Millimeter wave imaging apparatus

• US 6,353,224 B1
• Filed: 07/01/1999
• Issued: 03/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qinetiq Limited (QinetiQ Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: The secretary of state for defence in her Britannic Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain And Northern Ireland
• Inventors: Sinclair, Gordon N, Lettington, Alan H
• Primary Examiner(s): Hannaher, Constantine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Israel, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US09/341,018
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 250/336.1, 250/332, 250/334, 342/179
• US Class Current: 250/336.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/887 for detection of concealed objects, e.g. contraband or weapons
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/005 operating with millimetre waves, e.g. measuring the black losey radiation

Abstract

Millimeter wave imaging apparatus for use, in articular, as an indoor security system to identify objects concealed under the clothing of a person in a background scene, including means for generating a millimetric temperature contrast between the person to be imaged and the surroundings in scene. This may be a “hot” or “cold” source for producing a flux, and a relatively smaller flux respectively, of incoherent millimeter wavelength radiation. The apparatus may also include at least one partial ellipsoid reflective enclosure for reflecting millimeter wavelength radiation emitted from the “hot” and “cold” source so as to generate non-localized and uniform illumination of the person. The enclosure may have a metallic inner surface on which a dimpled pattern may be embossed to diffuse the millimeter wavelength radiation reflected from the metallic inner surface. The apparatus also includes one or more millimeter wavelength imaging cameras for detecting the millimeter wavelength radiation at one or more millimeter wave center frequencies, which may be mounted inside or outside the reflective enclosure. An image of the objects may be generated on a television monitor from the detected radiation.

Claims

1. Apparatus for detecting at least one object having a millimetric temperature, said at least one object situated in background surroundings having a background millimetric temperature, said apparatus comprising;

means for varying the background millimetric temperature so as to generate a contrast between the background millimetric temperature and the millimetric temperature of the object, and

a detector for detecting the contrast between the background millimetric temperature and the millimetric temperature of the at least one object,

wherein the means for varying the background millimetric temperature comprise;

an enclosure and

at least one source of substantially incoherent millimetre wave radiation, the enclosure and the at least one source arranged to provide substantially uniform illumination of the at least one object.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the enclosure comprises a reflector for reflecting millimetre wavelength radiation emitted by the at least one source.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the reflector is a reflecting enclosure having a reflective inner surface.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the reflecting enclosure is a partial ellipsoid.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the reflecting enclosure is a room having at least one opening, said at least one opening having an entrance region, wherein the entrance region is coated with an emissive material having an apparent millimetric temperature substantially the same as that of the background millimetric temperature to prevent reflection of millimetre wavelength radiation from outside the enclosure into the enclosure.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the reflective inner surface is embossed with a dimpled pattern such that millimetre wavelength radiation reflected from the reflective inner surface is diffused.

7. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the reflecting inner surface is provided by a dimpled reflective covering.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one source has an emitting surface for emitting substantially incoherent millimetre wavelength radiation, wherein the emitting surface forms part of the enclosure, such that the background surroundings and the at least one object are illuminated substantially uniformly with millimetre wavelength radiation.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the enclosure is a cubicle having at least one side formed from the emitting surface of the at least one source.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the detection means comprise at least one millimetre wave imaging camera for detecting millimetre wavelength radiation reflected from and emitted by said at least one object.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the at least one millimetre wave imaging camera has at least one millimetre wave centre frequency of operation.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, said at least one camera comprises at least two millimetre wave imaging cameras having substantially different millimetre wave centre frequencies of operation.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the at least one millimetre wave imaging camera is mounted outside the enclosure.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the at least one millimetre wave imaging camera is mounted within the enclosure.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the at least one millimetre wave imaging camera has an associated processor and television monitor for generating a millimetre wavelength image of said at least one object.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one source comprises;

a layer of emissive material, having an optical thickness t, for emitting millimetre wavelength radiation and

heating means for increasing the temperature of the layer of emissive material,

whereby increasing the temperature of the layer of emissive material gives rise to an increase in the background millimetric temperature.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the heating means comprise at least one heating element.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the at least one source further comprises a metal layer,

wherein the metal layer and the layer of emissive material form a structure having an emissivity, ε

, in the millimetre wavelength region,

and wherein the optical thickness, t, of the layer of emissive material is such that the emission of millimetre wavelength radiation from said structure is substantially maximised.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the emissivity, ε

, of the structure is between 0.5 and 1.0.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the emissivity, ε

, of the structure is substantially equal to 1.0.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the metal layer is aluminium.

22. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the emissive material is one of clay tiles, asbestos fire blanket and fire cement.

23. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the at least one source further comprises insulation for reducing the emission of infrared radiation from the at least one source.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the insulation comprise a fibreglass mat.

25. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the at least one source further comprises at least one additional metal layer for internally reflecting millimetre wavelength radiation emitted from the emissive material, such that the emission of millimetre wavelength radiation from the emitting surface of the at least one source is substantially maximised.

26. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one source comprises;

a layer of material for emitting millimetre wavelength radiation and

a cooler for decreasing the temperature of the emissive material,

whereby decreasing the temperature of the layer of material gives rise to a decrease in the background millimetric temperature.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the layer of material is radar absorbing material (RAM).

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the cooler comprises a refrigeration unit.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the at least one source also comprises a millimetre radiation transparent layer enclosing the layer of emitting material.

30. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one source Gunn diode for emitting substantially incoherent millimetre wavelength radiation.

31. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one source comprises a plurality of gas discharge noise sources for emitting substantially incoherent millimetre wavelength radiation.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, and further comprising at least one optical element for diffusing the emitted millimetre wavelength radiation.

33. constructed and adapted to be used in the millimetre wave imaging apparatus of claim 1 comprising;

a layer of emissive material, having an optical thickness t, for emitting millimetre wavelength radiation; and

a heater for increasing the temperature of the layer of emissive material, whereby increasing the temperature of the layer of emissive material gives rise to an increase in the background millimetric temperature.

34. The source of claim 33, wherein the at least one source further comprises a metal layer, the metal layer and the layer of emissive material forming a structure having an emissivity, ε

, in the millimetre wavelength region, wherein the optical thickness, t, of the layer of emissive material is such that the emission of millimetre wavelength radiation from said structure is substantially maximised.