Apparatus for detecting an electronic surveillance device

• US 4,805,231 A
• Filed: 04/01/1987
• Issued: 02/14/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Glenn H. Whidden
• Original Assignee: Glenn H. Whidden
• Inventors: Whidden, Glenn H.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Ralph E.
• Application Number:
  US07/032,609
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67, 455/226, 455/227, 455/228, 455/229, 367/2, 367/127, 367/124, 367/128, 342/20
• US Class Current: 455/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/12 for acoustic communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/822 by detecting the presence of a surveillance, interception or detection

Abstract

A method and apparatus for detecting a covert audio transmitter in which a microphone which picks up audio frequencies in the room and a radio receiver tuned to an unidentified audio signal are compared to determine if a "bug" is in the room being searched. An innocuous type of noise is introduced into the area to be searched by having persons converse or by turning on a radio, and these audio frequency signals are picked up directly by a microphone associated with the bug. The signal received by the bug causes the bug'"'"'s RF carrier to be modulated, and this is picked up by the bug detector'"'"'s radio receiver. The received signal is demodulated and is compared with the audio signal picked up by the bug detector'"'"'s microphone to determine if the demodulated radio signal corresponds to the sounds in the room. If the demodulated signal from the detector'"'"'s radio receiver matches the audio information picked up by the detector'"'"'s microphone, an indicator light is lit to inform the operator that a bug is present.

Claims

1. A device for detecting a covert electronic surveillance apparatus of the type which senses information in the audio frequency range and which includes a covert transmittter for generating electromagnetic signals modulated by said information, comprising:

a microphone for receiving audio signals in an area to be searched;

first means for passing signals in a predetermined bandwidth from said microphone;

a radio receiver for receiving and demodulating said elecromagnetic signals from said covert electronic surveillance apparatus;

second means for passing signals in said predetermined bandwidth from said receiver; and

means for comparing the outputs of said first and second passing means to detect coincident outputs indicative of the presence of said covert electronic surveillance apparatus.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said radio receiver is a manually tunable radio receiver which is tuned by a human operator until an unidentified signal is received, said unidentified signal being applied to the input of said second passing means.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said radio receiver is a scanning receiver which detects an unidentified signal because of its location in the radio frequency spectrum, said unidentified signal being applied to the input of said second passing means.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a clock generator, said first and second passing means including first and second shunt-switched bandpass filters responsive to said clock generator, said filters each comprising a switch and a plurality of capacitors, said switch connecting respective capacitors to ground at a rate synchronized with the frequency outputted by said clock generator.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said comparaing means comprises first and second monostable multivibrators responsive to the output of said first and second filters, respectively, said first and second monostable multivibrators respectively producing an output pulse of a first predetermined duration when an input signal is received.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said comparing means further comprises pulse stretching means for outputting a pulse of a second predetermined duration when output pulses from said first and second monostable multivibrators are both of a predetermined logic level, said pulse of said second predetermined duration indicating that a signal received by said radio receiver is being outputted by said covert electronic surveillance apparatus.

7. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said first predetermined duration is approximately 3.4 milliseconds.

8. A device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said second predetermined duration is approximately 420 miliseconds.

9. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said comparing means further comprises a logic gate responsive to the outputs of said first and second monostable multivibrators said logic gate outputting a predetermined logic level when the outputs of said first and second monostable multivibrators are both of said predetermined logic level.

10. A device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said comparing means further comprises an indicator responsive to said pulse of said second predetermined duration for indicating that the signal received by said radio receiver is being outputted by said covert electronic surveillance apparatus.

11. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said comparing means comprises first and second comparators responsive to the output of said first and second filters, respectively, the output of said first and second filters being applied to respective non-inverting inputs of said comparators.

12. A device as claimed in claim 11, wherein said comparing means further comprises first and second potentiometers connected to respective inverting inputs of the comparators, the output of each of said potentiometers defining a threshold level to which the respective filter output is compared, said first and second comparators respectively outputting an output pulse of a predetermined logic level when the respective filter output exceeds said threshold level.

13. A device as claimed in claim 12, wherein said comparing means further comprises a logic gate responsive to the outputs of said first and second comparators, said logic gate outputting a predetermined logic level when the outputs of said first and second comparators are both of said predetermined logic level.

