Methods and apparatus for non-contact inspection of containers using multiple sensors

• US 9,482,506 B1
• Filed: 03/13/2012
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Silvia, Manuel T., Wurzbach, James A., Konopka, Courtney
• Primary Examiner(s): Dietrich, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US13/418,814
• Time in Patent Office: 1,694 Days
• Field of Search: 600/508
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: F42D 1/05 Electric circuits for blasting
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/36 Detecting the response signal , e.g. electronic circuits specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/04 Systems determining presence of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/86 Combinations of sonar systems with lidar systems; Combinations of sonar systems with systems not using wave reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/88 Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications seismic or acoustic prospecting or detecting G01V1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S17/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/58 Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/521 Constructional features
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/539 using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/001 Acoustic presence detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/59 inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1609 using active vibration detection systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1654 using passive vibration detection systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for an acoustic source for directing acoustic energy to ensonify a container, a first sensor to detect acoustic energy from the acoustic source affected by an object in the container without contacting the container, a second sensor to confirm presence of the object, and a processing module to process the detected acoustic energy from the first and second sensors to identify the object in the container.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

at least one acoustic source for directing acoustic energy to penetrate at least one surface of a container and at least partially fill the container with acoustic energy to penetrate at least one surface of a container and at least partially fill the container with acoustic energy during an inspection of the container by the system, wherein a frequency of the acoustic energy directed by the at least one acoustic source is selected to achieve a desired level of ensonification of the container, and the frequency of the acoustic energy is selected, at least in part, on type of the container, and the at least one acoustic source is positioned with respect to the container to achieve the desired level of ensonification of the container;

a first sensor to detect acoustic energy from the at least one acoustic source affected by at least one object in the container during the inspection of the container, wherein the first sensor is external to the container and includes one or more velocity vector sensors configured to measure temporal frequency differences of point scatterers that scatter the acoustic energy and spatially resolve the point scatterers at least in part from the measured temporal frequency differences, wherein at least one of the velocity vector sensors is provided as a laser vibrometer which detects a surface vibration on a recording surface on an exterior surface of the container;

a second sensor to confirm presence of the at least one object during the inspection of the container; and

a processing module to process at least the detected acoustic energy from the first sensor to identify and to detect a location of the at least one object in the container, wherein the location of the at least one object in the container is determined by interpolating select data from the detected acoustic energy, wherein the select data is interpolated to find energy peaks which are indicative of the location of the at least one object,

wherein the at least one object includes a first object and a second, different object, and the first sensor is configured to detect acoustic energy from the acoustic source affected by the first object in the container and the second object in the container without contacting the container,

and wherein the processing module is configured to process the detected acoustic energy, the detected surface vibrations and the spatially resolved point scatterers from the first sensor to identify the first object based, at least in part, on an acoustic profile characteristic of the first object, and to identify the second object, at least in part, on an acoustic profile characteristic of the second object.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second sensor comprises a heartbeat sensor.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second sensor comprises a chemical sensor.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second sensor comprises a system to determine weight.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second sensor comprises an infrared sensor.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second sensor comprises a sensor to detect breathing.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second sensor comprises at least one video system.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the processing module compares a number of the objects detected by acoustic energy and a number of objects identified in images from the at least one video system.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the objects comprise human passengers and the container comprises a vehicle.

10. The system according to claim 9, further including an alert module to generate an alert if the number of passengers detected by the first and second sensors does not match.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second sensor comprises a magnetic sensor.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second sensor comprises an illuminator and a sensor to detect electromagnetic signal characteristics from the container and the object.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the container is completely enclosed during the inspection of the container, and the detected acoustic energy is processed at predetermined time intervals.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the container is a vehicle and the acoustic energy is directed towards the vehicle while the vehicle is in motion.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the at least one acoustic source includes an acoustic transducer and road noise, and the frequency of the acoustic energy directed by the acoustic transducer is selected to achieve the desired level of ensonification of the container.

