| The design of a prototype ultra-wideband scanner for the detection of voids in wooden models is presented along with the design of a novel Ultra-Wideband Antenna.; The design and performance of a new type of antipodal tapered slot antenna are described. The three-dimensional structure of the antenna is given as well as the experimental results for gain, radiation pattern, cross polarization, VSWR and Return Loss (S11). The new Fleur-de-Lis (FDL) antenna shows a 10 dB bandwidth greater than 20 GHz with an S11 Return Loss curve that is flatter than those for current antipodal tapered slot antenna designs. The effects of varying physical parameters are also investigated, giving some insight into the antenna's wideband operation.; The FDL antenna is used as the basis for an ultra-wideband RF scanning system, which is used to measure ultra-wideband transmission (S21) response profiles. These transmission response profiles show that it is possible to determine the size of a cylindrical object of metal or dielectric material with a set of readings taken over an ultra-wideband frequency range for a single transmission line of sight. It is also shown that, with a simple pattern-matching algorithm, it is possible to detect and locate the position of an air-filled void in a "cylindrical" wooden model with readings taken over an ultra-wideband frequency range for a single transmission line of sight. |
