Method and apparatus for detecting explosives

• US 7,939,803 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2007
• Issued: 05/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TRIAD National Security, LLC
• Original Assignee: Los Alamos National Security LLC (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Moore, David Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta; David P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malevic; Djura
• Application Number:
  US11/877,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20090107758A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 250/338.1
• US Class Current: 250/338.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/227 Explosives, e.g. combustive properties thereof

Abstract

A method and apparatus is provided for detecting explosives by thermal imaging. The explosive material is subjected to a high energy wave which can be either a sound wave or an electromagnetic wave which will initiate a chemical reaction in the explosive material which chemical reaction will produce heat. The heat is then sensed by a thermal imaging device which will provide a signal to a computing device which will alert a user of the apparatus to the possibility of an explosive device being present.

Claims

1. A method of detecting explosive devices comprising:

exposing an area potentially containing an explosive material in an explosive device to sound waves at a frequency adequate to cause the explosive material to increase in temperature due to a chemical reaction initiated in the explosive material;

scanning the area to sense an increase in temperature;

providing a signal indicative of a thermal state of the area after at least a portion of the exposing; and

determining whether the detected increase in temperature is sufficient to be caused by the chemical reaction in the explosive material.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the sound waves being projected from a source at a substantial distance from the explosive device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the energy source creating the sound waves being used is moving during said exposing.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the sound waves being generated directly by a mobile energy source and the sound waves being emitted at a frequency in the range of between about 50 kHz and about 1 MHz.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the sound waves being generated in the explosive device by a mobile energy source adapted to project microwave energy operable to create sound waves in an explosive device to cause the explosive material to heat.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the microwave energy being emitted at at least two frequencies with a difference in the two frequencies being in the range of between about 50 kHz and about 1 MHz.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the time of emitting sound waves being selected to increase the temperature of the explosive material by at least about 1°

C.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the sound waves being emitted intermittently.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the sound waves being emitted for a first period of time followed by a temperature scan for a second period of time.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the sound waves being tuned in amplitude, frequency and time period of intermittent emission for a selected type of explosive material.

11. The method of claim 1 including using a computing device and analyzing the received signal indicative of a thermal state of the area and determining if there is a potential explosive device in the scanned area and providing an alert if one is possibly sensed.

12. The method of claim 11 including focusing the emitted sound waves at a preselected angle of divergence.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the frequency is optimized to cause a particular type of explosive material to increase in temperature.

21. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a visual output of the exposed area to seek an increase in temperature to indicate the possible existence of explosive material in the target area.

13. An explosive material location device comprising:

a wave transmitter operable for transmitting an energy carrying wave for a first period of time, the wave transmitter generating a frequency adequate to cause an explosive material to increase in temperature due to a chemical reaction initiated in the explosive material;

a receiver operable to receive thermal data from an area where the wave was projected to and to provide an output signal; and

a computing device operably coupled to the receiver to process data from the receiver and provide an output signal indicative of a thermal image of a scanned area to indicate an increase in temperature after the area has been exposed to the wave, the computing device being configured to determine whether the detected increase in temperature is sufficient to be caused by the chemical reaction in the explosive material.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein the wave transmitter including an ultrasonic generator coupled to a sound output device having an output sound wave at a frequency in the range of between about 50 kHz and about 1 MHz.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein the output sound wave has a magnitude of at least about 1 kW.

16. The device of claim 13 wherein the wave transmitter including an electromagnetic wave generator system coupled to an output device having an electromagnetic wave output capable of causing an explosive device to vibrate at a frequency in the range of between about 50 kHz and about 1 MHz.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the electromagnetic wave output is in the microwave range.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the electromagnetic wave output device being operable to output at least two different frequencies simultaneously.

19. The device of claim 13 wherein the frequency is optimized to cause a particular type of explosive material to increase in temperature.