Abstract:
A portable, modular inspection-surveillance system with an open architecture that may be dynamically configured in the field as conditions change and dictate, a kit for an inspection-surveillance system, and methods of use.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0001]     This disclosure relates to a portable, modular inspection and/or surveillance system. More particularly it relates to a portable, modular inspection-surveillance system which can be readily and immediately configured and re-configured as conditions in the field require and demand.  
       BACKGROUND OF RELATED ART  
       [0002]     Each time law enforcement and military personnel are called to duty; the situation they face will be uncertain or even unknown until they arrive on the scene. In the wake terrorist attacks, both in the United Sates and abroad, each call to duty may present a dangerous and dire situation, such as threats of terrorist bombings, terrorist attacks leaving collapsed building structures with possible survivors inside, or hostage taking, which can only be apprised on the scene. In addition, law enforcement and military personnel keep the safety of bridges and tunnels, as well as commercial and government properties, under constant surveillance, operating in a continuous state of flux. For example, a commercial flight lands with in-flight passenger problems, a truck with unknown cargo and an uncooperative driver attempts to enter a tunnel or bridge toll plaza, or a suspicious shipment arrives at a customs border checkpoint. In each instance, the law enforcement or military personnel must respond to very different circumstances to gather real-time information while protecting lives and, wherever possible, property.  
         [0003]     Law enforcement and military personnel presently employ inspection and surveillance tools that are constructed to be fixed in a permanent configuration. These permanently configured tools can serve in very specific and limited roles as their designs permit, but are not flexible for use as conditions evolve rapidly in the field and/or the unexpected arises.  
         [0004]     Therefore, an inspection-surveillance system that provides flexibility to configure equipment to immediately meet the demands of the situation would be desirable. Law enforcement or military personnel would be readily equipped to evaluate, manage, and diffuse the situation. For example, audio and visual information would be taken from the inside of the plane to determine the level/type of response necessary to protect the passengers; the truck would be monitored for sound in inside the trailer and inspected visually for any unusual equipment or variations; the suspicious shipment would be inspected for any visually gleaned information as well as sound and smells which may be emitted from the shipment, while the customs official operates the inspection equipment from a safe distance or form behind a protective barrier.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0005]     This disclosure relates to a portable, modular inspection-surveillance system, which is designed as open architecture system that can be readily and immediately configured and re-configured as conditions in the field require and demand based upon the variables of environment and use requirements.  
         [0006]     The modular inspection-surveillance system which allows reconfiguration of a number of components to gather data including a camera head, which may have light emitting sources; a body, which may be composed of non-conductive material, and having a cable assembly disposed therein; a display module having a video image viewing screen; a housing having an internal battery; and connectors having electrical and mechanical properties. At least these components are operatively coupled to form a modular inspection-surveillance system that is flexible and adaptable to any field requirement. The modular inspection-surveillance system may take the form of a kit of modular components. The components may be reconfigured as field conditions require or demand.  
