DEVICE FOR DETECTING OBJECTS BORNE BY AN INDIVIDUAL

• US 20170242119A1
• Filed: 02/21/2017
• Published: 08/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAS SWS, SWS Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Claude Chekroun, Gilles Chekroun
• Inventors: CHEKROUN, Claude, CHEKROUN, Gilles
• Granted Patent: US 10,641,889 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/003 Bistatic radar systems; Multistatic radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/887 for detection of concealed objects, e.g. contraband or weapons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/904 SAR modes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/03 Details of HF subsystems specially adapted therefor, e.g. common to transmitter and receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/42 Housings not intimately mechanically associated with radiating elements, e.g. radome

Abstract

A device comprises at least: one rotary antenna including at least two parallel rectilinear waveguides; a radar emitting a continuous-wave microwave signal towards the emission guide of the antenna and receiving the signals from the guides of the antenna, which signals are captured by the movable beam, the received signals are the direct component I and the quadrature component; a stereoscopic video camera oriented in the same direction as the movable beam of the rotary antenna and able to record the clothing envelope of the individual, the envelope serving as a reference surface for the measurement of distances to the device; a processor that computes an SAR image of that portion of the body of the individual targeted by the radar and the video camera and who is possibly equipped with one or more objects, from signals received from the radar and the distances measured by the video camera.

Claims

1. A device for detecting objects borne by immobile or moving individuals, comprising at least:

one rotary antenna including at least two parallel rectilinear waveguides and a cylinder provided with a helicoidal slot rotatably movable about said guides, which guides are open facing the interior face of said movable cylinder, said surface forming a microwave short-circuit in order to close said guides, one of said guides being dedicated to emission, a movable radiating source being located facing said guides subsequent to the rotational movement of said cylinder inducing a movable emission and reception beam able to be oriented towards an individual;

one radar emitting a continuous wave microwave signal towards the emission guide of said antenna and receiving the signals received from the guides of said antenna, which signals are captured by said movable beam, said received signals being the direct component I and the quadrature component;

one stereoscopic video camera that is oriented in the same direction as said movable beam and able to record the clothing envelope of said individual, said envelope serving as a reference surface for the measurement of distances to said device;

one processor that computes an SAR image of that portion of the body of said individual which is targeted by said radar and said video camera and who is possibly equipped with one or more objects, from signals received from said radar and the distances measured by said video camera.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the two guides being etched into a cylinder placed in the interior of the movable cylinder, the two cylinders having the same axis, the space between the two cylinders is equal to 0.1 mm±

0.05 mm.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein said rotary antenna includes a system for minimizing microwave leaks, said system being composed of three cavities, said cavities being arranged pairwise on each side of said waveguides, parallelly thereto, over all their length.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein said waveguides being etched into a cylinder placed in the interior of the movable cylinder, said movable cylinder and said interior cylinder are rotatably movable by way of a ball bearing device, the base of said movable cylinder and the base of said interior cylinder being mechanically secured to the movable portion and the stationary portion of said device, respectively.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein said radar operates in a millimetre-wave frequency band.

6. The device according to claim 1, comprising two rotary antennae so that said radar may operate in a bi-static mode, one antenna realising the emission and the other antenna being dedicated to the reception.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the antennae are connected together by two waveguides, one guide connecting the emission guides of said antennae and the other guide connecting the reception guides, the first waveguide being connected via a magic T to a waveguide that is connected to the radar and the second waveguide being connected via another magic T to a waveguide that is connected to the radar.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein said radar emits at a number N of frequencies close to a given frequency, the emission pulse being divided into N portions, each portion corresponding to one frequency, a first level of analysis of the image being performed for the signals received at the first of said frequencies, other analyses being performed for the signals received at the other frequencies, the various analyses allowing the theoretical value of the dielectric permittivity of a detected object to be approached.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is an integral part of the processing means of said radar.

10. The device according to claim 1, comprising means for viewing the obtained images, said viewing means being glasses worn by a user and onto which said images are projected.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the antennal portion, the radar and their interconnecting means are placed in the interior of a portable cylindrical structure that also plays the role of a radome, said structure supporting said video camera.