Physiomagnetometric inspection and surveillance system and method

• US 20030133597A1
• Filed: 11/06/2002
• Published: 07/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DRS C3 & Aviation Co. (Michigan) (Leonardo S.p.A.)
• Original Assignee: DRS Technical Services Incorporated (SES SA)
• Inventors: Frizzell, William F., Moore, Wayne K., Munro, Neil C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,135,980 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/115
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/10 Movable barriers with registering means

Abstract

A passive biometric surveillance system capable of controlling access to a secure area or holding area for further interrogation or detainment. The system or apparatus passively measures a subject'"'"'s various physiological parameters and compares a produced digital figure or facial image to a database. If the image corresponds to a notable individual, the subject is allowed access only to the holding area for further interrogation. If the image does not correspond to a notable individual, the system or apparatus provides an audio and/or video object or stimulus to the subject. The system or apparatus passively measures the subject'"'"'s post-stimulus physiological parameters and compares these parameters with a predetermined threshold(s). Depending upon the outcome of this comparison, the subject is either allowed to pass into the secure area or is allowed only into the holding area for further interrogation.

Claims

1. An inspection station for determining a subject'"'"'s physiological reaction to a stimulus comprising:

one or more physiological stand-off sensors;

an electronic storage device;

a stimulation interface capable of exposing the subject to a predetermined stimulus object; and

,

a processor;

one or more controllable egress gates;

wherein said stimulus object has an associated deviation limit.

2. The inspection station of claim 1, wherein the one or more physiological stand-off sensors are selected from the group comprising:

a thermal imaging camera;

a digital imaging camera;

a tesla field sensor, a Kurlian field sensor;

a metal detector;

a respiration rate sensor;

a heartbeat sensor; and

, a voice modulation sensor.

3. The inspection station of claim 1, wherein the subject interface comprises a audio and visual interface.

4. The inspection station of claim 1, further comprising a pressure sensitive floor plate.

5. The inspection station of claim 1, further comprising a “

Wants and Warrants”

database.

6. A method for profiling a subject without physical contact comprising the steps of:

acquiring a baseline representation of at least one characteristic of the subject;

prompting the subject with a visual or audio object or stimulus;

acquiring a post-prompting representation of at least one characteristic of the subject;

determining if a difference in at least one characteristic between the postprompting representation and the baseline representation exceeds an associated threshold; and

,

profiling the subject based on any exceeded thresholds.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the characteristic of the subject is selected from the group comprising:

a thermal image;

a digital image;

a electro magnetic field;

a pulse rate;

a voice pattern;

a pressure distribution; and

, a metal content.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of:

storing the baseline representation of the characteristic in an electronic storage device.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of retrieving the stored baseline representation of the characteristic to determine the difference with respect to the post-prompting representation.

10. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of directing the egress of the subject based on the profile.

11. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of profiling includes determining whether secondary assessment is required.

12. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of profiling includes the step of applying the differences and thresholds for each of the at least one characteristic to a judgment matrix.

13. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of accessing a “

Wants and Warrants”

database.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of comparing.

15. A passive biometric surveillance station comprising:

a resident data base;

means for determining if a subject is in the resident database;

means for stimulating the subject;

means for determining a physiological reaction to the stimulus; and

,

means for comparing the physiological reaction to a normal physiological reaction.

16. The station of claim 15, wherein the means for determining if a subject is in the resident database comprises:

means for obtaining a digital image of a subject; and

,

means for comparing the digital image of the subject with digital images in the “

Wants and Warrants”

database.

17. The station of claim 15, wherein the means for determining a physiological reaction comprises:

means for obtaining a baseline representation of a characteristic;

means for obtaining a second representation of the characteristic; and

,

means for comparing the baseline representations with the second representation.

18. The terminal of claim 15, wherein the means for filtering comprises:

means for judging the physiological reaction; and

,

means for directing the subject where to proceed.

19. At a physical portal between a general area and a secure area, a method of granting human subjects access to a secure area, the improvement comprising the quantitizing of the physiological responses of the human subjects to a stimulus;

and the granting of access based upon said quantitizing.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the step of granting access comprises the steps of comparing the quantization to a threshold range and granting access based upon the comparison thereof.

21. A method of screening subjects for access to a secure area comprising the steps of:

creating and storing baseline representations of subject characteristics;

creating an image of a subject;

comparing the image of the subject to images in a resident data table;

if the image of the subject matches an image in said resident data table, directing subject to secondary area;

otherwise,

providing a stimulus to the subject;

creating post-stimulus representations of the subject characteristics;

determining deviations in the subject characteristics from the baseline representation and the post-stimulus representations;

comparing the deviations to predetermined deviation limits;

directing the subject to the secondary area if the deviations are outside of the deviation limits; and

,

granting access to the secure area if the deviations are within the deviation limits.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the subject characteristics comprise:

a thermal image;

pupil size;

heartbeat rate; and

, respiration rate.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the subject characteristics are one or more of the characteristics selected from the group comprising:

a thermal image;

pupil size;

iris color;

heartbeat rate;

respiration rate;

electromagnetic field;

pressure distribution; and

, voice modulation.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of performing secondary screening of subjects in the secondary area.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the stimulus is an audio or visual object.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the object is a question.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising the steps of providing a pre-stimulus to the subject prior to the step of creating and storing baseline representations.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the pre-stimulus is an audio or visual object.