Method and apparatus for detecting and locating a concealed listening device

• US 5,717,656 A
• Filed: 08/20/1996
• Issued: 02/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MNAP Technologies International Incorporated
• Original Assignee: YBM Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Dourbal, Pavel F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pihulic, Daniel T.
• Application Number:
  US08/700,203
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 367/128, 367/127, 367/2, 456/67.2, 456/67.7, 456/228, 456/227
• US Class Current: 367/128
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/30 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 11/00 Transmission systems employing sonic, ultrasonic or infrasonic waves

Abstract

A method and system for detecting the presence, and the location of, a concealed listening device. In the method, the acoustic signal from the actual acoustic source and electromagnetic signals in the radio frequency band (containing the electromagnetically-transmitted version of the acoustic signal on an unknown frequency) are obtained and an average cross correlation of the auto correlation of each of these two signal types is derived for determining whether a concealed listening device is even present and, if so, the frequency of the electromagnetically-transmitted version. The method then utilizes timed pulse responses of a plurality of acoustic transducers, as well as a distinguishing function, to determine the location of the concealed listening device. In the system, a controller controls the operation of a radio receiver, a microphone and an arrangement of acoustic transducers in accordance with the method described above.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting the presence or absence of a concealed listening device wherein the concealed listening device receives an acoustic signal and then wirelessly transmits an electromagnetic version of that acoustic signal over the air to a remote receiver, said apparatus comprising:

a radio receiver for measuring the signal strength of a first electrical signal in the radio frequency band to which said radio receiver is tuned;

a microphone for detecting and converting the acoustic signal into a second electrical signal; and

a controller, coupled to said radio receiver and said microphone, for tuning the radio receiver within the radio frequency band, said controller comprising means for determining the cross correlation between an auto correlation of said first electrical signal and an auto correlation of said second electrical signal to determine the presence of the concealed listening device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said determining means determines an average cross correlation value from a plurality of cross correlation values.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said determining means determines a threshold cross correlation value when said apparatus is initially powered up and is disposed in a room which contains no concealed listening device.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said determining means determines that a concealed listening device is present whenever said average cross correlation function exceeds said threshold cross correlation value.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said determining means determines the frequency of said electromagnetic version of the acoustic signal based on the maximum average correlation function value.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said apparatus further comprises an acoustic transducer arrangement coupled to said controller to be activated by said controller in determining the position of the concealed listening device.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said controller comprises means for pulsing the acoustic transducer arrangement.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said controller comprises means for detecting the beginning of a received pulse response by the use of a cross correlation function between a first part of the received pulse response and a second part of the received pulse response.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said acoustic transducer arrangement comprises four acoustic transducers such that one of said transducers is not coplanar with the others of said transducers.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said controller further comprises range determining means for determining the range between each of said acoustic transducers and the concealed listening device.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said means for determining the range further comprises means for determining the location of the concealed listening device based on said range between each of said acoustic transducers.

12. A method for detecting the presence or absence of a concealed listening device wherein the concealed listening device receives an acoustic signal and then wirelessly transmits an electromagnetic version of that acoustic signal over the air to a remote receiver, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) measuring the signal strength of a first electrical signal in the radio frequency band to which said radio receiver is tuned;

(b) detecting and converting the acoustic signal into a second electrical signal; and

(c) determining the cross correlation between an auto correlation of said first electrical signal and an auto correlation of said second electrical signal to determine the presence of the concealed listening device.

13. The method of claim 12 which further comprises the step of tuning the radio receiver to another frequency in the radio frequency band and repeating steps a-c to generate a plurality of cross correlations.

14. The method of claim 13 which further comprises the step of determining an average cross correlation from said plurality of cross correlations and then comparing said average cross correlation to a threshold average cross correlation value for determining if a concealed listening device is present.

15. The method of claim 14 which further comprises the step of selecting the maximum average cross correlation to identify the frequency that the concealed listening device is wirelessly transmitting the electromagnetic version of the acoustic signal and then maintaining said radio receiver on the frequency.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of measuring the signal strength of said first electrical signal comprises the steps of:

(a) scanning a first sub-band of frequencies in the radio frequency band;

(b) measuring the signal strength of each of said frequencies in said sub-band;

(c) selecting that frequency in the sub-band that exhibits the maximum signal strength thereby defining said first electrical signal.

17. The method of claim 15 which further comprises the step of pulsing a first acoustic transducer, having a known location, to form a pulsed acoustic signal and detecting an electromagnetic version of said pulsed acoustic signal from said concealed listening device, said pulsing of said first acoustic transducer and said detecting of said electromagnetic version of said pulsed acoustic signal being repeated N times to generate an average response signal.

