Electromagnetic shielding defect monitoring system and method for using the same

• US 7,911,211 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2009
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lane, Phillip D., Rice, Kelly L., Crain, Charles R., Youngman, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HOAI AN D
• Application Number:
  US12/562,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20100007356A1
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 324/627, 324/612, 324/600, 324/557, 324/718, 324/456, 324/216, 324/237, 324/238, 324/240, 324/217
• US Class Current: 324/627
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/0835 Testing shielding, e.g. for efficiency
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/001 Measuring interference from external sources to, or emission from, the device under test, e.g. EMC, EMI, EMP or ESD testing measuring electromagnetic fields G01R29/08; circuits for generating HV pulses in dielectric strength testing G01R31/14

Abstract

An embodiment disclosed herein is directed to a method of monitoring an electromagnetic shield effectiveness including transmitting a first electromagnetic field toward a first surface of an electromagnetic shield, detecting a second electromagnetic field transmitted from a second surface of the electromagnetic shield, generating a first signal corresponding to the second electromagnetic field and determining whether a defect exists at the electromagnetic shield by comparing the first signal to a predetermined threshold.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring effectiveness of an electromagnetic shield, comprising:

a transmit system adapted to transmit a first electromagnetic field toward a first surface of the electromagnetic shield;

a receiver system adapted to detect a second electromagnetic field transmitted from a second surface of the electromagnetic shield; and

analysis circuitry adapted to determine whether a defect exists at the electromagnetic shield by comparing a first signal corresponding to the second electromagnetic field to a predetermined threshold.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising control circuitry adapted to control the operations of the transmit system and the receiver system.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the controlling the operations of the transmit system comprises controlling the properties of the first electromagnetic field.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the control circuitry is further adapted to detect a user input entered through a user interface and to generate control signals to cause the transmit system to transmit the first electromagnetic field based on the user input.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the control circuitry is further adapted to generate a user notification adapted to be displayed through a user interface when the defect exists.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver system is further adapted to determine a frequency and amplitude of the second electromagnetic field and further adapted to generate a signal containing the data corresponding to the determined frequency and amplitude.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmit system comprises plurality of transmit antennas;

and

the first electromagnetic field is transmitted through one of the plurality of antennas.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver system comprises plurality of receiver antennas;

and

the second electromagnetic field is detected through one of the plurality of antennas.