Surveillance with subject screening

• US 8,350,747 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2007
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L3 Security & Detection Systems, Inc. (Leidos Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: L-3 Communications Security & Detection Systems, Inc. (Leidos Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: DeLia, Paul, Trosper, Scott T., Breen, Thomas E., Reilly, John J., Hurd, Paul J., Lanzaro, Michael J., Radzinski, Maya M., Grudkowski, Thomas W., Bromberg, Edward E., Carter, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barker, Matthew M
• Application Number:
  US11/740,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20120105267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,085 Days
• Field of Search: 342/22, 342/179
• US Class Current: 342/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• 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: G01V 11/00 Prospecting or detecting by methods combining techniques covered by two or more of main groups G01V1/00 - G01V9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/005 operating with millimetre waves, e.g. measuring the black losey radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/36 Applying a local operator, i.e. means to operate on image points situated in the vicinity of a given point; Non-linear local filtering operations, e.g. median filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/05 Recognition of patterns representing particular kinds of hidden objects, e.g. weapons, explosives, drugs
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/22 in combination with an identity check of the pass holder

Abstract

A surveillance system is disclosed. In some embodiments, the surveillance system may include at least one controller adapted to control operation of first and second screening apparatus and to produce image data and screening data, to relate the image data to the screening data, and to produce relational information data from the related image data and screening data. In some embodiments, the system may include a first screening apparatus adapted to screen a subject in a subject position, a second screening apparatus adapted to screen the subject in the subject position, and a controller adapted to produce first and second screening data from the first and second screening apparatus, respectively, relate the first and second screening data, and to produce relational information data from the related first and second screening data.

Claims

1. A surveillance system, comprising:

a first screening apparatus configured 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 screening apparatus configured to produce from the received radiation, a first image signal representative of a first image of at least a portion of the subject;

a second screening apparatus different than the first screening apparatus, and configured to detect from at least one subject-associated item a given characteristic of an object potentially carried by the subject or the at least one subject-associated item, and to produce a screening signal representative of the detection of the given characteristic; and

a controller apparatus configured to control operation of the first and second screening apparatuses;

to produce, from the image signal, image data representative of the image of the at least a portion of the subject and screening data from the screening signal;

to relate the image data to the screening data;

to produce from the related image data and screening data, relational information data about whether at least one of (a) the person and (b) the at least one subject-associated item is potentially carrying an object having the given characteristic;

to generate conclusions based on the produced relational information data; and

to output the generated conclusions.

2. The system of claim 1, in which the second screening apparatus includes an imaging apparatus configured to transmit, toward the at least one subject-associated item, electromagnetic radiation in a frequency range of about 30 PHz to about 30,000 PHz.

3. The system of claim 1, in which the second screening apparatus is further adapted to detect, in the at least one subject-associated item, one or more of a metal substance, an explosive substance, a chemical substance, and a feature identifying the person associated with the at least one subject-associated item.

4. The system of claim 1, in which the second screening apparatus is a non-imaging source of information for the at least one subject-associated item.

5. A surveillance system, comprising:

a first screening apparatus configured to detect on a subject in a subject position a first characteristic of an object potentially carried by at least one of (a) the subject and (b) one or more subject-associated items, and to produce a first screening signal representative of the detection of the first characteristic, the subject including a person and any objects with the person;

a second screening apparatus that is different from the first screening apparatus and is configured to detect from the subject in the subject position a second characteristic of an object potentially carried by at least one of (a) the subject and (b) the one or more subject-associated items, and to produce a second screening signal indicating the detection of the second characteristic; and

a controller apparatuses;

configured to control operation of the first and second screening apparatus, to produce first screening data indicating the detection of the first characteristic from the first screening signal, and second screening data indicating the detection of the second characteristic from the second screening signal;

to relate the first screening data to the second screening data;

to produce from the related first and second screening data, relational information data about whether at least one of (a) the subject and (b) the one or more subject-associated items is potentially carrying an object having at least one of the first and second characteristics;

to generate conclusions based on the produced relational information data; and

to output the generated conclusions.

6. The system of claim 5, in which the first screening apparatus includes a first imaging apparatus adapted to detect a first characteristic of an object potentially carried by at least one of (a) the subject and (b) the one or more subject-associated items, and to produce a first imaging signal representative of the detection of the first characteristic, and the controller apparatus is further adapted to produce first imaging data from the first imaging signal and second screening data from the second screening signal, to relate the first imaging signal to the second screening signal, and to produce, from the related first imaging data and second screening data, relational information data about whether at least one of (a) the subject and (b) the one or more subject-associated items is potentially carrying an object having at least one of the first and second characteristics.

7. The system of claim 6, in which the first imaging apparatus is further adapted to transmit toward and receive, from the subject in a subject position, electromagnetic radiation in a frequency range of about 100 MHz to about 2 THz, from positions spaced from the subject position.

8. The system of claim 6, in which the first imaging apparatus is further adapted to transmit, toward the one or more subject-associated items, electromagnetic radiation in a frequency range of about 30 PHz to about 30,000 PHz.

9. The system of claim 6, in which the second screening apparatus includes a second imaging apparatus adapted to detect a second characteristic of an object potentially carried by at least one of (a) the subject and (b) the one or more subject-associated items, and to produce a second imaging signal representative of the detection of the second characteristic, and the controller apparatus is further adapted to produce first imaging data from the first imaging signal and second imaging data from the second imaging signal, to relate the first imaging signal to the second imaging signal, and to produce, from the related first imaging data and second imaging data, relational information data about whether at least of (a) the subject and (b) the one or more subject-associated items is potentially carrying an object having at least one of the first and second characteristics.

10. The system of claim 9, in which the second imaging apparatus is further adapted to transmit toward and receive, from the subject in a subject position, electromagnetic radiation in a frequency range of about 100 MHz to about 2 THz, from positions spaced from the subject position.

11. The system of claim 9, in which the second imaging apparatus is further adapted to transmit, toward the one or more subject-associated items, electromagnetic radiation in a frequency range of about 30 PHz to about 30,000 PHz.

12. The system of claim 5, in which first screening apparatus is further adapted to detect, in at least one of (a) the subject and (b) the one or more subject-associated items, one or more of a metal substance, an explosive substance, a chemical substance, and a feature identifying the subject.

13. The system of claim 12, in which second screening apparatus is further adapted to detect, in at least one of (a) the subject and (b) the one or more subject-associated items, one or more of a metal substance, an explosive substance, a chemical substance, and a feature identifying the subject.

14. The system of claim 5, in which the second screening apparatus is a non-imaging source of information for the subject.