Foreign Object Debris Detection Performance Improvement Evaluation of a 90 GHz Band Millimeter-Wave Radar System in Airport Environments

To ensure the safety and security of airport runway operations, the automatic foreign object debris (FOD) detection system has been developed recently. We have been working on a FOD detection system based on a distributed-type millimeter-wave radar sensor operating in the 90 GHz band. In this paper, the sensitivity improvement of the radar, which is mainly achieved by using signal processing, is discussed based on experimental results at the actual airport runway. The reflection power of the typical 9 FODs is measured at various angles. The detection probabilities are then calculated using the measured results. At 307 m, the detection probabilities of 7 types of the FOD, including small FOD such as a 3 cm piece of asphalt and a 2 cm length M8 bolt, are 100%. These findings support the radar sensor’s improved detection performance.