Reconfigurable reflect-array to realize task-specific compressive sensing in screening applications

A reflect-array based threat detection system (100) employing compressive sensing to effectively determine whether or not an object (600) is a threat, the system (100) comprising:

• (a) a first processor (950) executing a first optimization algorithm using a plurality of samples (320) to generate a plurality of optimized projections (300);
• (b) a library (200) operatively coupled to the first processor (950), wherein the plurality of optimized projections (300) and the plurality of samples (320) are stored in the library (200), wherein the library (200) is capable of adaptively increasing an amount of samples by adding a plurality of new measurement results to improve accuracy of threat determination accuracy;
• (c) a reflect-array panel (400) emitting a synthesized radiation (500) in a plurality of directions to scan the object (600), wherein the reflect-array panel (400) comprises a first set of reflect-array elements (410), wherein each reflect-array element emits the plurality of optimized projections (300) as a radiation pattern in one of the plurality of directions, wherein the synthesized radiation (500) is a collective radiation comprising each radiation pattern emitted by each reflect-array element, wherein an illumination pattern results from the synthesized radiation (500) reflecting off of the object;
• (d) one or more detectors (150) configured to collect a plurality of measurements (800) of the illumination pattern;
• and
• (e) a compressive sensing unit (700), operatively coupled to the one or more detectors (150), having a second processor (960) configured to execute a compressive sensing optimization algorithm, herein referred to as a second optimization algorithm, wherein the second optimization algorithm processes the plurality of measurements (800) and determines whether the object (600) poses a threat using the plurality of optimized projections (300) as bases of measurement.