SENSOR HEAD

• US 20150285899A1
• Filed: 08/15/2014
• Published: 10/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L3harris Fuzing and Ordnance Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: L-3 Communications Security & Detection Systems, Inc. (Leidos Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Duvoisin, Herbert III, Torres-Rosario, Juan Antonio, Sentelle, Christopher Gary, Carlson, Douglas O., Holman, Glen A., Trishaun, Marquette
• Granted Patent: US 9,753,122 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/0209 Systems with very large relative bandwidth, i.e. larger than 10 %, e.g. baseband, pulse, carrier-free, ultrawideband
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/347 using more than one modulation frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/354 Extracting wanted echo-signals Doppler systems G01S13/50
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/412 based on a comparison between measured values and known or stored values
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/12 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005

Abstract

An apparatus includes an extendable wand, and a sensor head coupled to the wand. The sensor head includes a continuous wave metal detector (CWMD) and a radar. When the wand is collapsed, the wand and the sensor head collapse to fill a volume that is smaller than a volume filled by the sensor head and the wand when the wand is extended. Frequency-domain data from a sensor configured to sense a region is accessed, the frequency-domain data is transformed to generate a time-domain representation of the region, a first model is determined based on the accessed frequency-domain data, a second model is determined based on the generated time-domain representation, the second model being associated with a particular region within the sensed region, and a background model that represents a background of the region is determined based on the first model and the second model.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an extendable wand; and

a sensor head coupled to the wand, the sensor head comprising a continuous wave metal detector (CWMD) and a radar, wherein, when the wand is collapsed, the wand and the sensor head collapse to fill a volume that is smaller than a volume filled by the sensor head and the wand when the wand is extended.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the radar is a ground penetrating radar.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the ground penetrating radar comprises one receive antenna configured to detect electromagnetic radiation and one transmit antenna configured to transmit electromagnetic radiation.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the ground penetrating radar comprises two or more receive antennas, each configured to detect electromagnetic radiation, and at least one transmit antenna configured to transmit electromagnetic radiation.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a transceiver electrically coupled to the receive antenna and the transmit antenna.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the transceiver, the receive antenna, the transmit antenna, and the CWMD are located in the sensor head.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the receive antenna and the transmit antenna are located in the sensor head, and the transceiver is located outside of the sensor head.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein, when the wand and sensor head are collapsed, the apparatus fill a volume that no larger than about 36 centimeters (cm) by 26 cm by 11 cm.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a processor and electronic storage in communication with the sensor head, the electronic storage comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

access data from the CWMD and from the radar,

determine a signature of an object detected by one or more of the CWMD or the radar based on the accessed data.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the sensor head is coupled to the extendable wand proximate to one end of the wand and the processor and electronic storage are coupled to the extendable wand proximate to another end of the wand.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an output device configured to provide an indication of a detection of an object made by one or more of the CWMD or the radar.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the CWMD transmits and receives radiation at one or more different frequencies depending on a target of interest.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the CWMD comprises:

a first coil configured to transmit an electromagnetic field; and

a second coil configured to detect an electromagnetic field generated by currents induced in an object in response to being irradiated by the transmitted electromagnetic field.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the CWMD may be placed at or near an outer edge or portion of the sensor head.

15. An apparatus comprising:

an extendable wand;

a continuous wave metal detector (CWMD) configured to radiate electromagnetic radiation and detect electromagnetic radiation at six or more different frequencies and coupled to the extendable wand; and

a processor and an electronic storage coupled to the CWMD, the electronic storage comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to access data detected by the CWMD and determine a signature of an object represented by the accessed data.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the CWMD is configured to radiate and detect radiation at twenty-one or more different frequencies.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the data detected by the CWMD comprises quadrature and in-phase data that represents a second electromagnetic radiation.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, where the data detected by the CWMD enables the processor to determine that signature independent of an orientation or position of the object relative to the CWMD.

19. An apparatus comprising:

an extendable wand;

a metal detector configured to radiated and detect radiation and coupled to the extendable wand; and

a processor and an electronic storage coupled to the metal detector, the electronic storage comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to access data detected by the metal detector and determine that a non-ferrous object is represented by the accessed data.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the metal detector comprises a continuous wave metal detector (CWMD).