         [0007]     A method of covertly inspecting an area is disclosed which includes adjusting a camera head&#39;s spectral response and illumination bands, attaching the camera head to an operatively coupled body that is flexibly positioned to view the area, and inspecting the area for information. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a configuration of the modular inspection-surveillance system in use for a covert surveillance.  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a schematic drawing of the telescoping body and electronic cable assembly.  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is a perspective drawing of a configuration of the inspection-surveillance system as a modular trolley system.  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a perspective drawing of a configuration of the inspection-surveillance system using a fixed-length, rigid body with the false-wall detection module.  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is a perspective drawing of a configuration of the inspection-surveillance system with a fixed-length body having a flexible portion operatively coupled to an IR camera head for search and rescue work. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0013]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a configuration of the inspection-surveillance system  18 , is shown with a telescoping body  2  formed of submersible, non-conductive materials and having a semi-hollow interior (not shown) along the length of the telescoping body  2 . In alternative configurations, the body of the inspection-surveillance system can take other forms, such as, a fixed-length body having a flexible portion  44 , a fixed-length, rigid body  42 , a semi-rigid cable or a trolley  26 . The semi-hollow interior protects and guides the electronic cable assembly  20  which conducts power and audio/visual information. The telescoping support body  2  also has a flexible forward portion  4 , which can be formed of submersible, non-conductive materials. The flexible forward portion  4  has a bend radius of at least 2.5 inches per foot. The power source/control panel housing  14  (the “Housing”)  14  is operatively coupled to the telescoping body  2  at end opposite the flexible forward portion via at least one connector  8 A. The Housing  14  is surrounded with a waterproof covering. All connectors  8  are readily detachable, can provide single- or multi-input connections, are preferably water-proof and provide both electrical and mechanical support, such as a pin connector, a jack-and-plug connector, and the like. The Housing  14  includes a control panel (not shown) for at least the audio, visual, dimmer, and power/on/off controls, including power controls for voltage directed to functions such as illumination, camera mode switching, pan/zoom/tilt adjustments, audio or video receiver channel selection and/or receiver tuning adjustment. The Housing  14  also includes an internal rechargeable direct current (“D.C.”) battery of at least 7 volts that can be supplemented with, or substituted by, external D.C. batteries.  
         [0014]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the audio-visual display module  12  is operatively coupled to the Housing  14  via at least one connector  8 . The display module includes a viewing display screen, which can be an LCD display screen or any lightweight display screen, to allow the user to view images produced by the camera head  6 . The display module  12  includes its own set of controls for the display screen, which adjusts the brightness, contrast, tint and color when a color camera head  6  is in use. The display module  12  also has a power switch allowing the user to power down the display module  12  independently when only audio information is necessary or to avoid glare, reflection, or light emission when it could compromise the user&#39;s security or location in the field. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the display module is operatively coupled to the Housing  14  can be used in combination with a harness  16  that may be worn by a user allowing the user immediate access to the control panel (not shown) and easy maneuverability in the field. The display module  12  can also take other forms such as a small screen or eye piece to be positioned before the user&#39;s eye or face, or large stand-alone display module  38 , which can be remotely positioned away from the inspection-surveillance system and monitored by many viewers.  
         [0015]     A camera head  6  is operatively connected to the flexible forward portion  4  of the telescoping support body  2  via at least one connector  8  to produce video images on the display module  12  or a remotely positioned large stand alone display module  38 . The camera heads  6  can be submersible, or weatherproof for use in bad weather conditions. The camera head  6  can, if desired, include at least one light that may emit illumination bands of a plurality of different wavelengths, such as visible spectrum, ultraviolet (“UV”) and/or infrared (“IR”) and provide varying Lux units of illumination. In one embodiment, the camera head  6  can include a plurality of lights. The light can be light-emitting diodes (“LEDS”) or any light source that is light weight and can readily be mounted in the camera head  6 . The camera head  6  may also have spectral response that includes a plurality of frequencies such as bands of the visible, and the invisible electromagnetic spectrum. The camera head may actively or passively generate an image using reflected electromagnetic energy when ambient lighting levels are not sufficient to create a usable video image. The camera head  6  lenses can have varying, adjustable focal lengths, varying field of views (“FOV”), i.e. wide angle lens, macroscopic or microscopic lenses, and/or produce images in color or black and white. The camera head  6  can also include an audio module that can have acoustical transducers with high or low gain characteristic and can include audio processing, such as, for example, compression or filtering to enhance the audio signal. The audio signal can heard by the user via the Housing  14 , a head set (not shown), and/or can be remotely transmitted via a radio frequency (“RF”) audio transmitter  36 . In addition, the camera head  6  can include an olfactory module (not shown) that can detect a variety of programmed chemical scents. Because the inspection-surveillance system is entirely modular, any embodiment of the camera head  6  that can be operatively coupled with any body form may be employed as desired to interface with the display module  12  and the Housing  14 .  
