referring back to Figure 1, the complete Ground Penetrating Radar system is shown.
    The springe suspension allows the radar to traverse a rough surface whiletracing a smooth curve with the handle 16. Switch controls for the radar aremounted at or near a bottom end of the handle 16 where they areconveniently located for the operator to be able to switch the radar on andoff. lt will be appreciated that in this example there will be wires connectingthe switch controls to the printed circuit board 28 and that these wires willrun inside the handle 16.
    Thus it will be appreciated that the antenna elements are mounted insideone or more rubber-covered rollers that can be rolled over the surface to bescanned, thus eliminating friction and allowing the antenna to be drawnacross a rough rock surface with minimal spacing between the antennaelement and the rock surface.
    Small dielectric matching elements between the antenna elements and theroller circumference are used to further improve the effective radiation of radio waves into the ground or rock. ln the embodiment described above, a single antenna is used that ismounted inside a single roller. The same principles apply for the case where dual antenna elements are mounted in a pair of rollers.
    The main advantage of this arrangement is that friction and rubbingbetween the antenna element and the ground is eliminated completely. Asmall spacing between the antenna element and the rock surface can bemaintained, enhancing the radiation efficiency into the ground or rock. Thesmall spacing also helps to minimise above-ground radiation.
    Finally, the operator has a much easier task to perform as friction has, forpractical purposes, been eliminated and a light weight construction ispossible. The rollers are also used to measure the distance travelled, thus _9_ providing accurate data on the position of the radar and eliminating theneed for a second operator to keep track of position and to prompt the operator on when to take measurements.
    权利要求:
    Claims (11)
    [1] 1. A radar assembly including: a hollow drum; an antenna holding structure located inside the hollow drum so thatthe hollow drum is able to rotate around the antenna holdingstructure; an antenna connected to the antenna holding structure and locatedinside the hollow drum so that the hollow drum is able to rotatearound the antenna; a base frame to which the antenna holding structure is connectedand to which the hollow drum is connected via at least one axle sothat the hollow drum is able to rotate around the antenna holdingstructure while the antenna holding structure and antenna remain stationary; and a handle connected to the base frame so that in use a user candirect the antenna towards a surface of interest which is to beradiated and can then roll the hollow drum over the surface whilst maintaining the antenna in a user selected orientation.
    [2] 2. A radar assembly according to claim 1 wherein a matching sectionelement for the antenna is also connected to the antenna holdingstructure to improve the electrical coupling between the antenna and asurface so that radiation is directed into the surface that is scanned.
    [3] 3. A radar assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2 further including aprinted circuit board including radar electronics also located inside thehollow drum so that the hollow drum is able to rotate around the printedcircuit board. 10. 11. _11- A radar assembly according to claim 3 wherein the printed circuit boardincludes at least one of a digital signal processing module, acommunications module and an optical counter that counts the revolutions of the hollow drum. A radar assembly according to any preceding claim wherein the hollow drum is covered with rubber. A radar assembly according to any preceding claim wherein theantenna holding structure is connected to the base frame by means of a suspension spring. A radar assembly according to any preceding claim wherein switchcontrols for the radar are mounted at or near a bottom end of the handlewhere they are conveniently located for a user to be able to switch theradar on and off. A radar assembly according to any preceding claim wherein the antenna is a bowtie dipole antenna. A radar assembly according to any preceding claim wherein the antenna holding structure is made from a plastic material. A radar assembly according to any preceding claim wherein the hollowdrum is made of a suitable plastic material that is mechanically strongand transparent to electromagnetic waves. A radar assembly according to any preceding claim wherein the baseframe has a battery compartment therein for housing a battery to power the assembly when in use.
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    引用文献:
    公开号 | 申请日 | 公开日 | 申请人 | 专利标题
    US6536553B1|2000-04-25|2003-03-25|The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army|Method and apparatus using acoustic sensor for sub-surface object detection and visualization|
    CN204228973U|2014-12-09|2015-03-25|中国矿业大学|The tunnel-liner of ground penetrating radar wheel survey method detects roller arrangement for resilient contacting|
    CN104714256A|2015-03-18|2015-06-17|安徽惠洲地质安全研究院股份有限公司|Quick well wall and wall back nondestructive detecting system based on transient electromagnetic method and detection method of the detection system|
    CN105599794B|2015-12-23|2018-06-26|山东大学|A kind of Ground Penetrating Radar vehicle for being adapted to lining quality of channel|
    法律状态:
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    ZA201604715|2016-07-08|
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