Multi-sensor surveillance portal

• US 7,180,441 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2004
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L3 Security & Detection Systems, Inc. (Leidos Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Safeview Incorporated
• Inventors: Grudkowski, Thomas W., Radzinski, Maya M., Trosper, Scott T., Rowe, Richard L., Fleisher, Michael, Blasing, Raymond R., Trawick, Thomas W., Nikulin, Serge L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barker; Matthew M.
• Application Number:
  US10/825,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20050230604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• Field of Search: 342/179, 342/22
• US Class Current: 342/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/887 for detection of concealed objects, e.g. contraband or weapons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/411 Identification of targets based on measurements of radar reflectivity G01S7/415 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/005 operating with millimetre waves, e.g. measuring the black losey radiation

Abstract

A surveillance system can include a first sensor apparatus configured to interrogate a subject, including a person and objects carried by the person, with millimeter-wave electromagnetic radiation for imaging the subject. A supplemental source provides additional information about the subject that is relatable to objects potentially carried by the person. Relational information relates the produced image signal and the subject information. The supplemental source may be a second sensor apparatus adapted to detect a given characteristic of an object potentially carried by a person in the subject position. Relational information about whether the person is carrying an object having the given characteristic may then be produced.

Claims

1. A surveillance system comprising:

a first sensor apparatus adapted to transmit toward and receive from a subject in a subject position, first electromagnetic radiation in a frequency range of about 100 MHz to about 2 THz, from positions spaced from the subject position, the subject including at least a portion of a person in a subject position and detectable objects carried by the person, the first sensor apparatus producing from the received radiation, a first image signal representative of a first image of at least a portion of the subject;

a second sensor apparatus different than the first sensor apparatus, and adapted to detect a given characteristic of an object potentially carried by the person, and to produce a sensor signal representative of the detection of the given characteristic; and

a controller adapted to control operation of the first and second sensor apparatus, and to produce, from the image signal, image data representative of the image of the at least a portion of the subject and sensor data from the sensor signal, to relate the image data to the sensor data, and to produce from the related image data and sensor data, relational information data about whether the person is potentially carrying an object having the given characteristic.

2. The system of claim 1, in which the controller is further adapted to determine whether the image data includes object-image characteristics corresponding to an object on the person, and when the image data includes characteristics corresponding to an object, to produce the relational information data as object information data about whether the object has the given characteristic.

3. The system of claim 2, in which the second sensor apparatus is adapted to detect the given characteristic in different identified regions of the subject.

4. The system of claim 3, in which the second sensor apparatus includes a first moving mechanism adapted to move the second sensor apparatus relative to the subject position.

5. The system of claim 3, in which the controller is adapted to associate each detection of the given characteristic in an identified region of the subject and to relate each portion of the image data that includes object-image characteristics, with one of the identified regions of the subject.

6. The system of claim 5, in which the controller is adapted to determine whether each region of the image corresponding to image data that includes object-image characteristics is associated with the detection of the given characteristic by the second sensor apparatus.

7. The system of claim 3, in which the controller is adapted to detect portions of the image data having object-image characteristics, and then to control the operation of the second sensor apparatus to detect the given characteristic in regions corresponding to the portions of the image data having object-image characteristics.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a first moving mechanism adapted to move the first and second sensor apparatus relative to the subject position.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a second moving mechanism adapted to move one of the first and second sensor apparatus relative to the other.

10. A method of surveilling a subject in a subject position, the subject including a person and objects carried by the person, comprising:

transmitting toward a subject in a subject position, first electromagnetic radiation in a frequency range of about 100 MHz to about 2 THz, from positions spaced from the subject position, the subject including at least a portion of a person in a subject position and detectable objects carried by the person;

receiving from the subject reflected transmitted radiation;

producing from the received radiation, a first image signal representative of a first image of at least a portion of the subject;

detecting a given characteristic of an object potentially carried by a person in the subject position, not based on the first image signal;

producing, from the image signal and the detected characteristic, image data representative of the image of the at least a portion of the subject, and detection data representative of the detection of the given characteristic;

relating the image data to the detection data; and

producing from the related image data and detection data, relational information data about whether the person is potentially carrying an object having the given characteristic.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining whether the image data includes object-image characteristics corresponding to an object on the person, and in which producing relational information data about whether the person is carrying an object having the given characteristic includes producing object information data about whether an object on the person has the given characteristic.

12. The method of claim 11, in which detecting a given characteristic includes detecting the given characteristic in different identified regions of the subject.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising associating each detection of the given characteristic in an identified region of the subject, and relating each portion of the image data that includes object-image characteristics with a corresponding identified region of the subject.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining whether each region of the image corresponding to image data that includes object-image characteristics is associated with the detection of the given characteristic.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising detecting portions of the image data having object-image characteristics, and then detecting a given characteristic of the subject in regions corresponding to the portions of the image data having object-image characteristics.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein detecting a given characteristic includes receiving the reflected radiation for different regions of the subject while detecting a given characteristic for the same regions of the subject.