Geopositionable expendable sensors and the use therefor for monitoring surface conditions

• US 6,885,299 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2002
• Issued: 04/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dave J. Grace, Guy F. Cooper, John H. Williams, Mark Leach, William E. Vonwicklen
• Original Assignee: Dave J. Grace, Guy F. Cooper, John H. Williams, Mark Leach, William E. Vonwicklen
• Inventors: Williams, John H., Leach, Mark, Grace, Dave J., Vonwicklen, William E., Cooper, Guy F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland, Donnie L.
• Application Number:
  US10/196,646
• Publication Number:
  US 20030218540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.26, 340/539.1, 340/539.13, 340/539.22, 340/539.27, 340/539.28, 340/539.29, 340/870.1, 340/945, 340/981, 701/3, 455/431, 244/1.R, 244/163, 342/20
• US Class Current: 340/539.26
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/10 responsive to calamitous events, e.g. tornados or earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms

Abstract

A sensor system for monitoring for the presence of contamination with one or more contaminating biological, chemical and/or radioactive agents on a terrain surface, and creating a contamination map thereof. The sensor system includes a plurality of sensor pods, a ground station, an airborne dispensing portion, and an airborne monitoring portion. The sensor pods include a pod housing, a descent slowing airfoil, a detector unit for detection of the contaminating agent and outputting contaminating agent data, a processor for processing the contaminating agent data, a GPS unit for determining the position of the sensor, and a transmitter for transmitting contamination agent data and position data to the airborne monitoring portion. The airborne monitoring portion receives the transmitted data from the sensor pods, and relays the data to the ground station, where the contamination map is made available.

Claims

1. A sensor system for monitoring for the presence of contamination with one or more contaminating biological, chemical and/or radioactive agents on a terrain surface, and creating a contamination map thereof, comprising:

(a) a plurality of sensor pods, comprising,

a detector unit for detection of the contaminating agent and outputting contaminating agent data, comprising a chemical reagent which is released from the sensor pod and reacts with contamination at the terrain surface to form a reactant, and a spectral analysis unit which quantifies the reactant and the level of contamination measured,

a processor for processing the contaminating agent data,

a geopositioning mechanism for determining the position of the sensor, and

a transmitter for transmitting contamination agent data and position data; and

(b) an airborne dispensing portion for dispensing the plurality of sensor pod to the terrain surface, and

(c) an airborne monitoring portion for receiving the transmitted contamination agent data and position data from the plurality of sensor pods.

2. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein each sensor has an identification code which is transmitted by the transmitter to the airborne monitoring system.

3. The sensor system of claim 1, further comprising a ground station, and wherein the airborne monitoring portion further comprises a transmitter for transmitting data from the airborne platform to the ground station, the ground station compiling a detailed map of the terrain surface in terms of its contamination characteristics.

4. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensor pod further comprises a descent slowing mechanism.

5. The sensor system of claim 4, wherein the descent slowing mechanism comprises an airfoil.

6. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensor pod further comprises, an activation switch for activating the sensor pod when the sensor pod reaches the terrain surface.

7. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the airborne dispensing portion and the airborne monitoring portion are separate, self contained and detachably attachable units carried on different aircraft.

8. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the detector unit comprises a radiation detector unit.

9. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter for transmitting contamination agent data and position data to the monitoring system comprises at least one LED.

10. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter for transmitting contamination agent data and position data to the monitoring system comprises at least one RF antenna on the sensor pod.

11. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the airborne dispensing portion and the airborne monitoring portion are self contained and detachably attachable to an aircraft.

12. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the geopositioning mechanism comprises a global positioning system.

