Numerical and Experimental Studies on the Micro-Doppler Signatures of Freely Flying Insects at W-Band

Abstract

Remote sensing techniques in the microwave frequency range have been successfully used in the context of bird, bat and insect measurements. This article breaks new ground in the analysis of freely flying insects by using a continuous-wave (CW) radar system in W-band, i.e., higher mm-wave frequencies, by measuring and analyzing the micro-Doppler signature of their wing beat motion. In addition to numerical and experimental methods, the investigation also includes the development of a new signal processing method using a cepstrogram approach in order to automatically determine the wing beat frequency. In this study, mosquitoes (culex pipiens) and bees (apis mellifera) are considered as model insects throughout the measurement campaign. It was found that 50 independent micro-Doppler measurements of mosquitoes and bees can be clearly distinguished from each other. Moreover, the proposed radar signal model accurately matches the experimental measurements for both species.

Shadow Effect for Small Insect Detection by W-Band Pulsed Radar

“…In a study conducted by Wang et al [10], the authors measured different targets of the Mythimna separata species, ranging from 10-42 mm, using FMCW radars in the W and S bands. For monitoring free-flying insects, Diyap et al [23] used a continuous wave radar in the W-band to detect two species: mosquitoes (Culex pipiens) and bees (Apis mellifera). In both cases, due to the dimensions of the insects, the authors used the micro-Doppler effect generated by wing beats to detect and classify the species.…”