Communications: directive radio wave systems and devices (e.g. – Transmission through media other than air or free space
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-17
2002-02-05
Sotomayor, John B. (Department: 3662)
Communications: directive radio wave systems and devices (e.g.,
Transmission through media other than air or free space
C342S027000, C342S090000, C342S193000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06344818
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the detection of materials, and in particular to an apparatus and method that detects the presence of a given material in any location using a characteristic frequency of the material.
2. Scope of the Prior Art
The ability to detect the presence of a material in any location is a requirement in many disciplines and industries. Determining if a particular material in large or small quantities is present at any location is a concern in medicine, research, exploration forensics, security, law enforcement, and for safety reasons. For example, at points of entry for national borders, and at some complexes, and buildings it can be necessary that contents of baggage and boxes and other such cargo containers be identifiable by inspection or detection methods when searching for contraband such as narcotics, stolen goods, unauthorized medicines and plants explosives and accelerants, liquids, chemicals, and other materials. There are similar requirements for unobtrusively searching people, as well as for searching of modes of transportation such as motor vehicles, aircraft and vessels for contraband cargo including the presence of hidden human cargo. Detection technology is applicable in medicine for detection of toxins, broken bones, tumors, and foreign objects introduced to the body. Forensic science and other fields of research also use detection technology for both verification and exploratory reasons.
To detect objects, materials and things that are not detectable by the human eye for any given reason, many different types of devices and methods have been developed. One of the most common is X-ray technology. X-ray devices are used to inspect luggage, baggage and other containers. While X-ray technology works well in some cases by identifying the shape of objects within a container, it lacks in the ability to detect some materials or to penetrate some container materials.
X-ray technology is also used in the field of medicine to observe the internal structure of the human or animal body. Similarly, Magnetic Resonance Imagining (MRI) technology and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) technology is employed in medicine and other fields with advantages to each. CAT scans, which uses NMR technology, and MRIs are considered by some to be safer when used on humans than X-ray technology. But as with X-ray technology, these machines employing these other technologies are expensive, and cannot detect all materials in all locations. NMR has been used to detect contraband material. In order to be effective in detecting materials, NMR requires relatively large magnets which are expensive. Another limitation of NMR is that it can expose humans to strong magnetic fields. One draw back to NMR is that its magnets can damage magnetically stored information commonly found in computers.
Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance (NQR) is another method of detecting material. NQR is similar to NMR but doesn't require the use of large magnets. It uses a range of radio frequency spectroscopy that exploits the inherent electrical properties of atomic nuclei. Accordingly, an atomic nucleus emits a quadrupole resonance when the nucleus encounters a specific given electrical field that is produced by a surrounding environment. Typically, when exposed to a given frequency, a material responds and emits an NQR signal. Each given material has a set of given NQR frequencies that are dependent on the chemical structure of the material. For example, nitrogen (
14
N) is a chemical structure found in some narcotics and explosives. When the appropriate radio frequency for nitrogen (
14
N) is exposed to an explosive or narcotic containing nitrogen (
14
N), the material will emit an NQR signal.
Different types of devices have been developed to use the NQR of nitrogen (
14
N) to detect the presence of explosives particularly in airline luggage and other a transportation containers. In order to be effective, most devices that operate on NQR use equipment that can both transmit and receive radio frequencies. Those devices also require relatively high energy sources to effectively create an NQR signal that can be detected from the material. Even with high energy sources, the NQR signal emitted from the material has a low energy that is relatively hard to detect. For example, an NQR detection device that has a 2 kW source can detect the presence of a given material from only centimeters away. Thus, the transmitter and receiver must be relatively close to the substance to actually detect its presence. Because of the relatively low energy emitted by the substance, NQR detection devices can effectively only detect the presence of explosives or other materials in a given location. Accordingly, suitcases and the like must be placed in a relatively small space in order for NQR to be used to detect the presence of contraband.
In addition to NMR and NQR materials have other types of spectral fingerprints. These spectral fingerprints depend on the chemical components that make up the material. When a given material is exposed to an energy signal of a given frequency that corresponds to one of spectral fingerprints, a so-called characteristic frequency, the material will emit a corresponding energy signal having essentially the same frequency. As is the case with fluorescence, the frequency of the mirror energy emitted from a material may vary slightly from the original frequency. Most known research into these characteristic frequencies have been conducted with energy sources having a frequency of less then 10 MHz, which is the range of frequencies that a material will experience NQR.
NQR effects the atomic nuclei with respect to the electrons shielding the particular nuclei being measured. But when atoms are exposed to other energy levels, the energy causes reactions, to the electrons. The electron energy in a molecule is 1-100 electron volts (eV). This energy is also represented in parts per eV; for example, the “vibration energy” of an electron is measured in tenths of an electron volt, and the “rotation energy” of an electron is measured in thousandths of an electron volt. In NQR, the nuclei can change levels when the nuclei comes in contact with an external energy source. It is believed, however, that exposure to low energy sources has an effect on the energy of the electrons. It is also believed that low level energy effects the electron orbitals.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method of detecting the presence of materials. It is an object of the present invention to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art. Thus, it is an object of the present invention to be able to detect a given material in an undisclosed place as well as the ability to detect a material in a given location. It is also an object of the present invention to detect the presence of a material using energy produced by an atom when it is exposed to characteristic frequencies of that given material. In addition, the apparatus should be able detect materials over a wide range with a relatively low level power source.
In order to detect the presence of a given material at any great distance, the present invention detects the interference generated between the a source energy and the characteristic energy emitted from the material. The interference signal generated between the source energy and the energy emitted from a material is a series of pulses that occur when the two signals cross. The two signals will undoubtedly be out of phase with each other. Since the two signal will be at the same general frequency, however, the interference signal will also be at that frequency. Since the characteristic energy emitted from the target material is a derivative of the characterstic energy, the interference occurs at given intervals. Even though the energy level of the signal emitted by the target material is relatively low, and can be hard to detect on its own, the interference signal is constant and does not depend upon the
Gardner Carton & Douglas
Sotomayor John B.
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