         [0016]     In another embodiment, the camera head  6  can be a multi-mode video camera (not shown) that allows the user to select between several different video technologies that housed in a common camera head while the inspection-surveillance system is in use, and can be used with any configuration of the inspection-surveillance system. The multi-mode camera has at least two video cameras of different technologies grouped together in a common housing to form a single camera head, or multiple camera heads of different technologies can be operatively coupled to a multi-input camera connector  8 A. The multi-mode camera is operatively coupled to the electronic cable assembly  20  in the telescoping support body  2  via the connector  8 A. Each multi-mode camera includes two or more different video camera modules and each has unique capabilities for generating a video image, and an audio module. The different video camera modules are mounted with their respective optical lens systems trained in the same direction. The multi-mode camera is also operatively coupled to the control panel (not shown) of the Housing  14  via the electronic cable assembly, to control voltage to dim or brighten the illumination of LEDS, if present, of the multi-mode camera and select between camera modes. As with other single mode camera heads  6 , the multi-mode camera can include, if desired, at least one light that may emit illumination bands of a plurality of different wavelengths, such as visible spectrum, ultraviolet (“UV”) and/or infrared (“IR”) produced by light-emitting diodes (“LEDS”) or any light source that is lightweight and can readily be mounted. The LEDs can provide varying Lux units of illumination. The multi-mode camera head also may have spectral response that includes a plurality of frequencies such as bands of the visible, and the invisible electromagnetic spectrum. The multi-mode camera head may actively or passively generate an image using reflected electromagnetic energy, when ambient lighting levels are not sufficient to create a usable video image. The lenses employed in the multi-mode camera head can also have varying, adjustable focal lengths, varying field of views (“FOV”), i.e. wide angle lens, macroscopic or microscopic lenses, and/or produce images in color or black and white.  
         [0017]     The multi-mode camera generates video and audio signals that feed into an audio-video multiplexer circuit. The multiplexer circuit can be used to select one of various audio-video inputs from the different camera modules. The video multiplexer is controlled by an analog control voltage, which is remotely controlled by the user and the control voltage is generated by a rheostat on the control panel.  
         [0018]     The multi-mode video camera can advantageously allow the user to immediately switch between video technologies without changing or revealing the position of the inspection-surveillance system. The multi-mode camera can interface with any other module of the inspection-surveillance system as may be required in the field.  
         [0019]     Continuing with  FIG. 1 , the telescoping body  2  may also include handgrips  10 , for additional grip on the telescoping body  2  and comfort of the user. In one embodiment, the handgrips  10  can be cushioned, and can be formed of an elastomeric or plastic material.  
         [0020]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a schematic drawing of the telescoping body  2 , with several extensions  46   a  and  46   b , is shown. The extensions  46   a  and  46   b  are held in place with a locking means or clamps  48 . The electronic cable assembly  20  runs the length of the telescoping body  2  from the operatively connected camera head  6  or audio module (not shown) through the flexible portion  4  to the end of the telescoping body located closest to the user, and the electronic cable assembly  20  exits the telescoping body  2  as a length of cable to be operatively connected to the Housing  14 . The electronic cable assembly can be run in any configuration, and can be shielded or unshielded.  
         [0021]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a drawing of the inspection-surveillance system configured as a modular trolley system shows the inspection of a truck  32  at a security checkpoint. The user manipulates and directs the trolley  26  with a handle  22 , which can function here as a handle that is operatively coupled to hinge  24  or other mechanism that can readily swivel or rotate for maximum positioning of the trolley  26 . The handle  22  is operatively coupled to hinge  24  via a connector  8 C and with the Housing  14  and the display module  12  via connector  8 A. The trolley  26  has at least two cross bars  28 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , that support the trolley  26 , and have wheels  30 , that can also be embodied as castors, which rotate at least 270+ to allow great maneuverability. A trolley  26  having one cross bar  28  or alternative designs such as circular or triangular shaped trolleys or sliding trolleys can also be employed. A camera head  6 , as described above, can be operatively coupled to the trolley  26  via connector  8 B. The camera head  6  may be substituted with the multi-mode camera, an audio device (not shown) and/or an olfactory device (not shown), as the situation requires in the field. The user manipulates the inspection-surveillance system to position it under the truck  32  and view the undercarriage of the truck  32 , checking for explosives, hidden cargo, such as passengers, unusual compartments, narcotics or other contraband. The trolley  26  can be maneuvered to view the entire undercarriage without placing the user in immediate contact with potentially dangerous cargo, allowing a full inspection to be done with lowered risk to personnel. The trolley  26  also has the added advantage of lowering physical strain on the user by reducing repetitive motion of bending, kneeling and crawling under the truck  32 .  
