MINE DETECTION SYSTEM
The studies you will read below are among the first studies carried out in our country in 1998 to produce a Mine Detection System that will detect mines buried underground.
Many studies have been carried out and are still being carried out in the world on the production of Mine Detection Systems that can detect buried mines both immediately and 100% accurately. Billions of dollars have been spent to produce Mine Detection Systems. But a Mine Detection System that is efficient and reliable at the desired level has still not been produced. For example, the United States' DARPA institution is trying to ensure that the GPR (Groud Penetration Radar) system, which has been working since the 1990s, works efficiently all over the world by allocating an R&D budget of 9 Billion Dollars until 1998. GPR systems have still not achieved the desired level of efficiency. In short, the reason for the failure is that each region has different soil structures and the system makes errors in different soils.
1. SUBJECT AND PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT
In recent years, the detection of mines or minefields has become an important issue in many countries, not only from a military perspective, but also from a humanitarian perspective and in terms of their environmental effects. Nowadays, the use of mines as an effective defensive weapon has become very common. Placing mines or creating a minefield is relatively easy, but locating the mine and then destroying it is both costly and time-consuming.
Today, there are approximately 100 million mines planted in the ground and ready to explode in various places in the world. Some of these mines have made agricultural lands, which are in great need, unusable.
Searching for and finding mines is a difficult task. Metal is no longer used in many mines. The most recently used anti-personnel mines, at best, do not contain any metal parts other than the needle in the detonator. The package of the mine is made of plastic and wood. However, the common material found in all mines is explosives such as TNT, RDX, PET.
People have stretched their imagination to the fullest in producing mines. For example, in the Southeast, mines were made from chemical fertilizer or animal feces.
Today, it is stated in the relevant catalogs that there are approximately 2000 different types of mines. But if we group them in general, we can divide the mines into 3 main groups.
Tank-Mines: These mines explode with a pressure or induction of 150 -300 kg.
Anti-personnel mines: These mines are not only in the ground, but in some types, they explode from the ground or in a certain direction. These types of mines, which also work with wires attached to the mine, are lethal in a circle with a radius of 30 meters when exploded.
Destructive Anti-personnel mines: These mines, also referred to as heel blasts, contain less than 100 grams of explosive. They are approximately 10 cm in diameter. These mines explode with a pressure of 10 kg/dm2 or with a wire attached to them. These mines are very cheap and it is very difficult to find them in the field. For this reason, these mines are the most commonly used mine type.
Recently, the firing pin, which is the only metal part of these destructive anti-personnel mines, has started to be made of hard plastic. Thus, since this metal part inside has been removed, it has become completely impossible to detect these mines with existing mine detectors.
Therefore, the subject of this project is to produce a mine detection system prototype that is more efficient and works in real time (instantly) than the existing classical mine detection systems, by using advanced technological facilities. The aim of our project is to prevent military and civilian casualties caused by mines by producing a mine detector system prototype that detects mines with an efficiency of up to 100%.
1- SCOPE AND TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS OF THE PROJECT:
In the mine search system developed using advanced technology in line with this approach I have developed, mines buried in the field will be found faster and safer than classical methods.
OPERATION OF THE SYSTEM
The working principle of the system is based on the elements giving off vibrations at certain frequencies to their environment depending on their type. These vibrations can be more or less intense depending on the type and size of the metal. These vibrations interact with the radiation sent to them from outside, and in this interaction, they appear to the viewer as a stain in three dimensions on a special camera. Since a program containing the properties of the metals sought is added to the system, it is precisely determined which metal the stains are related to. This saves the seeker from mistakes and saves time.
The main parts of this system will be a special camera with very high efficiency produced for this purpose, a laser system supported by a CO2 laser, a computer system that analyzes these rays, and a portable power provider that will provide energy to the system.
The operation of this system; The computer analysis system, which analyzes the radiation with certain characteristics sent to the mines and the tone on the camera with precision hundreds of times from the human eye and produces the result, will further increase the efficiency of the system.
In this case, it is necessary to determine the camera types and their sensitivities according to the radiation we will use in the system. The most reliable one in this system is the high-resolution Kemara analysis system that can work with laser frequency. This is MCAN 850 – 3 micrometer sensors. Here, the sensitivity level of the selected camera comes to the fore. In such a system, the sensitivity rate should be at maximum 0.0001. If possible, more sensitive cameras may be preferred. We attach great importance to sensitivity in the system in order to obtain efficient results by keeping the power of the radiation sent to the surface low. In this analysis system, in order to reach the targeted material, radiation should be sent to the soil surface at a certain angle and at certain frequencies, ensuring that these rays penetrate the surface of the soil and as much as possible below the surface.
Thus, the very sensitive and high resolution camera used will be able to analyze the radiation reflected from the surface and subsurface more easily and precisely without error.
