System and method for detecting an intruder using impulse radio technology

• US 7,541,968 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2006
• Issued: 06/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Humatics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Time Domain Corporation (Humatics Corporation)
• Inventors: Hall, David J., Yano, Scott M., Schantz, Hans G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory; Bernarr E
• Application Number:
  US11/554,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20080111686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 947 Days
• Field of Search: 342/21, 342 27- 28, 342 52- 59, 342/73, 342 89- 90, 342/118, 342125-146, 342/175, 342/195, 342450-465, 342/124, 375130-153, 375/239, 370/324, 340/500, 340/501, 340/517, 340/524, 340/525, 340/527, 340/540, 340/541, 340550-557, 340565-567
• US Class Current: 342/28
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/003 Bistatic radar systems; Multistatic radar systems
• 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 13/04 Systems determining presence of a target based on relative movement of target G01S13/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S13/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/282 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/285 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/292 Extracting wanted echo-signals
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/187 by interference of a radiation field
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/6908 using time hopping

Abstract

An intrusion detection system and method are provided that can utilize impulse radio technology to detect when an intruder has entered a protection zone. In addition, the intrusion detection system and method can utilize impulse radio technology to determine a location of the intruder within the protection zone and also track the movement of the intruder within the protection zone. Moreover, the intrusion detection system and method can utilize impulse radio technology to create a specially shaped protection a one before trying to detect when and where the intruder has penetrated and moved within the protection zone.

Claims

1. A method of relating a position of an object to a perimeter of a zone, the method comprising the steps of:

a. generating three or more first waveforms, each of the three or more first waveforms indicating a multipath structure of a propagation channel of first UWB signals having been transmitted from a first UWB radio to a corresponding one of three or more second UWB radios;

b. defining the perimeter of the zone based upon a person traversing a perimeter of the zone;

c. generating three or more second waveforms, each of the three or more second waveforms indicating a multipath structure of a propagation channel of second UWB signals having been transmitted from the first UWB radio to the corresponding one of the three or more second UWB radios;

d. comparing each one of the three or more first waveforms to the corresponding one of the three or more second waveforms to determine the position of the object; and

e. relating the position of the object to the perimeter of the zone.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of defining the perimeter of the zone further comprises:

b1. generating three or more third waveforms, each of the three or more third waveforms indicating a multipath structure of a propagation channel of third UWB signals having been transmitted from the first UWB radio to the corresponding one of the three or more second UWB radios;

b2. comparing each one of the three or more first waveforms to the corresponding one of the three or more third waveforms to determine a position of a plurality of positions of the person traversing the perimeter of the zone; and

b3. repeating steps b1 and b2 until the plurality of positions of the person has been determined to define the perimeter of the zone.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of:

b4. building a two-dimensional or three-dimensional representation of the shape of the zone.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

f. sounding an alarm if the position of the object is within the perimeter of the zone.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

f. sounding an alarm if the position of the object is within a defined distance to the perimeter of the zone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is a second person.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the perimeter of the zone corresponds to at least part of a building.

8. A system for relating the position of an object to a perimeter of a zone, the system comprising:

a first UWB radio;

three or more second UWB radios; and

a processor for generating three or more first waveforms, each of the three or more first waveforms indicating a multipath structure of a propagation channel of first UWB signals having been transmitted from the first UWB radio to a corresponding one of the three or more second UWB radios, defining the perimeter of the zone based upon a person traversing a perimeter of the zone, generating three or more second waveforms, each of the three or more second waveforms indicating a multipath structure of a propagation channel of second UWB signals having been transmitted from the first UWB radio to the corresponding one of the three or more second UWB radios, comparing each one of the three or more first waveforms to the corresponding one of the three or more second waveforms to determine a position of an object, and relating the position of the object to the perimeter of the zone.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein defining a perimeter of the zone comprises:

repeatedly generating three or more third waveforms, each of the three or more third waveforms indicating a multipath structure of a propagation channel of third UWB signals having been transmitted from the first UWB radio to the corresponding one of the three or more second UWB radios, and comparing each one of the three or more first waveforms to the corresponding one of the three or more third waveforms to determine a position of a plurality of positions of the person traversing the perimeter of the zone until the plurality of the positions has been determined to define the perimeter of the zone.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor builds a two-dimensional or three-dimensional representation of the shape of the zone.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

f. an alarm that is sounded based upon the position of the object and the perimeter of the zone.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the object is a second person.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the perimeter of the zone corresponds to at least part of a building.

14. A method of relating the position of an object to a perimeter of a zone, the method comprising the steps of:

a. generating three or more first waveforms indicating multipath structures of propagation channels between a first UWB radio and three or more second UWB radios;

b. defining the perimeter of the zone based upon a person traversing a perimeter of the zone;

c. generating three or more second waveforms indicating multipath structures of propagation channels between the first UWB radio and three or more second UWB radios;

d. comparing the three or more first waveforms to the three or more second waveforms to determine the position of the object;

e. relating the position of the object to the perimeter of the zone.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of defining a perimeter of the zone further comprises:

b1. generating three or more third waveforms indicating multipath structures of propagation channels between the first UWB radio and the three or more second UWB radios;

b2. comparing the three or more first waveforms to the three or more third waveforms to determine a position of a plurality of positions of the person traversing the perimeter of the zone; and

b3. repeating steps b1 and b2 until the plurality of positions of the person has been determined to define the perimeter of the zone.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of:

b4. building a two-dimensional or three-dimensional representation of the shape of the zone.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:

f. sounding an alarm if the position of the object is within the perimeter of the zone.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:

f. sounding an alarm if the position of the object is within a defined distance to the perimeter of the zone.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the object is a person.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the perimeter of the zone corresponds to at least part of a building.