Rebar echo detection and suppression in runway using GPR

Strong rebar echo which can't be eliminated in t−x domain directly will disturb the detection and discrimination of the interested targets like cryptic disasters. This paper presents the application of Hyp-curvelet transform in detecting and suppressing rebar echo. Echoes from different targets are concentrated in their own apex coordinate but separated with each other in Hyp-curvelet space after transformed. The peak value in Hyp-curvelet space indicates the location of target. With some discrimination algorithm rebar's location could be obtained, and then its components in Hyp-curvelet space can be eliminated. In this way the reconstructed data will not contain rebar echo. Simulation results show that targets can be detected in low SNR condition, and rebar echo is rarely left over and diseases echoes are hardly any damaged in reconstructed data.