Fast Localization and Characterization of Underground Targets with a Towed Transient Electromagnetic Array System

A fast inversion algorithm combined with the transient electromagnetic (TEM) detection system has important significance for improving the detection efficiency of unexploded ordnance. The traditional algorithms, such as differential evolution or Gauss–Newton algorithms, usually require tens to thousands of iterations to locate the underground target. A new algorithm with a magnetic gradient tensor and singular value decomposition (SVD) to estimate the target position and characterization quickly and accurately is proposed in this paper. Two modes of magnetic gradient tensor are constructed to accurately locate shallow and deep targets, respectively. The SVD algorithm is applied to the responses to estimate the electromagnetic characteristics of the target quickly and accurately. To verify the performance of the proposed algorithm, a towed TEM sensor is designed, which is constructed with three transmitting coils and nine three-component receiving coils arranged in a 3 × 3 array. Field experiments in survey and cued modes were taken to verify the performance of the proposed algorithm and the towed system. Results show that the magnetic gradient tensor algorithm proposed in this paper can accurately locate a single target within 2.0 m depth, and the error of depth is no more than 8 cm. Even for overlapping response of multi targets, the error of depth is no more than 12 cm. The underground target can be accurately characterized by the SVD algorithm. For targets with depths over 2.0 m, the signal-to-noise ratio of characteristic response estimated by SVD is higher than that of the traditional method. The proposed method needs approximately 40 ms, only 1% of the traditional one, considerably improving detection efficiency and laying a theoretical and experimental foundation for real-time data processing.