Physiomagnetometric inspection and surveillance system and method

• US 7,135,980 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2002
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DRS C3 & Aviation Co. (Michigan) (Leonardo S.p.A.)
• Original Assignee: Radian, Inc. (Leonardo S.p.A.)
• Inventors: Munro, Neil C., Frizzell, William F., Moore, Wayne K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, LAM P
• Application Number:
  US10/288,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20030133597A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,469 Days
• Field of Search: 340/541, 340/573.1, 340/5.2, 340/5.7, 340/5.8, 382/118, 382/124, 382/116, 382/115, 382/117, 600/473, 600/340
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/10 Movable barriers with registering means

Abstract

A passive biometric surveillance system capable of controlling access to a secure area or holding area for further interrogation or detainment. The system or apparatus passively measures a subject'"'"'s various physiological parameters and compares a produced digital figure or facial image to a database. If the image corresponds to a notable individual, the subject is allowed access only to the holding area for further interrogation. If the image does not correspond to a notable individual, the system or apparatus provides an audio and/or video object or stimulus to the subject. The system or apparatus passively measures the subject'"'"'s post-stimulus physiological parameters and compares these parameters with a predetermined threshold(s). Depending upon the outcome of this comparison, the subject is either allowed to pass into the secure area or is allowed only into the holding area for further interrogation.

Claims

1. An inspection station for determining a subject'"'"'s physiological reaction to a stimulus comprising:

one or more physiological stand-off sensors;

an electronic storage device;

a stimulation interface capable of exposing the subject to a predetermined stimulus object;

one or more controllable egress gates; and

a processor functionally connected to one or more of said sensors, said storage device, said interface and said one or more controllable gates

wherein said stimulus object has an associated deviation limit.

2. The inspection station of claim 1, wherein the one or more physiological stand-off sensors are selected from the group comprising:

a thermal imaging camera;

a digital imaging camera;

a tesla field sensor, a Kurlian field sensor;

a metal detector;

a respiration rate sensor;

a heartbeat sensor; and

, a voice modulation sensor.

3. The inspection station of claim 1, wherein the subject interface comprises an audio and visual interface.

4. The inspection station of claim 1, further comprising a pressure sensitive floor plate functionally connected to said processor.

5. The inspection station of claim 1, further comprising a “

Wants and Warrants”

database.

6. A method for profiling a subject without physical contact comprising the steps of:

acquiring a baseline representation of at least one characteristic of the subject;

prompting the subject with an automatically generated visual or audio object or stimulus;

acquiring a post-prompting representation of at least one characteristic of the subject;

determining if a difference in at least one characteristic between the post-prompting representation and the baseline representation exceeds an associated threshold; and

,

profiling the subject based on any exceeded thresholds.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the characteristic of the subject is selected from the group comprising:

a thermal image;

a digital image;

a electro magnetic field;

a pulse rate;

a voice pattern;

a pressure distribution; and

, a metal content.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of:

storing the baseline representation of the characteristic in an electronic storage device.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of retrieving the stored baseline representation of the characteristic to determine the difference with respect to the post-prompting representation.

10. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of directing the egress of the subject based on the profile.

11. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of profiling includes determining whether secondary assessment is required.

12. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of profiling includes the step of applying the differences and thresholds for each of the at least one characteristic to a judgment matrix.

13. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of accessing a “

Wants and Warrants”

database.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of comparing.

15. A method of screening subjects for access to a secure area comprising the steps of:

creating and storing baseline representations of subject characteristics;

creating an image of a subject;

comparing the image of the subject to images in a resident data table;

if the image of the subject matches an image in said resident data table, directing subject to secondary area;

otherwise,

providing a stimulus to the subject;

creating post-stimulus representations of the subject characteristics;

determining deviations in the subject characteristics from the baseline representation and the post-stimulus representations;

comparing the deviations to predetermined deviation limits;

directing the subject to the secondary area if the deviations are outside of the deviation limits; and

,

granting access to the secure area if the deviations are within the deviation limits.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the subject characteristics comprise:

a thermal image;

pupil size;

heartbeat rate; and

, respiration rate.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the subject characteristics are one or more of the characteristics selected from the group comprising:

a thermal image;

pupil size;

iris color;

heartbeat rate;

respiration rate;

electromagnetic field;

pressure distribution; and

, voice modulation.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of performing secondary screening of subjects in the secondary area.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the stimulus is an audio or visual object.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the object is a question.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of providing a pre-stimulus to the subject prior to the step of creating and storing baseline representations.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the pre-stimulus is an audio or visual object.

23. A method of screening subjects comprising the steps of:

creating and storing baseline representations of subject characteristics;

providing a predetermined stimulus to the subject;

creating post-stimulus representations of the subject characteristics;

determining a threshold as a function of the predetermined stimulus;

determining deviations in the subject characteristics from the baseline representation and the post-stimulus representations;

comparing the deviations to the threshold;

identify subjects whose deviations exceed the threshold.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the predetermined stimulus is at least one of a visual image, an audio signal, a verbal query, and a visual query.