Novel Hybrid-Learning Algorithms for Improved Millimeter-Wave Imaging
  Systems
Josiah Smith
Increasing attention is being paid to millimeter-wave (mmWave), 30 GHz to 300
GHz, and terahertz (THz), 300 GHz to 10 THz, sensing applications including
security sensing, industrial packaging, medical imaging, and non-destructive
testing. Traditional methods for perception and imaging are challenged by novel
data-driven algorithms that offer improved resolution, localization, and
detection rates. Over the past decade, deep learning technology has garnered
substantial popularity, particularly in perception and computer vision
applications. Whereas conventional signal processing techniques are more easily
generalized to various applications, hybrid approaches where signal processing
and learning-based algorithms are interleaved pose a promising compromise
between performance and generalizability. Furthermore, such hybrid algorithms
improve model training by leveraging the known characteristics of radio
frequency (RF) waveforms, thus yielding more efficiently trained deep learning
algorithms and offering higher performance than conventional methods. This
dissertation introduces novel hybrid-learning algorithms for improved mmWave
imaging systems applicable to a host of problems in perception and sensing.
Various problem spaces are explored, including static and dynamic gesture
classification; precise hand localization for human computer interaction;
high-resolution near-field mmWave imaging using forward synthetic aperture
radar (SAR); SAR under irregular scanning geometries; mmWave image
super-resolution using deep neural network (DNN) and Vision Transformer (ViT)
architectures; and data-level multiband radar fusion using a novel
hybrid-learning architecture. Furthermore, we introduce several novel
approaches for deep learning model training and dataset synthesis.