MPV-II: an enhanced vector man-portable EMI sensor for UXO identification

The Man-Portable Vector (MPV) electromagnetic induction sensor has proved its worth and flexibility as a tool for identification and discrimination of unexploded ordnance (UXO). The MPV allows remediation work in treed and rough terrains where other instruments cannot be deployed; it can work in survey mode and in a static mode for close interrogation of anomalies. By measuring the three components of the secondary field at five different locations, the MPV provides diverse time-domain data of high quality. The MPV is currently being upgraded, streamlined, and enhanced to make it more practical and serviceable. The new sensor, dubbed MPV-II, has a smaller head and lighter components for better portability. The original laser positioning system has been replaced with one that uses the transmitter coil as a beacon. The receivers have been placed in a configuration that permits experimental computation of field gradients. In this work, after introducing the new sensor, we present the results of several identification/discrimination experiments using data provided by the MPV-II and digested using a fast and accurate new implementation of the dipole model. The model performs a nonlinear search for the location of a responding target, at each step carrying out a simultaneous linear least-squares inversion for the principal polarizabilities at all time gates and for the orientation of the target. We find that the MPV-II can identify standard-issue UXO, even in cases where there are two targets in its field of view, and can discriminate them from clutter.