14. A device for detecting a covert electronic surveillance apparatus of the type which senses information in the audio frequency range and which includes a covert transmitter for generating electromagnetic signals modulated by said information, said detecting device comprising:

a microphone for receiving audio signals in an area to be searched;

a radio receiver for receiving and demodulating said electromagnetic signals from said covert electronic surveillance apparatus;

a clock generator;

first and second switched capacitor filters tuned to the same frequency and controlled by said clock generator, said first switched capacitor filter receiving said audio signals from said microphone as an input and said second switched capacitor filter receiving said demodulated electromagnetic signals from said radio receiver as an input;

first and second monostable multivibrators responsive to the output of said first and second switched capacitor filters, respectively, said first and second monostable multivibrators respectively producing an output pulse of a first predetermined duration when an input signal is received; and

pulse stretching means for outputting a pulse of a second predetermined duration when output pulses from said first and second monostable multivibrators are both of a predetermined logic level, said pulse of said second predetermined duration indicating that a signal received by said radio receiver is being outputted by said covert electronic surveillance apparatus.

15. A method of detecting the presence of a covert audio transmitter in an area, comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting an unidentified radio signal;

(b) demodulating said unidentified radio signal in a radio receiver;

(c) receiving audio frequency signals from a microphone in the area to be searched;

(d) selectively bandpass filtering said unidentified radio signal and said received audio frequency signals over the same frequency range;

(e) comparing the filtered unidentified radio signal and the filtered received audio frequency signals; and

(f) indicating coincidence of the filtered signals when said comparing step produces a favorable comparison.

16. A method in accordance with claim 15, wherein said selectively bandpass filtering step further comprises the steps of:

applying said demodulated unidentified radio signal to the input of a first switched capacitor bandpass filter;

applying said received audio frequency signals to the input of a second switched capacitor bandpass filter; and

switching said first and second switched capacitor bandpass filters at a rate synchronized with the frequency of a timing signal such that each capacitor of said switched capacitor bandpass filter is connected to ground for a predetermined interval of the signal cycle of said timing signal.

17. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein said comparing step further comprises the steps of:

generating a first pulse of a first predetermined duration in response to said filtered unidentified radio signal;

generating a second pulse of said first predetermined duration in response to said filtered received audio frequency signal;

applying said first and second pulses to first and second inputs of a logic gate; and

outputting a signal of a predetermined logic level from said logic gate when said first and second pulses are both at said predetermined logic level during the same predetermined interval of the signal cycle of said timing signal.

18. A method in accordance with claim 17, wherein said indicating step further comprises the steps of:

generating a third pulse of a second predetermined duration when said logic gate outputs said predetermined logic level signal; and

applying said third pulse to the input of an LED so as to indicate that the unidentified radio signal is being outputted by said covert audio transmitter.

19. A method in accordance with claim 18, wherein said first predetermied duration is approximately 3.4 milliseconds, said second predetermined duration is approximately 420 milliseconds, and said timing signal has a frequency approximately equal to 1000n Hz, where n equals the number of capacitors in each of said first and second switched capacitor bandpass filters.

20. A method in accordance with claim 15, wherein said detecting step detects said unidentified radio signal by manually tuning a radio receiver.

21. A method in accordance with claim 15, wherein said detecting step detects said unidentified radio signal by operating a scanning receiver and performing steps (b)-(f) for each unidentified signal in the radio frequency spectrum.

22. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein said comparing step further comprises the steps of:

comparing the output of said first switched capacitor bandpass filter with a first threshold level and outputting a first pulse of a predetermined logic level when said threshold level is exceeded;

comparing the output of said second switched capacitor bandpass filter with a second threshold level and outputting a second pulse of said predetermined logic level when said threshold level is exceeded;

applying said first and second pulses to first and second inputs of a logic gate; and

outputting a signal of a predetermined logic level from said logic gate when said first and second pulses are both at said predetermined logic level during the same predetermined interval of the signal cycle of said timing signal.

23. A method in accordance with claim 22, wherein said indicating step further comprises the steps of:

generating a third pulse of a second predetermined duration when said logic gate outputs said predetermined logic level signal; and

applying said third pulse to the input of an LED so as to indicate that the unidentified radio signal is being outputted by said covert audio transmitter.