Method of controlling coming and going personnel, and a system thereof

• US 6,621,414 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2001
• Issued: 09/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nishikawa, Yoshihiro, Gotou, Sakae, Fujita, Yasunobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Trieu, Van
• Application Number:
  US09/908,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20020024442A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340/517, 340/521, 340/522, 340/527, 340/540, 340/550, 340/541, 340/545.2, 435/6, 435/91.1, 435/91.2, 109/6, 109/8, 109/38, 250/281, 250/282
• US Class Current: 340/541
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/024 passengers or luggage
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition

Abstract

A coming and going personnel control system having a high security level by prohibiting a coming person who has dealt with a dangerous substance from entering a facility through a control area is disclosed. Whether a person coming into the control area carries a dangerous substance such as explosive material with him or has dealt with such dangerous substance can be checked by the steps of: ionizing air which has been contacted with the person coming into a control area by a discharging device; the ionized air is detected by a mass spectrometer as a molecular weight; the molecular weight is input into a control processor; and if the detected molecular weight is matched with a molecular weight of dangerous substance which have been registered previously into the control processor, the door in a direction forward to the coming person is closed.

Claims

1. A system for controlling coming and going personnel at a facility comprising:

a control area provided between outside and inside of the facility;

a person identification detector provided in said control area for identifying a personal identification means of a coming person; and

a mass spectrometer provided in said control area for ionizing air by a discharging device and detecting the ionized air as a molecular weight, said mass spectrometer detecting the air in said control area,

wherein said detected personal identification and said detected molecular weight are input into a control processor to check against personal identification and molecular weights of dangerous substance, both of which have been registered previously into said control processor, in order to detect the molecular weight of dangerous substances in the air and the personal identification matching with the previously registered personal identification;

wherein a danger signal is generated when a dangerous substance is detected in the air and an identification signal is generated when the detected personal identification is matched with the previously registered personal identification, and the coming person is allowed to enter into the facility when no danger signal exists and an identification signal exists.

2. A system for controlling coming and going personnel at a facility comprising:

a control area provided between outside and inside of the facility;

a person identification detector provided in said control area for identifying a personal identification by detecting the hand of a coming person; and

a mass spectrometer provided in said control area for ionizing air by a discharging device and detecting the ionized air as a molecular weight, said mass spectrometer detecting the air in the vicinity of the hand of the coming person who entered into said control area,

wherein said detected personal identification and said detected molecular weight are input into a control processor to check against personal identification and molecular weights of dangerous substance, both of which have been registered previously into said control processor, in order to detect the molecular weight of dangerous substance in the air and the personal identification matching with the previously registered personal identification;

wherein a danger signal is generated when a dangerous substance is detected in the air and an identification signal is generated when the detected personal identification is matched with the previously registered personal identification and the coming person is allowed to enter into the facility when no danger signal exists and an identification signal exists.

3. A system for controlling coming and going personnel at a facility comprising:

a control area provided between outside and inside of the facility;

an entrance door and an exit door provided in said control area;

a door driving controller for controlling operation of said doors;

a person identification detector provided in said control area for identifying a personal identification means of a coming person; and

a mass spectrometer provided in said control area for ionizing air by a discharging device and detecting the ionized air as a molecular weight, said mass spectrometer detecting the air in the vicinity of a hand of the coming person who entered into said control area,

wherein said detected personal identification and said detected molecular weight are input into a control processor to check against personal identification and molecular weights of dangerous substances, both of which have been registered previously into said control processor, in order to detect the molecular weight of dangerous substance in the air and the personal identification matching with the previously registered personal identification;

wherein a danger signal generated when a dangerous substance is detected in the air and an identification signal generated when the detected personal identification is matched with the previously registered personal identification are input into said door driving controller, respectively;

said danger signal is input into said door driving controller prior to said identification signal, of which transmission is delayed by a delay element provided in said identification signal side, and

wherein said exit door provided in a direction forward of the coming person is closed by operating said door driving controller.

4. A system for controlling coming and going personnel at a facility comprising:

a control area provided between outside and inside of the facility;

an entrance door and an exit door provided in said control area;

a door driving controller for controlling operation of said entrance and exit doors;

a palm shape detector provided in said control area for detecting a palm shape of a coming person; and

a mass spectrometer provided in said control area for ionizing air by a discharging device and detecting the ionized air as a molecular weight, said mass spectrometer detecting the air in the vicinity of a hand of the coming person who entered into said control area; and

wherein said palm shape and said detected molecular weight are input into a control processor to check against palm shapes and molecular weights of dangerous substance, both of which have been registered previously into said control processor, in order to detect the molecular weight of dangerous substance in the air and the palm shape matching with the previously registered palm shapes;

a danger signal generated when a dangerous substance detected in the air and a palm shape signal generated when the detected palm shape is matched with the previously registered palm shapes are input into said door driving controller, respectively;

wherein said danger signal is input into said door driving controller prior to said palm shape signal, of which transmission is delayed by a delay element provided in said palm shape signal side, and

wherein the door provided in a direction forward of the coming person is closed by operating said door driving controller.