16. A method, comprising:

directing acoustic energy using at least one acoustic source to penetrate at least one surface of a container and at least partially fill the container with acoustic energy during an inspection of the container, wherein a frequency of the acoustic energy directed at the container is selected to achieve a desired level of ensonification of the container, and the frequency of the acoustic energy is selected, at least in part, on type of the container, and the at least one acoustic source is positioned with respect to the container to achieve the desired level of ensonification of the container;

detecting, by a first sensor, acoustic energy from the at least one acoustic source affected by at least one object in the container during the inspection of the container, wherein the first sensor is external to the container and includes one or more velocity vector sensors configured to measure temporal frequency differences of point scatterers that scatter the acoustic energy and spatially resolve the point scatterers at least in part from the measured temporal frequency differences, wherein the at least one of the velocity vector sensors is provided as a laser vibrometer which detects a surface vibration on a recording surface on an exterior surface of the container;

using a second sensor to confirm presence of the at least one object in the container during the inspection of the container; and

processing at least the detected acoustic energy from the first sensor to identify and to detect a location of the at least one object in the container, wherein the location of the at least one object in the container is determined by interpolating select data from the detected acoustic energy, wherein the select data is interpolated to find energy peaks which are indicative of the location of the at least one object,

wherein the at least one object includes a first object and a second, different object, and the first sensor is configured to detect acoustic energy from the acoustic source affected by the first object in the container and the second object in the container without contacting the container, and

wherein the detected acoustic energy, the detected surface vibrations and the spatially resolved point scatterers received from the first sensor are processed to identify the first object based, at least in part, in an acoustic profile characteristic of the first object, and to identify the second object, at least in part, on an acoustic profile characteristic of the second object.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the second sensor comprises one or more of a heartbeat sensor, a chemical sensor, a system to determine weight, an infrared sensor, a breathing detector, and/or at least one video system.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the second sensor comprises a heartbeat sensor and the object comprises at least one person, wherein the processing step further includes comparing a number of persons detected by acoustic energy to a number of heartbeats detected.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the second sensor comprises at least one video system, wherein the processing step further includes comparing a number of persons detected by acoustic energy to a number of persons identified in video images from the video system.

20. A system, comprising:

a means for directing acoustic energy to penetrate at least one surface of a container and at least partially fill the container with acoustic energy during an inspection of the container by the system, wherein a frequency of the acoustic energy directed by the means for directing acoustic energy is selected to achieve a desired level of ensonification of the container, and the frequency of the acoustic energy is selected, at least in part, on type of the container, and the means for directing acoustic energy is positioned with respect to the container to achieve the desired level of ensonification of the container;

a first sensor means for detecting acoustic energy affected by at least one object in the container during the inspection of the container, wherein the first sensor means is external to the container and includes one or more velocity vector sensors configured to measure temporal frequency differences of point scatterers that scatter the acoustic energy and spatially resolve the point scatterers at least in part from the measured temporal frequency differences, wherein at least one of the velocity vector sensors is provided as a laser vibrometer which detects a surface vibration on a recording surface of an exterior surface of the container;

a second sensor means for confirming presence of the at least one object in the container during the second inspection of the container; and

a processing means for processing at least the detected acoustic energy from the first sensor means to identify and to detect a location of the at least one object in the container, wherein the location of the at least one object in the container is determined by interpolating select data from the detected acoustic energy, wherein the select data is interpolated to find energy peaks which are indicative of the location of the at least one object,

wherein the at least one object includes a first object and a second, different object, and the first sensor means is configured to detect acoustic energy from the acoustic source affected by the first object in the container and the second object in the container without contacting the container, and

wherein the processing means is configured to process the detected acoustic energy, the detected surface vibrations and the spatially resolved point scatterers from the first sensor means to identify the first object based, at least in part, on an acoustic profile characteristic of the first object, and to identify the second object, at least in part, on an acoustic profile characteristic of the second object.