HANDHELD AND IMBEDDED DEVICES TO DETECT STICKY DEVICES USING MAGNETS

• US 20120185214A1
• Filed: 01/13/2011
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Icove & Associates LLC
• Original Assignee: Icove & Associates LLC
• Inventors: Icove, David J., Lyster, Carl T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,594,979 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/189
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/081 the magnetic field is produced by the objects or geological structures characterised by the method of magnetic field measurement G01R33/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/15 specially adapted for use during transport, e.g. by a person, vehicle or boat

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for detecting concealed personal security threats may comprise conventional mirrors and less conventional arrays of Hall-effect sensors, soft iron cores, magnetometers and the like, preferably at least two axis sensors. The concealed personal security threats may comprise, for example, sticky devices consisting of geographic position sensors for covertly broadcasting motor vehicle location data, of so-called Improvised Explosive Devices (IED'"'"'s) which may be covertly or openly affixed to, for example, the undercarriages of motor vehicles using strong magnets and later exploded, the former giving away private location information without the knowledge of a driver or passengers and the latter causing damage to the motor vehicles to which they are affixed and potentially harming a driver, passengers and nearby persons and sticky containers for hiding items among other sticky devices. A sticky container may be used to contain, for example, a vehicle ignition key or contraband. Magnetic fields detected by, for example, arrays of Hall-effect sensors, soft iron cores, magnetometers and the like may be quantified and stored in processor memory as a vehicle magnetic field signature. A processor receiving magnetic field data collected by the arrays may retrieve and subtract known signatures from newly acquired magnetic field data for a given vehicle to obtain location for a magnetic field on the vehicle that may be of potential interest as a harm risk and for personal security.

Claims

1. A magnetic field sensor for detecting a magnetic field of a sticky device configured to adhere to a portion of a vehicle, the magnetic field sensor comprising

a Hall-effect sensor coupled to a display for sensing the presence of a magnetic field of a sticky device when in proximity of the sticky device, the display indicating the presence of a suspect magnetic field and

a power supply for powering the sensor and display.

2. The magnetic field sensor according to claim 1 comprising an array of Hall-effect sensors and associated display elements such that an outline of a suspect magnetic field may be displayed upon an actuation of a portion of the array of Hall-effect sensors.

3. The magnetic field sensor according to claim 1 further comprising a mirror to which the Hall-effect sensor is mounted, the mirror for viewing a vehicle portion simultaneously with magnetic field sensing.

4. The magnetic field sensor according to claim 1 formed as a linear array of at least two axis Hall-effect sensors for mounting across a pavement, a vehicle crossing the linear array causing the linear array to output a vehicle magnetic field signature.

5. The magnetic field sensor according to claim 1, the Hall-effect sensor comprising at least a two axis sensor, the axes being at a predetermined angle to one another.

6. The magnetic field sensor according to claim 4 further comprising

a memory for storing a vehicle magnetic field signature according to make, model and year of manufacture of the vehicle,

a processor for distinguishing between a stored magnetic field signature and magnetic field data for a suspect magnetic field, and

a display for indicating the suspect magnetic field.

7. A magnetic field sensor for detecting a magnetic field of a sticky device configured to adhere to a portion of a vehicle, the magnetic field sensor comprising

a soft iron core for detecting the presence of a magnetic field,

a winding for receiving an alternating current at one time for degaussing the soft iron core and for detecting the magnetic field at another time.

8. The magnetic field sensor according to claim 7 comprising an array of soft iron cores and associated windings for operating a display such that an outline of a suspect magnetic field may be displayed upon an actuation of a portion of the soft iron core sensors.

9. The magnetic field sensor according to claim 7 further comprising a mirror to which the soft iron core is mounted, the mirror for viewing a vehicle portion simultaneously with magnetic field sensing.

10. The magnetic field sensor according to claim 8 wherein the array of soft iron cores is linear and configured to cross a path of an oncoming vehicle, the magnetic field sensor further comprising

a memory for storing a vehicle magnetic field signature according to make, model and year of manufacture of the vehicle,

a processor for distinguishing between a stored magnetic field signature and magnetic field data for a suspect magnetic field, and

a display for indicating the suspect magnetic field.

11. The magnetic field sensor according to claim 9 further comprising

a Hall-effect sensor coupled to a display for sensing the presence of a magnetic field of a sticky device when in proximity of the sticky device, the display indicating the presence of a suspect magnetic field and

a power supply for powering the sensor and display.

12. The magnetic field sensor according to claim 11 wherein said Hall-effect sensor comprises at least a two axis sensor, where the axes are at a predetermined angle to one another.

13. The magnetic field sensor according to claim 7, the soft iron core having first and second windings wrapped perpendicularly to one another.

14. The magnetic field sensor according to claim 10 further comprising

a camera for capturing images of the vehicle and storing the images of the vehicle according to year, make and model in the memory, the processor for receiving images of portions of a vehicle simultaneously with detecting a magnetic field and comparing the image portion with a stored vehicle image to determine a difference between the stored image and the image portion.

15. The magnetic field sensor according to claim 10 further comprising a wide band radio frequency receiver for receiving radio frequency emissions from the vehicle simultaneously with detecting a magnetic field.

16. A magnetic field sensor for detecting a magnetic field of a sticky device configured to be attached to a vehicle, the magnetic field sensor comprising

one of a plurality of Hall-effect sensors and a plurality of soft iron cores for detecting the presence of the magnetic field, the plurality of sensors or cores for mounting linearly across a vehicle path, the sensors or cores collecting magnetic field data as a vehicle passes over the linearly mounted sensors or cores for comparison with expected magnetic field data for a particular make, model and year of manufacture of a vehicle.

17. The magnetic field sensor according to claim 16 further comprising

a mirror for viewing vehicle portions and

a camera for viewing vehicle portions.

18. The magnetic field sensor according to claim 16 further comprising

a plurality of Hall-effect sensors and a plurality of soft iron core sensors formed in a linear array,

a memory for storing vehicle magnetic field signatures according to make, model and year of manufacture of the vehicle,

a processor for distinguishing between a stored magnetic field signature and magnetic field data for a suspect magnetic field, and

a display for indicating the suspect magnetic field.

19. The magnetic field sensor according to claim 18 wherein each of said Hall-effect sensors comprises at least a two axis sensor structure.

20. The magnetic field sensor according to claim 16, a soft iron core having first and second windings wrapped perpendicularly to one another, the windings for degaussing the soft iron core and for detecting the presence of a magnetic field in the soft iron core.