Imageless Contraband Detection Using a Millimeter-Wave Dynamic Antenna Array via Spatial Fourier Domain Sampling

TL;DR

This paper introduces a privacy-preserving, imageless contraband detection method using a 75 GHz dynamic antenna array that samples the Fourier domain to detect concealed objects rapidly and accurately without full image reconstruction.

Contribution

The study presents a novel Fourier domain sampling approach with a dynamic antenna array for real-time concealed object detection, enhancing privacy and speed over traditional imaging methods.

Findings

Achieved 98.6% accuracy and F1-score in detecting concealed metallic objects.

Demonstrated detection within 211 milliseconds from measurement to decision.

Validated effectiveness in a laboratory environment with real human subjects.

Abstract

We demonstrate an imageless method of concealed contraband detection using a real-time 75 GHz rotationally dynamic antenna array. The array measures information in the two-dimensional Fourier domain and captures a set of samples that is sufficient for detecting concealed objects yet insufficient for generating full image, thereby preserving the privacy of screened subjects. The small set of Fourier samples contains sharp spatial frequency features in the Fourier domain which correspond to sharp edges of man-made objects such as handguns. We evaluate a set of classification methods: threshold-based, K-nearest neighbor, and support vector machine using radial basis function; all operating on arithmetic features directly extracted from the sampled Fourier-domain responses measured by a dynamically rotating millimeter-wave active interferometer. Noise transmitters are used to produce thermal-like radiation from scenes, enabling direct Fourier-domain sampling, while the rotational dynamics circularly sample the two-dimensional Fourier domain, capturing the sharp-edge induced responses. We experimentally demonstrate the detection of concealed metallic gun-shape object beneath clothing on a real person in a laboratory environment and achieved an accuracy and F1-score both at 0.986. The presented technique not only prevents image formation due to efficient Fourier-domain space sub-sampling but also requires only 211 ms from measurement to decision.