18. The method of claim 17 which further comprises the steps of:

(a) partitioning said average response signal into a first pair of two parts of equal size and determining a first correlation function between the auto correlation function of each of these two parts, said first correlation function having a first coefficient; and

(b) re-partitioning said average response signal into a second pair of two parts of equal size, wherein each part of said second pair is equal to the sum of said sizes of said first pair of two parts, and determining a second correlation function between the auto correlation function of each of said parts of said second pair, said second correlation function having a second coefficient.

19. The method of claim 18 which further comprises repeating steps (a) and (b).

20. The method of claim 19 which further comprises the step of selecting the time value that corresponds to the correlation function having the minimum coefficient.

21. The method of claim 20 which further comprises the step of calculating the range from said pulsed acoustic transducer by multiplying said selected time value with the speed of sound.

22. The method of claim 21 which further comprises the step of pulsing a second acoustic transducer, having a known location distinct from said first acoustic transducer, to form a second pulsed acoustic signal and detecting an electromagnetic version of said second pulsed acoustic signal from said concealed listening device, said pulsing of said second acoustic transducer and said detecting of said second electromagnetic version of said pulsed acoustic signal being repeated N times to generate an average response signal.

23. The method of claim 22 which further comprises the steps of:

(a) partitioning said second average response signal into a first pair of two parts of equal size and determining a first correlation function between the auto correlation function of each of these two parts, said first correlation function having a first coefficient; and

(b) re-partitioning said second average response signal into a second pair of two parts of equal size, wherein each part of said second pair is equal to the sum of said sizes of said first pair of two parts, and determining a second correlation function between the auto correlation function of each of said parts of said second pair, said second correlation function having a second coefficient.

24. The method of claim 23 which further comprises repeating steps (a) and (b).

25. The method of claim 24 which further comprises the step of selecting the time value that corresponds to the correlation function having the minimum coefficient.

26. The method of claim 25 which further comprises the step of calculating the range from said second pulsed acoustic transducer by multiplying said selected time value with the speed of sound.

27. The method of claim 26 which further comprises the step of pulsing a third acoustic transducer, having a known location distinct from said first and second acoustic transducers, to form a third pulsed acoustic signal and detecting an electromagnetic version of said third pulsed acoustic signal from said concealed listening device, said pulsing of said third acoustic transducer and said detecting of said third electromagnetic version of said pulsed acoustic signal being repeated N times to generate a third average response signal.

28. The method of claim 27 which further comprises the steps of:

(a) partitioning said second average response signal into a first pair of two parts of equal size and determining a first correlation function between the auto correlation function of each of these two parts, said first correlation function having a first coefficient; and

(b) re-partitioning said second average response signal into a second pair of two parts of equal size, wherein each part of said second pair is equal to the sum of said sizes of said first pair of two parts, and determining a second correlation function between the auto correlation function of each of said parts of said second pair, said second correlation function having a second coefficient.

29. The method of claim 28 which further comprises repeating steps (a) and (b).

30. The method of claim 29 which further comprises the step of selecting the time value that corresponds to the correlation function having the minimum coefficient.

31. The method of claim 30 which further comprises the step of calculating the range from said third pulsed acoustic transducer by multiplying said selected time value with the speed of sound.

32. The method of claim 31 which further comprises the step of pulsing a fourth acoustic transducer, having a known location that is outside a plane formed by said first, second and third acoustic transducers, to form a fourth pulsed acoustic signal and detecting an electromagnetic version of said fourth pulsed acoustic signal from said concealed listening device, said pulsing of said fourth acoustic transducer and said detecting of said fourth electromagnetic version of said pulsed acoustic signal being repeated N times to generate a fourth average response signal.

33. The method of claim 32 which further comprises the steps of:

(a) partitioning said fourth average response signal into a first pair of two parts of equal size and determining a first correlation function between the auto correlation function of each of these two parts, said first correlation function having a first coefficient; and

(b) re-partitioning said fourth average response signal into a second pair of two parts of equal size, wherein each part of said second pair is equal to the sum of said sizes of said first pair of two parts, and determining a second correlation function between the auto correlation function of each of said parts of said second pair, said second correlation function having a second coefficient.

34. The method of claim 33 which further comprises repeating steps (a) and (b).

35. The method of claim 34 which further comprises the step of selecting the time value that corresponds to the correlation function having the minimum coefficient.

36. The method of claim 35 which further comprises the step of calculating the range from said fourth pulsed acoustic transducer by multiplying said selected time value with the speed of sound.