Localization of Buried Ferromagnetic Targets Using a Rotating Magnetic Sensor Array with a Joint Optimization Algorithm

Buried ferromagnetic targets, such as unexploded ordnance, generate an additional magnetic field to the main geomagnetic field, which manifests as a magnetic anomaly signal for localization. This paper presents an alternative scheme for the localization by using a rotating magnetic sensor array and a joint optimization algorithm. Multiple magnetic sensors are integrated into an automated rotating measurement platform to achieve efficient and convenient data acquisition. To solve the target's position coordinates, we combine the quantum particle swarm optimization (QPSO) with the genetic algorithm (GA) to develop a joint optimization algorithm, named QPSO-GA. It incorporates the advantages of rapid convergence and local refined search of QPSO with the advantages of global exploration and diversity preservation of GA. Field experiments demonstrate that the proposed measurement system and algorithm achieve an average localization error less than ten centimeters in a multi-sensors for multi-targets scenario within a 4 m × 4 m survey area, meeting general application requirements.