13. A sensor system for monitoring for the presence of contamination with one or more contaminating biological, chemical and/or radioactive agents on a terrain surface, and creating a contamination map thereof, comprising:

(a) a plurality of sensor pods, comprising,

a detector unit for detection of the contaminating agent and outputting contaminating agent data,

a processor for processing the contaminating agent data,

a geopositioning mechanism for determining the position of the sensor, and

a transmitter for transmitting contamination agent data and position data;

(b) an airborne dispensing portion for dispensing the plurality of sensor pod to the terrain surface, and

(c) an airborne monitoring portion for receiving the transmitted contamination agent data and position data from the plurality of sensors, wherein each sensor has an identification code which is transmitted by the transmitter to the airborne monitoring system, and wherein at least one of the plurality of sensor pods is a master sensor pod which includes a RF receiver, and at least one of the plurality of sensor pods is a slave sensor pod which includes a RF transmitter for transmitting the at least one slave sensor pod'"'"'s identification code, the slave sensor pod'"'"'s contamination agent data, and a time stamp of the slave sensor, which master sensor pod then uplinks the data from the slave pod and its own data to the airborne monitoring system.

14. The sensor system of claim 13, wherein at master sensor pod further includes a multilateration computer to compute the at least one slave pod'"'"'s distance from the master pod.

15. The sensor system of claim 13, wherein the geopositioning mechanism comprises the data transmitted to the airborne platform, which airborne platform uses an optical or RF directional seeker to determine the relative geoposition of the master sensor.

16. A sensor system for monitoring for the presence of contamination with one or more contaminating biological, chemical and/or radioactive agents on a terrain surface, and creating a contamination map thereof, comprising:

(a) a plurality of sensor pods, comprising,

a pod housing,

a descent slowing mechanism on the pod housing,

a detector unit for detection of the contaminating agent and outputting contaminating agent data, the detector unit comprising a chemical reagent which is released from the sensor pod and reacts with contamination at the terrain surface to form a reactant, and a spectral analysis unit which quantifies the reactant and the level of contamination measured,

a processor for processing the contaminating agent data,

a geopositioning mechanism for determining the position of the sensor, and

a transmitter for transmitting contamination agent data and position data;

(b) a ground station;

(c) an airborne dispensing portion for dispensing the plurality of sensor pods to the terrain surface, and

(d) an airborne monitoring portion for receiving the transmitted contamination agent data and position data from the plurality of sensors, and a transmitter for transmitting the contamination agent data and position data from the plurality of sensor pods to the ground station.

17. The sensor system of claim 16, wherein the airborne dispensing portion and the airborne monitoring portion are separate, self contained and detachably attachable units carried on different aircraft.

18. The sensor system of claim 16, wherein the sensor pod further comprises an activation switch for activating the sensor pod when the sensor pod reaches the terrain surface.

19. The sensor system of claim 16, wherein the airborne dispensing portion and the airborne monitoring portion are self contained and detachably attachable to an aircraft.

20. The sensor system of claim 16, wherein the detector unit comprises a radiation detector unit.

21. The sensor system of claim 16, wherein the transmitter for transmitting contamination agent data and position data to the monitoring system comprises at least one LED on the sensor pod.

22. The sensor system of claim 16, wherein the transmitter for transmitting contamination agent data and position data to the monitoring system comprises at least one RF antenna on the sensor pod.

23. A sensor pod for monitoring for the presence of contamination with one or more contaminating biological, chemical and/or radioactive agents on a terrain surface, and creating a contamination map thereof, comprising:

a pod housing;

a descent slowing mechanism on the pod housing;

a detector unit for detection of the contaminating agent and outputting contaminating agent data;

a chemical reagent which is released from the sensor pod and reacts with contamination at the terrain surface to form a reactant;

a spectral analysis unit which quantifies the reactant and a level of contamination measured;

a processor for processing the contaminating agent data;

a geopositioning mechanism for determining the position of the sensor; and

a transmitter for transmitting contamination agent data and position data.

24. The sensor pod of claim 23, wherein the sensor pod further comprises an activation switch for activating the sensor pod when the sensor pod reaches the terrain surface.

25. The sensor pod of claim 23, wherein the detector unit comprises a radiation detector unit.

26. The sensor pod of claim 23, wherein the transmitter for transmitting contamination agent data and position data to the monitoring system comprises at least one LED on the sensor pod visible from the pod housing.

27. The sensor pod of claim 23, wherein the transmitter for transmitting contamination agent data and position data to the monitoring system comprises at least one RF antenna.