Human Polarimetric Micro-Doppler

Modern radars can pick up target motions other than just the principle target Doppler; they pick out the small micro-Doppler variations as well. These can be used to visually identify both the target type as well as the target activity. We model and measure some of the micro-Doppler motions that are amenable to polarimetric measurement. Understanding the capabilities and limitations of radar systems that utilize micro-Doppler to measure human characteristics is important for improving the effectiveness of these systems at securing areas. In security applications one would like to observe humans unobtrusively and without privacy issues, which make radar an effective approach. In this paper we focus on the characteristics of radar systems designed for the estimation of human motion for the determination of whether someone is loaded. Radar can be used to measure the direction, distance, and radial velocity of a walking person as a function of time. Detailed radar processing can reveal more characteristics of the walking human. The parts of the human body do not move with constant radial velocity; the small micro-Doppler signatures are time-varying and therefore analysis techniques can be used to obtain more characteristics. Looking for modulations of the radar return from arms, legs, and even body sway are being assessed by researchers. We analyze these techniques and focus on the improved performance that fully polarimetric radar techniques can add. We perform simulations and fully polarimetric measurements of the varying micro-Doppler signatures of humans as a function of elevation angle and azimuthal angle in order to try to optimize this type of system for the detection of arm motion, especially for the determination of whether someone is carrying something in their arms. The arm is often bent at the elbow, providing a surface similar to a dihedral. This is distinct from the more planar surfaces of the body and allows us to separate the signals from the arm (and knee) motion from the rest of the body. The double-bounce can be measured in polarimetric radar data by measuring the phase difference between HH and VV. Additionally, the cross-pol and co-pol Doppler signatures are analyzed, showing that the HH polarization may perform better on dismounts in open grass.