Wireless tamper system

• US 10,152,855 B1
• Filed: 06/01/2017
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Smith, Hollice C., Olsen, Bruce R., Price, Wade T., Roeder, Raymond, Tanelian, Minas H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Laura
• Application Number:
  US15/611,719
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/003 Stowage devices for passengers' personal luggage
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 55/028 initial opening or unauthorised access being indicated by the presence or absence of an audible or electrical signal
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/126 for a housing, e.g. a box, a safe, or a room
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1436 with motion detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1445 with detection of interference with a cable tethering an article, e.g. alarm activated by detecting detachment of article, breaking or stretching of cable furniture, e.g. shelves for displaying merchandise, incorporating tethers to prevent theft A47F7/024, A47F5/0861

Abstract

Disclosed is a wireless tamper sensor (“WTS”). The WTS includes a transmitter, probe, processing device, and power supply. The processing device is in signal communication with the probe and the power supply is in signal communication with the transmitter and processing device. The processing device includes a processor and a computer-readable medium (“CRM”). The CRM has encoded thereon computer-executable instructions to cause the processor to initiating a tamper state to untampered, detect a physical trigger on the probe, and set the tamper state to tampered in response to detecting the physical trigger.

Claims

1. A wireless tamper sensor (“

WTS”

), the WTS comprising;

a transmitter;

a receiver;

a probe;

a processing device in signal communication with the probe; and

a power supply in signal communication with the transmitter and the processing device,

wherein the processing device includes

a processor, and

a computer-readable medium (“

CRM”

) having encoded thereon computer-executable instructions to cause the processor to

initiate a tamper state of the WTS to untampered when the WTS is armed by a user,

detect a physical trigger on the probe,

set the tamper state to tampered in response to detecting the physical trigger,

receive a wake command from an external device, wherein the user utilizes the external device to arm the WTS with the wake command, and

authenticate the wake command,

wherein initiating the tamper state includes initiating the tamper state to untampered once the received wake command is authenticated.

2. The WTS of claim 1, further including an encapsulating material that encloses the WTS.

3. The WTS of claim 1, further including

a trigger switch, wherein the trigger switch is armed by the user,

wherein the initiating the tamper state includes initiating the tamper state to untampered once the trigger switch is activated.

4. The WTS of claim 1,

wherein the probe is an antenna having an approximate fractional length of antenna length, and

wherein the physical trigger is a breaking of the probe that reduces the antenna length.

5. The WTS of claim 1, wherein detecting the physical trigger on the probe includes determining that the probe is broken.

6. The WTS of claim 1, further including a sensor in signal communication with the processing device, wherein the sensor senses the physical trigger on the probe.

7. The WTS of claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to

transmit a tamper state signal in response to detecting the physical trigger,

wherein the tamper state signal indicates that the tamper state is either tampered or untampered.

8. The WTS of claim 7, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to

receive a status command from the external device,

authenticate the status command, and

transmit the tamper state signal in response to receiving the status command,

wherein the tamper state signal indicates that the tamper state is either tampered or untampered.

9. The WTS of claim 1, further including

an accelerometer,

wherein detecting the physical trigger includes detecting the physical trigger as either a movement or vibration with the accelerometer.

10. The WTS of claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to

receive a reset signal from an external device, and

reset the tamper state to untampered in response to receiving the reset signal.

11. The WTS of claim 1,

wherein the processing device is a field programmable-gate array (“

FPGA”

), and

wherein the CRM is firmware.

12. A method for detecting tampering on a wireless tamper sensor (“

WTS”

), the method comprising;

arming the WTS by a user, wherein arming includes initiating a tamper state of the WTS to untampered;

detecting a physical trigger;

setting the tamper state to tampered in response to detecting the physical trigger,

receiving a wake command from an external device, wherein the user utilizes the external device to arm the WTS with the wake command, and

authenticating the wake command,

wherein the initiating the tamper state includes initiating the tamper state to untampered once the received wake command is authenticated.

13. The method of claim 12, further including transmitting a tamper state signal in response to detecting the physical trigger, wherein the tamper state signal indicates that the tamper state is tampered.

14. The method of claim 12, further including receiving a status command from the external device, authenticate the status command, and transmitting a tamper state signal in response to receiving the status command, wherein the tamper state signal indicates that the tamper state is tampered.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein detecting the physical trigger includes determining that a probe has been either broken or substantially altered.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining that a probe has been either broken or substantially altered includes determining visually that the probe has been either broken or substantially altered.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the probe is an antenna.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein detecting the physical trigger includes detecting the physical trigger as either a movement or vibration with an accelerometer.

19. The method of claim 18, further including

receiving a reset signal from the external device, and

resetting the tamper state to untampered.