As a result of sending high energy waves to the surface, the object can be easily distinguished due to the energy difference between the surface and the materials hidden under the surface when viewed from the camera.
This mine detection system should be carried by the user as easily as possible and should give the user as much freedom of movement as possible. On the other hand, in these searches to be carried out in critical areas, it should be taken into consideration that the objects sought are determined as soon as possible and most importantly, the object sought is precisely determined.
2-EXPLANATION OF THE SYSTEM
Laser support in detecting mines by directing laser waves is the main unit of the efficiency and error-free operation of the system. Generally, coatings for wavelength adjustments in lasers enable the wavelength to be determined. For example, in the He-Ne Laser, optical mirrors are coated according to the wavelength of 632.8 nm. In addition, coatings can be made that include a wide wavelength (between 120nm and 10,600nm), of course, there are technologies where coatings can be made to produce much lower wavelengths, that is, Gamma-Ray and X-Ray wavelengths, and much higher wavelengths.
However, in this system, since laser coating mirrors containing wide wavelengths produce wide wavelengths at the output of the radiation, we cannot control the wavelength we want, and it prevents the power of the rays we send to the surface from being adjusted. Frequency doubling systems completely eliminate the problems that may arise from wide bands. These different high-power laser radiations sent to the surface interact with the surface and the materials placed close to the surface, and a visually observable transparency can be seen on the surface.
Radiations interacting with the materials in the system are reflected from the materials and focused on the optical system of the camera. The computer connected to the system instantly shows the user which type of mine is encountered in the light of the information loaded into the program of these laser radiations focused on the camera, through the monitor connected to the computer.
In terms of cameras in the system, displaying the clarity of the image as well as the depth of the material on the screen will allow the viewer to have a clear idea about the image. What we are talking about here is the synchronized image being reflected on the screen.
The most important feature of the system is that it can be used hand-carried, or by adding a small modification to the system, the system can be mounted in front of moving vehicles to instantly detect buried mines along the road.
As a result, convoys can be prevented from falling into mine traps. This system, which can be installed on vehicles, can easily detect mines from a distance of approximately 30-50 meters. This distance can be extended further if desired.
3- EVALUATION OF CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES:
Today, metal detectors are widely used to detect mines in the ground. Currently the most used mine detectors are
- Vallon M 1620 mine detectors
- Aselsan 7210 mine detector
- AN-19/2 Schibel mine detector.
The general operating principles of these detectors are as follows. A magnetic field is created by the coils on the metal detector's search head, and when this field hits metal objects, the leakage currents are converted into a signal and reach the operator's headset as sound, and the operator is warned.
However, in areas where military operations have been carried out or bombed, the presence of many large and small metal fragments in the soil other than mines, and their detection only by sound signals, causes errors in mine detection. In addition, when the stress and fatigue of the mine searcher soldier is taken into consideration, when he makes the wrong decision that this is not a mine, it is still a piece of metal, it is assumed that there is no mine there and the mine explodes.
Other techniques used in mine detection are as follows:
Cleaning method using manual skewers: In this, the soil is skewered with a skewer at an interval of approximately 2 cm and at a horizontal angle of 30 degrees and the yeast is found. This is a dangerous and slow system. A master searcher can clear an area of approximately 20-50 m2 per day.
Mechanical systems: Systems that destroy mines by detonating them with tanks or tractors with chains and similar mechanical parts added for mine detection. These do not have detectors. However, they cannot be used practically in areas where military operations are carried out in the mountains.
Smell systems: It is a method used to detect the location of the mine by detecting the smell of the explosive in the mine by dogs trained for this job. However, errors occur when dogs get tired or when the dog's attention shifts to another event occurring at the moment, such as the appearance of a wild animal or a bird. Reliability in this system is low.
Ion Mobility Spectrometry method: It is based on the principle of identifying TNT or other explosive molecules by ionization. But the sensitivity level is low.
Radar or microwave method: It is based on the principle of detecting buried mines by detecting the reflection of the sent resonance frequencies. However, small mines cannot be detected with this method. Its reliability level is low. Studies on this subject are still continuing in Italy and America.
For example, in a study conducted at the University of Alberta in the USA on the detection of mines, it is stated that these systems are not only expensive, but also not reliable in determining the exact location of the mine and the error rate is high. Another example is Jaycor Electro-Magnetic and Electronics Systems Inc., which produced the Stand of mine detection system (GPR system). This system, financed by the American army, was first tested in New Mexico in 1994. Studies are still continuing according to the contract made between the American army and the company, and the last contract was on the determination of mine types according to soil types between August 1996 and October 1998.
