Portable countermeasure device against unmanned systems

• US 10,237,012 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2018
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Original Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Inventors: Morrow, Alexander, Stamm, Daniel E., Welsh, Raphael Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John J
• Application Number:
  US15/970,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20180254848A1
• Time in Patent Office: 320 Days
• Field of Search: 455 1, 455 6711, 455522, 455 631, 455 6713
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/22 for communication related to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/24 for communication related to weapons
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/32 including a particular configuration of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/41 characterized by the control of the jamming activation or deactivation time control of jamming activation and deactivation time only for the purpose of alternating between jamming mode and target monitoring mode H04K3/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/42 characterized by the control of the jamming frequency or wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/65 using deceptive jamming or spoofing, e.g. transmission of false signals for premature triggering of RCIED, for forced connection or disconnection to/from a network or for generation of dummy target signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/825 by jamming

Abstract

A portable countermeasure device is provided comprising one or more directional antennae, one or more disruption components and at least one activator. The portable countermeasure device further comprises a body, with the directional antennae are affixed to a front portion of the body. The one or more disruption components may be externally or internally mounted to the device body. The portable countermeasure device is aimed at a specific drone, the activator is engaged, and disruptive signals are directed toward the drone, disrupting the control, navigation, and other signals to and from the drone.

Claims

1. A man-portable countermeasure device, comprising:

at least one directional antenna;

at least one signal disruption component in electronic communication with the at least one directional antenna;

a firearm form factor body having a top portion, a bottom portion, a first side, a second side, a front, and a back, wherein the at least one signal disruption component is located external to the firearm form factor body; and

at least one activator communicatively coupled to the at least one signal disruption component.

2. The man-portable countermeasure device of claim 1, wherein the at least one signal disruption component further comprises:

at least one signal generator; and

at least one amplifier coupled to the at least one signal generator, wherein the at least one signal generator is configured to generate a disruptive signal on an associated frequency band and the corresponding at least one amplifier amplifies the generated disruptive signal.

3. The man-portable countermeasure device of claim 2, wherein the at least one directional antenna is selected from the group consisting of a helical antenna, a Yagi antenna, a cylindrical antenna, or a parabolic antenna.

4. The man-portable countermeasure device of claim 3, wherein the at least one directional antenna is removably attached to the body, the at least one directional antenna extending outward therefrom.

5. The man-portable countermeasure device of claim 4, further comprising a power source selected from the group comprising a battery pack or an external power supply.

6. The man-portable countermeasure device of claim 2, wherein the at least one disruption component is contained within a backpack of an associated user.

7. The man-portable countermeasure device of claim 6, wherein the at least one disruption component is removably coupled to the at least one directional antenna via a wired connection.

8. The man-portable countermeasure device of claim 2, further comprising a display, wherein the display is configured to display at least one of a power level, an effective range, or an output frequency.

9. The man-portable countermeasure device of claim 2, further comprising at least one sight, the at least one sight removably coupled to the top portion of the firearm form factor body.

10. The man-portable countermeasure device of claim 9, further comprising a selector control, the selector control in communication with the at least one signal disruption component and operable to select one or more frequency bands in which a signal is generated.

11. The man-portable countermeasure device of claim 10, wherein the at least one disruption component generates disruption signals on GPS, video, control and/or Wi-Fi frequencies.

12. The man-portable countermeasure device of claim 11, wherein disruption signals include at least one of noise, spoofing, or alternate control commands.

13. The man-portable countermeasure device of claim 12, wherein the at least one directional antenna is configured to transmit each generated disruption signal simultaneously at a drone.

14. A man-portable countermeasure device, comprising:

at least one of a removable power supply or an external power supply;

a firearm form factor body having a top portion and a bottom portion;

at least one disruption component located external to the firearm form factor body in an associated backpack, the at least one disruption component in communication with the at least one removable or external power supply, and configured to generate at least one disruption signal on at least one associated frequency bands;

at least one activator coupled to the firearm form factor body and in operable communication with the at least one removable or external power supply and the disruption components; and

at least one directional antenna in communication with the at least one disruption component, the at least one directional antenna removably attached to the firearm form factor body and configured to emit the at least one disruption signal generated by the at least one disruption component.

15. The man-portable countermeasure device of claim 14, wherein the at least one disruption component further comprises at least one signal generator and at least one corresponding amplifier, the at least one signal generator and corresponding at least one amplifier being operatively coupled to the at least one removable or external power supply and configured to generate the at least one disruption signal on the at least one frequency band.

16. The man-portable countermeasure device of claim 15, wherein the firearm form factor body further comprises a display, wherein the display is configured to display at least one of a power level, an effective range, or an output frequency.

17. The man-portable countermeasure device of claim 15, wherein the at least one frequency band corresponds to navigation, video, control, Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth frequency bands.

18. The man-portable countermeasure device of claim 14, wherein the at least one disruption signal comprises at least one of a noise signal, a spoofing signal, or alternate control command signal.

19. The man-portable countermeasure device of claim 14, wherein the at least one disruption component is located in a backpack of an associated user, the at least one disruption component removably coupled to the at least one directional antenna via a wired connection.