MULTI-SOURCE SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM

• US 20080043102A1
• Filed: 02/26/2007
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Safeview Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Safeview Incorporated
• Inventors: GRUDKOWSKI, Thomas, ROWE, Richard, NIKULIN, Serge, RADZINSKI, Maya, BLASING, Raymond, FLEISHER, Michael, TROSPER, Scott, TRAWICK, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US11/679,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20080043102A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/887 for detection of concealed objects, e.g. contraband or weapons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 11/00 Prospecting or detecting by methods combining techniques covered by two or more of main groups G01V1/00 - G01V9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/005 operating with millimetre waves, e.g. measuring the black losey radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/36 Applying a local operator, i.e. means to operate on image points situated in the vicinity of a given point; Non-linear local filtering operations, e.g. median filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/05 Recognition of patterns representing particular kinds of hidden objects, e.g. weapons, explosives, drugs

Abstract

A surveillance system can include a first sensor apparatus configured to interrogate a subject, including a person and objects carried by the person, with millimeter-wave electromagnetic radiation for imaging the subject. A supplemental source provides additional information about the subject that is relatable to objects potentially carried by the person. Relational information relates the produced image signal and the subject information. The supplemental source may be a second sensor apparatus adapted to detect a given characteristic of an object potentially carried by a person in the subject position. Relational information about whether the person is carrying an object having the given characteristic may then be produced.

Claims

1. A surveillance system comprising:

a first sensor apparatus adapted to transmit toward and receive from a subject in a subject position, first electromagnetic radiation in a frequency range of about 100 MHz to about 2 THz, from positions spaced from the subject position, the subject including at least a portion of a person in a subject position and detectable objects carried by the person, the first sensor apparatus producing from the received radiation, a first image signal representative of a first image of at least a portion of the subject;

a source of subject information data related to the person; and

a controller adapted to control operation of the first sensor apparatus, and to produce, from the produced image signal, image data representative of the image of the at least a portion of the subject, to relate the image data and the subject information data, and to produce relational information data relating the image data and the subject information data.

2. The system of claim 1, in which the sensor apparatus and the controller are adapted to produce the image data corresponding to a three-dimensional holographic first image of at least a portion of the subject.

3. The system of claim 2, in which the source of subject information data is a second sensor apparatus adapted to detect first object information about an object potentially carried by the person, and the controller is adapted to produce object data indicative of whether the person carries an object that includes the object information.

4. The system of claim 1, in which the source is a second sensor apparatus adapted to detect second radiation transmitted from the subject, and to produce the subject information data as a second image signal representative of received second radiation, and the controller is further adapted to produce first and second image data from the respective first and second image signals, and to produce relational information data relating the first and second image data.

5. The system of claim 4, in which the controller is adapted to produce first object-image data indicative of portions of the first image data that include first image characteristics corresponding to one or more objects carried by the person, to produce second object-image data indicative of portions of the second image data that include second image characteristics corresponding to one or more objects carried by the person, and to produce the relational information data relating the first object-image data to the second object-image data.

6. The system of claim 1, in which the source is a second sensor apparatus adapted to detect subject information for different associated areas of the person and to produce the subject information data from the detected subject information, and the controller is adapted to produce first object-image data indicative of portions of an image that include first image characteristics corresponding to one or more objects carried by the person, and to produce the relational information data relating produced subject information data corresponding to detected subject information at associated areas to object-image data for portions of the image corresponding to the associated areas.

7. The system of claim 1, in which the source includes a second sensor apparatus adapted to detect one or more of a metal, an explosive, a chemical substance, and a feature identifying the person.

8. The system of claim 1, in which the source includes a second sensor apparatus adapted to detect a feature identifying the person, and the source further includes context information data relating the feature identifying the person with data defining a policy regarding concealed objects potentially carried by each person associated with the identifying feature.

9. The system of claim 1, in which the source is adapted to receive information data identifying a characteristic of the person, and the source further includes context information data relating the identifying information data with data defining a policy regarding concealed objects potentially carried by each person to which the identifying information data applies.

10. The system of claim 9, in which the source includes a second sensor apparatus adapted to detect an identifying item associated with the person, and to produce the identifying information data.

11. A method of surveilling a subject in a subject position, the subject including a person and objects carried by the person, comprising:

transmitting toward a subject in a subject position, first electromagnetic radiation in a frequency range of about 100 MHz to about 2 THz, from positions spaced from the subject position, the subject including at least a portion of a person in a subject position and detectable objects carried by the person;

receiving from the subject reflected transmitted radiation;

producing from the received radiation, a first image signal representative of a first image of at least a portion of the subject;

storing subject information data related to the person, the subject information data not being derived from the image signal;

producing, from the produced image signal, image data representative of the image of the at least a portion of the subject;

relating the image data and the subject information data; and

producing relational information data relating the image data and the subject information data.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising producing the image data corresponding to a three-dimensional holographic first image of at least a portion of the subject.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising detecting first object information about an object potentially carried by the person from a source other than the image signal, and producing object data indicative of whether the person carries an object, based on the object information.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising detecting second radiation transmitted from the subject, and producing a second image signal representative of received second radiation, and producing second image data from the second image data;

and in which producing relational information data includes producing relational information data relating the first and second image data.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising detecting the subject information for different associated areas of the person, and producing from the image signal, first object-image data indicative of portions of an image that include first image characteristics corresponding to one or more objects carried by the person;

and in which producing relational information data includes producing relational information data relating subject information at associated areas to object-image data for portions of the image corresponding to the associated areas.

16. The method of claim 15, in which transmitting and receiving radiation includes transmitting and receiving radiation using a first sensor apparatus, and in which detecting subject information includes detecting subject information using a second sensor apparatus, and further comprising moving the first and second sensor apparatus relative to the subject position during transmitting, receiving, and detecting.

17. The method of claim 11, in which the subject information includes one or more of a metal substance, an explosive substance, a chemical substance, and a feature identifying the person, the method further comprising detecting in the subject, one or more of a metal substance, an explosive substance, a chemical substance, and a feature identifying the person.

18. The system of claim 11, further comprising detecting a feature identifying the person, and storing subject information data includes storing context information data relating the feature identifying the person with a policy regarding the appropriateness of concealed objects potentially carried by each person associated with the identifying feature.

19. The method of claim 11, in which storing subject information data includes storing information data identifying a characteristic of the person, and storing context information data relating the identifying information data with a policy regarding the appropriateness of concealed objects potentially carried by each person to which the identifying information data applies.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising detecting an identifying item associated with the person, and producing the identifying information data based on the identifying item.