INJECTION OF SIMULATED SOURCES IN A SYSTEM OF NETWORKED SENSORS

• US 20150186566A1
• Filed: 05/07/2014
• Published: 07/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Passport Systems Inc.
• Original Assignee: Passport Systems Inc.
• Inventors: Ledoux, Robert J., Korbly, Stephen E., Cooper, Daniel A., Costales, James B., Kamieniecki, Krzysztof E., Thompson, Jeffrey K.
• Granted Patent: US 10,579,747 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/14 checking the detection circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/00 Simulators for teaching or training purposes for the use of weapons F41; computing aspects G06; protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/80 for detecting, monitoring or modelling epidemics or pandemics, e.g. flu
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

Simulated sources can be injected into a networked system for use in training and/or testing.

Claims

1. A method of simulating the response of a system to at least one simulated source, the at least one simulated source having at least a predetermined simulated source location and a predetermined simulated source activity level at a predetermined time, the system comprising:

a plurality of nodes;

a central processor programmed to determine whether a source is detected by applying a predetermined algorithm to data associated with the plurality of nodes, the central processor having stored within it the predetermined simulated source location and the predetermined simulated source activity level;

a network linking each node and the central processor such that signals can be transmitted between each node and the central processor; and

an output device;

the method comprising;

(1) transmitting through the network from each node to the central processor a measured or inferred location for that node at the predetermined time;

(2) calculating, based on at least (a) the measured or inferred location of each node at the predetermined time, (b) the predetermined simulated source location at the predetermined time, and (c) the predetermined simulated source activity level at the predetermined time, simulated response data for each node associated with the predetermined time;

(3) in the central processor, applying the predetermined algorithm to the simulated response data for all the nodes, thereby determining whether a real source at the predetermined simulated source location having the predetermined simulated source activity level would have been detected at the predetermined time; and

(4) signaling with the output device whether a real source at the predetermined simulated source location having the predetermined simulated source activity level would have been detected at the predetermined time.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

step (2) is carried out in the central processor; and

in step (2), calculating simulated response data for each node is further based on simulated background data for each node.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the simulated background data for each node is generated by the central processor based on (a) the measured or inferred location of each node and (b) a predetermined background model stored in the central processor.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of nodes includes a sensor.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein:

step (1) further comprises transmitting through the network from each node to the central processor background data measured with that node'"'"'s sensor;

step (2) is carried out in the central processor; and

in step (2), calculating simulated response data for each node is further based upon the transmitted background data measured with that sensor.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein:

each of the plurality of nodes further includes a node processor;

in step (2), calculating simulated response data for each node is carried out in that node'"'"'s processor; and

in step (2), calculating simulated response data for each node is further based upon background data measured with that node'"'"'s sensor.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein:

each sensor has at least a predetermined sensitivity; and

in step (2), calculating simulated response data for each node is further based on the predetermined sensitivity of that sensor.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the sensors are either radiation detectors or chemical detectors.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one simulated source has at least predetermined simulated source locations and a predetermined simulated source activity levels at each of a plurality of predetermined times, the method further comprising repeating steps (1)-(4) at each of the plurality of predetermined times.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the at least one simulated source further has a predetermined simulated source trajectory including the predetermined simulated source location and a predetermined simulated source velocity at each predetermined time;

step (1) further comprises transmitting across the network from each node to the central processor a measured or inferred velocity for each node at the predetermined time; and

in step (2), calculating simulated response data for each node is further based on the predetermined simulated source trajectory and velocity of that node at the predetermined time.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the nodes are substantially identical.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one node is located on a person and at least one node is stationary.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the output device is located on a node.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein each node includes an output device and step (4) further comprises signaling with (a) the output device included in the node closest to the predetermined simulated source location and (b) any other output devices included in nodes within a predetermined distance from the predetermined simulated source location.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the output device is located on the central processor.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the at least one simulated source further has a predetermined simulated source spectral characteristic;

in step (2), calculating simulated response data for each node is further based on the predetermined simulated source spectral characteristic.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the predetermined simulated source spectral characteristic is an emission spectrum.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the emission spectrum is that of predetermined isotope.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the at least one simulated source further has a predetermined directional emission characteristic; and

in step (2), calculating simulated response data for each node is further based on the predetermined directional emission characteristic.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein:

step (1) further comprises transmitting through the network from each node to the central processor a measured or inferred orientation for that node at the predetermined time; and

in step (2), calculating simulated response data for each node is further based on the measured or inferred orientation for that node at the predetermined time.

21. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(5) storing the simulated response data for each node associated with the predetermined time and data representative of whether a real source at the predetermined simulated source location having the predetermined simulated source activity level would have been detected at the predetermined time.

22. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

(5) storing at the predetermined time, the simulated response data for each node associated with the predetermined time and data representative of whether a real source at the predetermined simulated source location having the predetermined simulated source activity level would have been detected at the predetermined time; and

repeating step (5) at each of the plurality of predetermined times.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the storing comprises storing data in either (a) the central processor, or (b) one or more nodes, or both (a) and (b).

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one simulated source is a plurality of simulated sources.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined simulated source location is a location in a three dimensional coordinate system.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein:

one of the plurality of nodes is a designated prey node; and

the predetermined simulated source location at the predetermined time is based on the measured or inferred location of the prey node at the predetermined time.

27. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one node is mounted on a vehicle.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein:

step (1) further comprises transmitting through the network from each node to the central processor at least one measured or inferred environmental condition; and

in step (2), calculating simulated response data for each node is further based on the transmitted at least one measured or inferred environmental condition for that node.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the at least one environmental condition is at least one of (a) rate, amount or type of precipitation, (b) wind speed and/or wind direction, (c) ambient temperature, (d) humidity, and (e) barometric pressure.

30. The method of claim 22 wherein the storing comprises storing data in either (a) the central processor, or (b) one or more nodes, or both (a) and (b).

31. A method of simulating the response of a system to a simulated source, the method comprising:

providing a system including (a) a plurality of sensors and (b) a central processor having an output device;

formulating, in the central processor, a simulated source;

estimating the response of each of the plurality of sensors to the simulated source; and

outputting from the output device a signal indicative of whether the system would be able to detect a real source having the properties of the simulated source.