Passive microwave fire and intrusion detection system

• US 7,724,134 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Icove & Associates LLC
• Original Assignee: Icove & Associates LLC
• Inventors: Lyster, Carl T., Icove, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullen; Thomas J
• Application Number:
  US11/931,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20080309488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: 340/567, 340/565, 340/541, 340/584, 340/521, 340/539.22, 340/539.26, 340/539.27
• US Class Current: 340/567
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 11/006 using measurement of the effect of a material on microwaves or longer electromagnetic waves, e.g. measuring temperature via microwaves emitted by the object G01K17/003, G01J5/00 take precedence; measuring the effect of a material on X-, gamma- or particle radiation G01K11/30
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/189 using passive radiation detection systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/12 Actuation by presence of radiation or particles, e.g. of infrared radiation or of ions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 19/005 combined burglary and fire alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/183 Single detectors using dual technologies G08B13/1672, G08B13/2448, G08B13/2494 take precedence

Abstract

A passive microwave receiver array, operating in the one meter to sub-millimeter wavelengths range and including an internationally protected range of frequencies of varying bandwidth, may be used for fire and intrusion detection. One or more receiver array can be used to provide a plurality of frequency ranges that can be detected. In an interior installation, one or more receiver array can be placed inside a wall. In other embodiments, the receiver and array can be in the form of a hand-held or wearable device. This method and apparatus achieves high performance by exploiting conventional low noise amplification block conversion circuits and provides the detection of thermal signals through clear, smoky, misty, or environmentally untenable conditions as well as the detection of fire and intrusion events through a non-metallic wall.

Claims

1. A method for detecting at least one of a fire and an intruder using passive reception of microwave radiation, comprising:

passively receiving a first microwave radiation signal at a first receiver, said first receiver including a first antenna, a first frequency of said first passively received microwave radiation signal being indicative of a temperature of a source of said first passively received microwave radiation signal;

passively receiving a second microwave radiation signal at a second receiver, said second receiver including a second antenna, a second frequency of said second passively received microwave radiation signal being indicative of a temperature of a source of said second passively received microwave radiation signal, wherein said first and second frequencies are within a range of microwave frequencies protected from active transmission in a geographic area encompassing a location of said first and second receivers;

comparing said first frequency with said second frequency to determine a presence of at least one of a fire and an intruder; and

transmitting said first and second passively received microwave radiation signals to a signal processor;

said first passively received microwave radiation signal being converted to a first voltage signal;

said second passively received microwave radiation signal being converted to a second voltage signal;

said first voltage signal being subtracted from said second voltage signal to provide a resulting voltage signal; and

said presence of said at least one of said fire and said intruder being determined based on said resulting voltage signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a presence of a fire can be determined if said resulting voltage signal is positive.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said intruder comprises a living being and a presence of a living being can be determined if the resulting voltage signal is negative.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said negative resulting voltage signal distinguishes a fire from a living being.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second receivers is configured to receive frequencies in said protected range, said protected frequency range being one of 1.400 to 1.427 GHz, 2.690 to 2.700 GHz, 10.680 to 10.700 GHz, 15.350 to 15.400 GHz, and 23.600 to 24.000 GHz.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one microwave radiation signal is stored in a memory of said signal processor, said stored microwave radiation signal being subtracted from a passively received microwave radiation signal to determine an intrusion into a field of view of one of said first antenna and of said second antenna.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting data representing a location of at least one of said first and second receivers to said signal processor.

8. A method for detecting at least one of a fire and an intruder using passive reception of microwave radiation, comprising:

passively receiving a first microwave radiation signal at a first receiver, said first receiver including a first antenna, a first frequency of said first passively received microwave radiation signal being indicative of a temperature of a source of said first microwave radiation signal;

passively receiving a second microwave radiation signal at a second receiver, said second receiver including a second antenna, a second frequency of said second passively received microwave radiation signal being indicative of a temperature of a source of said second passively received microwave radiation signal, wherein said first and second frequencies are within a range of microwave frequencies protected from active transmission in a geographic area encompassing a location of said first and second receivers; and

comparing said first frequency with said second frequency to determine a presence of at least one of a fire and an intruder, wherein at least one of said first and second frequencies is in a microwave range of frequencies from 300 MHz to 300 GHz, the method further comprising subtracting a known microwave radio frequency signal from said at least one of said first and second received frequencies, said known microwave radio frequency signal being from a predetermined source.

9. The method according to claim 8, said first receiver compensating for a change in temperature of said source of said first passively received microwave radiation signal.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein said first and second receivers have at least one associated antenna and at least one microwave radiation signal is stored in a memory of a signal processor, said stored microwave radiation signal being subtracted from said passively received microwave radiation signals to determine a presence of at least one of a fire and an intruder in a field of view of said at least one associated antenna.

11. A system for passive microwave detection of at least one of a fire and an intruder, comprising:

a first receiver configured to passively receive a first microwave radiation signal from a first source, a first frequency of said first passively received microwave radiation signal being indicative of a temperature of said first source;

at least one second receiver configured to passively receive a second microwave radiation signal from a second source, a second frequency of said second passively received microwave radiation signal being indicative of a temperature of a source of said second passively received microwave radiation signal, wherein said first and second frequencies are within a range of frequencies protected from active microwave transmission in a geographic area encompassing a location of said first and second receivers;

a signal processor, said signal processor being configured to receive said first and second passively received microwave radiation signals from said first and second receivers and being further configured to convert said first and second passively received microwave radiation signals to first and second voltages, respectively, said signal processor further being configured to subtract said second voltage signal from said first voltage signal to obtain a resulting voltage signal;

wherein a presence of a fire can be determined if said resulting voltage signal is positive; and

wherein a presence of a living being can be determined if said resulting voltage signal is negative.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein at least one of said first and second receivers comprises one of a point antenna, a flat antenna array, a parabolic antenna, a horn antenna, and a directional cellular telecommunication pole antenna array.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein at least one of said first and second receivers comprises a cellular telecommunication pole antenna array used to send and receive cellular telecommunications signals.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein said signal processor includes a memory, and further wherein at least one microwave radiation signal is stored in said memory, said stored microwave radiation signal being subtracted from a passively received microwave signal to identify at least one of a fire and an intrusion into a field of view of said antenna.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein at least one of said first and second receivers is configured to passively receive microwave frequencies in a range which is one of 1.400 to 1.427 GHz, 2.690 to 2.700 GHz, 10.680 to 10.700 GHz, 15.350 to 15.400 GHz, and 23.600 to 24.000 GHz.

16. The system according to claim 11, wherein said first and second receivers are configured to be placed in spaced-apart locations in an enclosed space, at least one of said first and second receivers being directional and providing a main lobe from a wall of said enclosed space to at least a center of said enclosed space.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein at least one of said first and second receivers are configured to be placed within a wall of said enclosed space.

18. The system according to claim 16, further comprising third, fourth, and fifth receivers, wherein each of said second, third, fourth, and fifth receivers is placed in a corner of said enclosed space and said first receiver is placed in a central location in said enclosed space.

19. The system according to claim 11, further comprising a display, said display being configured to show information regarding at least one of said fire or said intruder.

20. The system according to claim 11, wherein said signal processor comprises a superheterodyne receiver.