Aircraft internal EMI detection and location

• US 6,580,915 B1
• Filed: 09/24/1999
• Issued: 06/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Team America, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Kroll Family Trust
• Inventors: Kroll, Mark W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US09/406,067
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• Field of Search: 455/277.1, 455/277.2, 455/278.1, 455/279.1, 455/296, 455/304, 455/25, 455/431, 455/63, 455/67.6, 455/456, 455/458, 455/459, 455/404, 455/405, 455/562, 455/67.1, 455/67.3, 455/226.1, 455/283, 342/118, 342/126, 342/139, 342/357.01, 342/357.02, 342/357.03, 342/357.08, 342/357.1, 342/147, 342/417, 342/443
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location

Abstract

A circuit and method to locate a cellular phone or noisy laptop computer in an aircraft uses and antenna each in the front and back of the plane. Arrival time differences of cellular phone pulses are used to locate the offending phone. Three receivers are used to locate a cell phone in a theater audience. Broad band correlation is used to locate an offending laptop computer.

Claims

1. A system comprising a first antenna located near the front of an aircraft cabin connected to an amplifier connected to a timing circuit, a second antenna located near the rear of an aircraft cabin connected to an amplifier connected to the first said timing circuit such that the difference in the arrival times between the two signals at antenna and the second antenna are used to determine the location of a electromagnetic interference producer between the two antennas.

2. The system of claim 1 in which a system is optimized to locate a cellular phone as the electromagnetic interference producer.

3. The system of claim 1 in which a system is optimized to locate a laptop computer as the electromagnetic interference producer.

4. The system of claim 1 in which a pulse arrival time is used to determine the location of the electromagnetic interference producer.

5. The system of claim 1 in which a broad band continuous correlator is used to locate the offending electromagnetic interference producer.

6. The system of claim 1 in which a row location of the electromagnetic interference producer is given as an output.

7. A method of deriving the location, in an aircraft, of an electromagnetic interference producer comprising the steps of installing two antennas, detecting the output of each of the two antennas, measuring the time difference between the outputs, calculating a actual linear dimensional difference corresponding to the time difference based on the speed of light, subtracting the cable length difference between the two antennas, and calculating a location of the electromagnetic interference producer between the two antennas.

8. A method of claim 7 in which the system is optimized to locate an offending cellular phone.

9. The method of claim 7 in which the system is optimized to detect an offending laptop computer.

10. The method of claim 7 in which the pulse arrival time is used for the location of the offending electromagnetic interference producer.

11. The system of claim 7 in which a broad band correlator is used to locate the offending electromagnetic interference producer.

12. The system of claim 7 in which the row of the offending electromagnetic interference producer is output.