In-road microwave vehicle stopper

• US 5,907,290 A
• Filed: 08/22/1997
• Issued: 05/25/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary of Agriculture
• Original Assignee: The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army
• Inventors: Turner, Todd M., Scannell, Edward P., Berry, Mark D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): JEANGLAUDE, JEAN BRUNER
• Application Number:
  US08/919,074
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.57, 340/825.31, 340/825.69, 340/825.06, 340/902, 340/904, 340/825.34, 180/167, 180/287, 307/10.1, 307/10.2, 307/10.3, 307/10.4, 307/10.5, 307/10.6
• US Class Current: 340/12.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/16 operated by remote control, i.e. initiating means not mounted on vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 11/08 Barbed-wire obstacles; Barricades; Stanchions; Tank traps; Vehicle-impeding devices; Caltrops making barbed wire B21F25/00; barbed-wire fencing E04H17/04; road barricades, obstructing passage of vehicles or pedestrians E01F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 13/0068 the high-energy beam being of microwave type, e.g. for causing a heating effect in the target

Abstract

A stationary microwave system for irradiating microwave frequency energy 200-40 GHz) at target vehicles disrupts the operation of the target vehicle'"'"'s electronic engine control systems, rendering it incapable of fleeing law enforcement agents (LEAs). The system includes a microwave generation source; a triggering system to control pulsewidth, periodic frequency, duration, and time on; an interlock system for safety; and a delivery system for directing the microwave energy and irradiating the target vehicle. The parameters of the microwave energy are optimized by the system such that the radiated microwave energy has the characteristics required to disrupt the target vehicle.

Claims

1. An apparatus for radiating microwave frequency energy into an underbody of a target vehicle and disrupting operation of the target vehicle'"'"'s electronic control system, comprising:

a power source;

a microwave producing device;

a safety interlock between the power source and the microwave producing device;

a pulse generator which controls the pulsewidth, pulse repetition frequency, and duration of irradiated waveforms;

a power transporter;

an array of radiating antennas mounted either flush with or below a road surface;

a sensor for sensing when the target vehicle is over a radiating antenna; and

a switch responsive to the sensor for selectively and sequentially connecting an antenna of the array to the microwave producing device when the target vehicle passes over the antenna to minimize exposure to microwave energy of nontarget vehicles and to radiate microwave energy directly into the underbody of a target vehicle to achieve greater exposure of moving target vehicles to the irradiated waveforms;

wherein the microwave producing device generates pulses in a frequency range of 500 Megahertz to 10 Gigahertz which are swept across the frequency range to maximize signal power spectral density;

wherein the pulse repetition frequency is in the range of a single shot to 1,000 hertz;

wherein the apparatus has a duty factor in the range of 0.001 to continuous operation;

wherein the pulsewidth is in the range of 1-10 microseconds.