This GPR system has a low false detection rate. So sometimes it cannot detect mines. On the other hand, the system can only be transported by vehicle. It is not practical for operating areas in the mountains. The detection speed is low when used for convoys (GPR vehicle speed maximum 5 km/h). The target speed is 16 km/h. Research activities on this subject, which started by the American army in 1994, have been continuing for 3 years. However, since the mine detection system is an interesting academic study subject, research studies on GPR have been carried out by various universities around the world.
As can be seen, it is the metal detector system that is the most widely used and tested in current technologies and is still the most reliable system compared to other methods.
However, as mentioned above, the firing pin, which is the only metal part of especially destructive anti-personnel mines (heel blasters), has recently started to be made of hard plastic. Since the only metal part inside the mine is removed in order to detect the mine, it has become completely impossible to detect these mines with existing mine detectors and the relatively reliable metal detector system at hand has become unusable.
4- CURRENT POTENTIAL AND INVESTMENT RELATED TO THE PROJECT:
Today, there are approximately 100 million mines buried in mined areas in our country and in various countries of the world. These mines pose a great danger to people. The technologies currently used to determine the location of these mines are insufficient. The United Nations Organization, military and civilian research organizations of America and other industrialized countries, and universities are conducting research by creating funds of up to a billion dollars to find a safe mine detection system. By producing an efficient mine detection system, one of the systems that humanity needs very much will be produced. On the other hand, there is a great demand potential for this system from all over the world.
The mine detector system currently has a market worth hundreds of quadrillions of liras in the world. The investment for this system is the money to be spent only on the prototype of the mine detection system that will be produced using the existing advanced technological knowledge.
5- BENEFITS AND APPLICATION AREAS TO BE PROVIDED BY THE PROJECT:
As a result of this project, mines will be cleared safely both in our country and in many countries in the Middle East, Asia, the Far East, Africa and South America. In this way, soldiers will not be injured or killed during the operation and civilians will not be injured or killed at the end of the operation. The economic benefits are huge. Today, a significant portion of the mined areas are agricultural lands. As a result of this project, the mines will be cleared safely and these lands will be brought back to humanity for agricultural purposes. Moreover, in our world, where it is estimated that there are more than 100 million buried land mines, a safe mine detection system has not been produced to date.
For this reason, the visual mine detection system that I developed and completed the first part of, has a market worth hundreds of quadrillion lira economically all over the world, from Thailand to Bosnia and Herzegovina or South America.
In addition, this project will be developed further in the future and the detection depth will be increased, and it will be able to be used in mining in the civil sector and will contribute significantly to the economic development of our country by ensuring the healthy detection of productive mineral deposits.
6- THE FIRST STUDY CONDUCTED IN OUR COUNTRY TO PRODUCE MINE DETECTION SYSTEM.
Using advanced technological facilities, our company has carried out the necessary studies for the prototype production of the Mine Detection System, which shows the mine in real time and more efficiently than the existing classical mine detection systems.
In the first stage, a CMOS supported mine camera prototype was designed to be used as a part of the Mine Detection System. The first application images taken with this camera can be seen below.
IMAGE TAKEN WITH A NORMAL COLOR CAMERA IMAGE
TAKEN WITH THE MINE CAMERA WE DEVELOPED
This system has been realized by taking advantage of the wide wavelength scanning feature of the radiation, which allows the Laser wavelengths to be easily absorbed by the target surface. The image of the car taken with the Normal Color camera seen above and the images of the same car taken with our Mine Camera prototype CCDIR camera show that the first stage of the system has been achieved. In these images, images of a car located approximately 7 meters away from the cameras were taken from the same point with two different cameras in normal daylight.
Just as the human eye sees the car in the image taken with a normal color camera, in this image the car appears exactly as we see it, as a red car. (Color Camera Image)
In the image taken with our specially produced Mine Camera prototype, our mine camera shows the underside of the paint of this car. (Mine Camera Image)
In the image of our specially developed mine camera, it shows the underpaint of the car and it is seen that the car door was previously slammed, puttyed and painted.
In this camera, a different type of the new Image Detection sensor (Imager) that we developed with high technology, produced for this purpose, is used. It has been demonstrated that such a technology can be realized by using natural radiations and without giving radiation to the environment and the user.
The question may come to mind: can this camera be an X-Ray camera? Our camera is not an X-Ray camera either.
This camera is designed only as an essential part of a Mine Detection System to find buried mines underground.
This system has the ability to take instant images to enable the soldier to continue his operation quickly and without slowing down his mobility and speed. A depth scanning depth of 30cm is targeted in the system. In addition, thanks to the program loaded into the system memory, it will be determined which type of mine is in the field.
When the necessary R&D budget is found, the prototype production of the Mine Detection System with camera will be carried out. In short, there is no such thing as impossible today, as long as we think, want and work.
This developed technology can be diversified and used not only in the field of mine detection, but also in the field of medicine, metallurgy and agriculture. Therefore, this system is an advanced technological system with extraordinarily high social and economic returns.