Using the passive THz imaging system developed by the CNU-THz laboratory, we capture the passive THz image of human body with forbidden objects hidden under opaque clothes. We demonstrate the possibility of significant improving the quality of the image. Our approach bases on the application of spatial filters, developed by us for computer treatment of passive THz imaging. The THz imaging system is constructed with accordance to well known passive THz imaging principles and to the THz quasi-optical theory. It contains a scanning mechanism, which has a detector approximately with 1200μm central wavelength, a data acquisition card and a microcomputer. To get a clear imaging of object we apply a sequence of the spatial filters to the image and spectral transforms of the image. The treatment of imaging from the passive THz device is made by computer code. The performance time of treatment of the image, containing about 5000 pixels, is less than 0.1 second. To illustrate the efficiency of developed approach we detect the liquid explosive, knife, pistol and metal plate hidden under opaque clothes. The results obtained demonstrate the high efficiency of our approach for the detection and recognition of the hidden objects and are very promising for the real security application.

Date Published: 13 October 2011
PDF: 10 pages
Proc. SPIE 8189, Optics and Photonics for Counterterrorism and Crime Fighting VII; Optical Materials in Defence Systems Technology VIII; and Quantum-Physics-based Information Security, 81890L (13 October 2011); doi: 10.1117/12.897900

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8189:
Optics and Photonics for Counterterrorism and Crime Fighting VII; Optical Materials in Defence Systems Technology VIII; and Quantum-Physics-based Information Security
Roberto Zamboni; Mark T. Gruneisen; Colin Lewis; Miloslav Dusek; Douglas Burgess; François Kajzar; Attila A. Szep; John G. Rarity, Editor(s)