Method and apparatus for protecting personnel from RF-triggered explosive devices (RTED) using ultra-wideband (UWB) transmission

• US 7,138,936 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2005
• Issued: 11/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vectrus Systems Corp.
• Original Assignee: Sentel Corporation (Vectrus Systems Corp.)
• Inventors: Smith, John P., Harwood, Theodore L. II, Duff, William G., Crapps, Darrel, Light, Art
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E.
• Application Number:
  US11/084,275
• Publication Number:
  US 20060164282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 455/1, 455/403, 455/422.1, 455/423, 455/425, 455/456.1, 455/456.4, 342 13- 20, 342 89-103, 342/175, 342192-197, 342/61, 342/68, 342 82- 88, 342/21, 89/11.1
• US Class Current: 342/14
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/0209 Systems with very large relative bandwidth, i.e. larger than 10 %, e.g. baseband, pulse, carrier-free, ultrawideband
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/38 Jamming means, e.g. producing false echoes
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/16 for telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/24 for communication related to weapons
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/34 involving multiple cooperating jammers
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/28 with jamming and anti-jamming mechanisms both included in a same device or system, e.g. wherein anti-jamming includes prevention of undesired self-jamming resulting from jamming
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/42 characterized by the control of the jamming frequency or wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/43 characterized by the control of the jamming power, signal-to-noise ratio or geographic coverage area
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/44 characterized by the control of the jamming waveform or modulation type
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/45 characterized by including monitoring of the target or target signal, e.g. in reactive jammers or follower jammers for example by means of an alternation of jamming phases and monitoring phases, called "look-through mode"
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/92 related to allowing or preventing remote control

Abstract

The test results found that the EMI impact depended on the UWB power that fell within the receiver passband. Specifically, EMI occurred when the average power in the receiver passband was approximately equal to the desired signal level of the receiver. One waveform, TW7, did not cause EMI because the average power was too low. Three waveforms, TW1, TW2, and TW6 only caused EMI when the receiver was tuned to the frequency of the UWB spectral component. Three waveforms, TW3, TW4, and TW5, caused EMI at all receiver frequencies. As noted, these tests were performed to determine the susceptibility of various RF receiver (radars and communications systems) devices to UWB signals. The tests were not intended to evaluate the use of UWB signals for jamming purposes.

Claims

1. A method of protecting personnel from radio frequency (RF)-triggered explosive devices (RTEDs), wherein the RTED is intended to explode upon reception of a RTED transmission signal at a RTED receiver, comprising:

associating predetermined interference parameters with the RTED transmission signal,

wherein the RTED transmission signal comprises a bit stream;

creating an ultra-wideband (UWB) signal meeting the predetermined interface parameters; and

transmitting the UWB signal thereby interfering with the reception of the bit stream by the RTED receiver.

2. The method of protecting personnel from RTEDs of claim 1, wherein the RTED transmission signal is selected from the group consisting of a garage door opener signal, a car alarm signal, a remote keyless entry device signal, a wireless door bell signal, a toy remote control signal, family radio service (FRS) signal, a general mobile radio service (GMRS) signal, cellular telephone ringing signal, and a pager signal.

3. The method of protecting personnel from RTEDs of claim 1, wherein the interference parameters are selected from the group consisting of a rise time, a pulse width, and pulse repetition rate.

4. The method of protecting personnel from RTEDs of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises varying the pulse repetition rate randomly over time.

5. The method of protecting personnel from RTEDs of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises varying the pulse repetition rate predictably over time.

6. The method of protecting personnel from RTEDs of claim 1 further comprising amplifying the UWB signal prior to transmitting the UWB signal to the RTED receiver.

7. The method of protecting personnel from RTEDs of claim 6 further comprising, before amplifying the UWB signal, filtering the UWB signal.

8. The method of protecting personnel from RTEDs of claim 1 further comprising:

substituting an alternate set of predetermined interference parameters for the predetermined interference parameters;

creating an alternative UWB signal using the alternate predetermined interface parameters; and

transmitting the alternate UWB signal.

9. The method of protecting personnel from RTEDs of claim 1, wherein the RTED is selected from the group consisting of a manufactured RTED and an improvised RTED.

10. A system for protecting personnel from radio frequency (RF)-triggered explosive devices(RTEDs), wherein the RTED is intended to explode upon reception of a RTED transmission signal at a RTED receiver, comprising:

an ultra-wideband (UWB) transmitter;

a pulse generator adapted to;

receiver predetermined interference parameters associated with the RTED transmission signal, wherein the RTED transmission signal comprises a bit stream; and

trigger the UWB transmitter with the received predetermined interference parameters;

the UWB transmitter adapted to produce a UWB signal in response to the pulse generator; and

a wideband antenna adapted to receive the UWB signal and broadcast the UWB signal.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the RTED transmission signal is selected from the group consisting of a garage door opener signal, a car alarm signal, a remote keyless entry device signal, a wireless door bell signal, a toy remote control signal, a family radio service (FRS) signal, a general mobile radio service(GMRS) signal, cellular telephone ringing signal, and a paper signal.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the interference parameters are selected from the group consisting of a rise time, a pulse width, and pulse repetition rate.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the pulse generator is further adapted to vary the pulse repetition rate randomly over time.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the pulse generator is further adapted to vary the pulse repetition rate predictably over time.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the system further comprises:

a memory, wherein the memory comprises a library of sets of predetermined interference parameters; and

a processor, wherein the processor is adapted to;

retrieve a set of predetermined interference parameters from the library; and

send the set of predetermined interference parameters to the pulse generator.

16. The system of claim 10 further comprising a wideband amplifier, wherein the wideband amplifier is adapted to:

receive the UWB signal from the UWB transmitter;

amplify the UWB signal; and

provide the amplified UWB signal to the wideband antenna.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the wideband amplifier is selected from the group consisting of a linear amplifier, a nonlinear amplifier, and a programmable amplifier wherein a linearity characteristic of the amplifier is responsive to commands from the processor.

18. The system of claim 10 further comprising a filter and a wideband amplifier, wherein the filter is adapted to:

receive the UWB signal from the UWB transmitter;

pass a selected bandwidth of the UWB signal; and

provide the selected bandwidth of the UWB signal to the wideband amplifier; and

wherein the wideband amplifier is adapted to;

receive the selected bandwidth of the UWB signal from the filter;

amplify the selected bandwidth of the UWB signal; and

provide the amplified selected bandwidth of the UWB signal to the wideband antenna.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the wideband amplifier is selected from the group consisting of a linear amplifier, a nonlinear amplifier, and a programmable amplifier wherein the linearity is responsive to commands from the processor.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the filter is selected from the group consisting of a band pass filter, a band blocking filter, and a programmable filter wherein a frequency response characteristic of the filter is responsive to commands from the processor.

21. The system of claim 10, wherein the RTED is selected from the group consisting of a manufactured RTED and an improvised RTED.