Talking buried object detector

• US 6,396,433 B1
• Filed: 04/10/2001
• Issued: 05/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Chemring Sensors and Electronic Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: NIITEK, Inc.
• Inventors: Clodfelter, James F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E.
• Application Number:
  US09/828,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20020027521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• Field of Search: 342/21,22,27,60,175,195,104,115,118,89,90 367/87,88,93,95-116,13 324/326-329,332-347 704/270,270.1,271-278
• US Class Current: 342/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/412 based on a comparison between measured values and known or stored values
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/12 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005

Abstract

A spoken word-producing detector identifies objects by comparing signatures of detected objects with stored signatures of known objects. When the signatures compare, the detector produces stored word sounds associated with the detected object identifications. An annunciator produces the words from pre-digitized human voice sounds. A screen displays the words.

Claims

1. A method of identifying objects comprising:

sensing objects with a sensor and producing sensor outputs;

providing the sensor outputs from the sensor to the computer interface hardware and software in a computer;

processing the sensor outputs and making the sensor outputs available as processed inputs to computer algorithms;

providing the processed inputs to the object recognition algorithms;

identifying the objects with the object recognition algorithms and producing object-identifying outputs;

providing an identified objects database;

associating pre-digitized sound filed with identified objects in the database;

providing the object-identifying outputs to an identified object database; and

providing a pre-digitized sound file associated with the identified object to a sound player and playing sounds from the sound file and audibly identifying the sensed object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an object recognition database with objects and their signatures, and comparing the processed inputs with the signatures in the object recognition database.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the objects are mines.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the objects are clutter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the objects are buried corpses.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the objects are studs.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the objects are directions of studs.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the objects are pipes.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the objects are fiber optic cables.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensing objects with a sensor comprises producing high frequency surface penetrating radar signals;

directing the radar signals through a surface;

returning high frequency signals from objects beyond the surface; and

employing the returned signals as the sensor outputs.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing pre-digitized sound files comprises providing pre-digitized human voice sound files.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

training the computer by sensing a known object;

producing the sensor outputs from the known object;

providing the sensor outputs from the known object to a computer and processing the sensor outputs from the known object;

providing the processed sensor outputs from the known object as training inputs to the computer software and adjusting the identifying algorithms according to the training inputs related to the known object;

producing a known object output from the identifying algorithm;

storing the known object output in the database;

inputting known object sounds describing the known object in a digital recorder;

digitizing the known object sounds;

storing the known object sounds in the database; and

associating the stored digitized known object sounds with the stored known object output in the database.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the inputting of known object sounds comprises speaking the known object sound into the digital recorder.

14. A method of audibly identifying buried objects, comprising:

creating a database;

storing returned signal characteristics of distinct buried or hidden objects in the database;

storing pre-digitized human voice sounds individually related to the objects in the database;

associating the pre-digitized human voice sounds with identified objects in the database;

moving a sensor over an area where buried or hidden objects may be located;

creating high frequency radar signals;

directing the high frequency radar signals;

directing the high frequency radar signals to the area;

sensing returned signal outputs from the area;

providing the returned signal outputs to interface hardware and software of a computer;

processing the returned signal outputs;

making the processed returned signal outputs available to computer algorithms;

providing the processed return signal outputs to object recognition software;

identifying objects from the processed return signal outputs with object recognition algorithms in the object recognition software;

providing processed information from the recognition algorithms to the database;

locating identified objects and associated pre-digitized human voice sounds in the database; and

supplying the associated pre-digitized human voice sounds to an annunciator and annunciating human voice sounds according to the identified objects.

15. A buried object detector comprising:

a sensor having a sensor output;

a computer having interface hardware and software connected to the sensor output for processing the sensor output and making the processed sensor output available to computer algorithms;

object recognition software connected to the interface software for identifying a sensed object according to the processed sensor output and producing object identification outputs;

a sounds database having object identifications;

a pre-digitized sound file for associating pre-digitized sounds with object identifications in the database;

annunciation pre-processing software for receiving the pre-digitized sounds associated with the object identification in the database; and

an annunciator connected to the computer for playing the pre-digitized sounds associated with the identified object.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the sensor further comprises a ground penetrating radar and a return radar signal receiver.

17. The detector of claim 15, wherein the sensor is used with mines, clutter, buried corpses, studs, directions of studs, pipes or fiber optic cables.