Perimeter monitoring techniques

• US 7,961,094 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2007
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Technologies International, Inc.
• Inventors: Breed, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu; Julie
• Application Number:
  US11/946,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20080094212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/541
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1663 using seismic sensing means
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2491 Intrusion detection systems, i.e. where the body of an intruder causes the interference with the electromagnetic field

Abstract

Method for monitoring borders or peripheries of installations includes arranging sensors periodically along the border at least partially in the ground, the sensors being sensitive to vibrations, infrared radiation, sound or other disturbances, programming the sensors to wake-up upon detection of a predetermined condition and receive a signal, analyzing the signal and transmitting a signal indicative of the analysis with an identification or location of the sensors. The sensors may include a processor embodying a pattern recognition system trained to recognize characteristic signals indicating the passing of a person or vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a border at a monitoring facility, comprising:

arranging sensors along the border, the sensors each having a communications device to enable each sensor to communicate with the monitoring facility including receiving commands from the monitoring facility and providing data to the monitoring facility;

providing each of the sensors with a wake-up component that detects a condition around the sensor that requires monitoring, the wake-up component causing, upon detection of the condition around the sensor requiring monitoring, each sensor to wake-up from an inactive phase to enable the sensor to obtain data;

obtaining data about the border via at least one of the sensors that has been woken-up by the wake-up component thereof;

analyzing the obtained data using a processor unit at the at least one sensor to determine the presence of a reportable condition relating to passage of an object proximate or over the border; and

transmitting the obtained data or a signal indicative of the analysis from the at least one sensor to the monitoring facility using the communications device of the at least one sensor,

whereby data or the signal is transmitted by the communications device of the at least one sensor to the monitoring facility and received by the monitoring facility only when the processor unit of the at least one sensor determines the presence of a reportable condition from the data obtained by the sensor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising embodying, in the processor unit of each of the sensors, a pattern recognition system trained to recognize characteristic signals indicating the passing of a person or vehicle from the data obtained by the sensor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensors are spaced apart from one another along the border.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising programming each of the sensors to wake-up via the wake-up component upon detection of a predetermined condition to enable each sensor to obtain data and to obtain data only upon detection of the predetermined condition.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the location of each sensor using a location determining system at each sensor and transmitting the location of each sensor with the data or the signal being transmitted from the sensor to the monitoring facility.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising arranging the sensors in the ground along the border.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a command from the monitoring facility to one or more of the sensors to initiate the data obtaining step using the sensors such that each sensor is able to obtain data when woken up by the wake-up component thereof and also when receiving a command transmitted from the monitoring facility.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein only a signal indicative of a reportable condition is transmitted by the sensors to the monitoring facility.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the wake-up component is a timer, further comprising regulating the time at which the sensors obtain data via the timer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the border is a coastline, further comprising:

detecting the presence of one of a number of predetermined conditions which require monitoring of the coastline; and

only when one of the predetermined conditions is detected, directing the sensors to obtain data.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

commanding the sensors to obtain data upon reception of a signal from the monitoring facility using the communication device of the sensors to receive commands.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the sensors is a vibration sensor.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the analysis of the data comprises inputting the data into a pattern recognition system trained to recognize reportable conditions, the reportable conditions including passage of a person or vehicle near the sensor providing the data being analyzed.

14. A system of monitoring borders, comprising

a plurality of sensors arranged along the border, each of said sensors being arranged to obtain data about the border and each of said sensors comprising:

a communication device to enable said sensor to communicate with a monitoring facility including receiving commands from the monitoring facility and providing data to the monitoring facility;

a location determining unit that determines a location of said sensor;

a wake-up component that detects a condition around said sensor that requires monitoring, said wake-up component causing, upon detection of the condition around said sensor requiring monitoring, said sensor to wake-up from an inactive phase in order to obtain data about the border; and

a processor unit that analyzes the data about the border obtained from said sensor after having been woken-up by said wake-up component to determine the passage of an object proximate or over the border;

said communication device of each of said sensors being arranged to transmit the data or a signal indicative of the analysis of the data with a location of said sensor as determined by said location determining system to a monitoring facility,

whereby data or the signal is transmitted by said communication device of each of said sensors to the monitoring facility and received by the monitoring facility only when said processor unit of said sensor determines the presence of a reportable condition from the data obtained by said sensor.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said communication system is arranged to transmit a signal indicative of the analysis to the monitoring facility via satellite or the Internet.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said communication device is arranged to transmit only a signal indicative of one of a plurality of different reportable condition to the monitoring facility, the reportable conditions including passage of a person or vehicle near one of said sensors.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein said wake-up component in each of said sensors is arranged to wake-up said sensor upon detecting one of a predetermined number of conditions which require monitoring of the border.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein said communication device is arranged to receive commands from the monitoring facility and direct said sensor to obtain data upon reception of the commands such that each of said sensors is able to obtain data when woken up by said wake-up component thereof and also when receiving a command from the monitoring facility.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of said sensors is a vibration sensor.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein said processor unit comprises a pattern recognition system trained to recognize the passage of people or a vehicle along the border.