         [0022]     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a fixed-length, rigid body  42  can be operatively connected to a false-wall detection module  34 , which can electronically measure the interior and exterior of a truck trailer, a cargo holding container, storage hangar, warehouse and the like. The false-wall detection module  34  includes a self-illuminating video camera, such as a camera head  6  or a multi-mode camera (not shown), which can be mounted on a fixed-length, rigid body  42 , a fixed-length body having a flexible portion  44 , or telescoping body  2  to allow the user to view areas that may be difficult to reach or blocked by cargo, such as a cargo area of a truck or container, storage hangar, warehouse, or the like. The false-wall inspection module  34  also includes an ultrasonic or laser rangefinder that can be remotely activated if desired and can be operatively coupled with the fixed-length, rigid body  42 , or mounted with or within the camera head  6 . The distance is displayed on the display module  12  and/or remotely displayed on a large stand-alone display module  38  that may be viewed by the user regardless of the position of the false-wall module  34 . The distance may be indicated in metric or English units, as chosen by the user. The user positions the false-wall detection module  34  that is operatively coupled to a fixed-length, rigid body  42  in, for example, a cargo area and conducts a visual assessment using video data that is transmitted via a camera head  6  or a multi-mode camera (not shown). The user then activates the electronic range finder of the false-wall detection module  34  and positions the false-wall detection module  34  adjacent to an interior wall of the cargo area, and aims the electronic range finder at anterior section of the cargo area, and records the reading. The false-wall detection module  34  is then held adjacent to an exterior wall of the cargo area pointing to the same anterior section of the cargo area from the outside or the cargo area. A temporary reflective target  34 A is a temporarily attached or positioned on the farthest exterior point of the cargo area, or can be held by a second user, to measurement the distance of the full length of the cargo bay. The interior distance and the exterior distance readings are compared to detect any significant discrepancy.  
         [0023]     The fixed-length, rigid body  42  and the electronic cable assembly  20  can be operatively coupled with the Housing  14  and the display module  12  for immediate viewing of the audio-visual information by the user and/or remotely transmitted via the operatively coupled transmitter  36  to a remote location having a receiver  40  that can detect audio and visual transmissions and a large stand-alone display module  38  that can display transmitted video images from the inspection-surveillance system and broadcast audio data. Audio and/or visual data can be remotely transmitted to a secure location used as a command point, or can be transmitted to be assessed by personnel in addition to, or instead of, the user.  
         [0024]     Referring to  FIG. 5 , a configuration of the inspection-surveillance system is shown a camera head  6  operatively coupled to a fixed-length body having a flexible portion  44 , a fixed-length, rigid body  42 , or a semi-rigid cable (not shown), via a connector  8 . The camera head  6  can detect IR to detect heat as an indictor of survivors in collapsed building that was destroyed or attacked. The fixed-length body having a flexible portion  44  can be snaked through the remaining portions of the building structure or the rumble in search of air and space pockets that may temporarily enclose and protect trapped survivors. In an alternative embodiment, an audio module (not shown) can be operatively coupled to the fixed-length body having a flexible portion  44  to detect breathing or cries for help. The audio module (not shown) can also be included with a camera head  6 . The fixed-length body having a flexible portion  44  can be operatively coupled with the Housing  14  and display module  12  to receive the audio-visual data and/or the audio-visual data can be transmitted remotely via a transmitter  36  that is operatively coupled to the Housing  14 . The remotely transmitted data can be transmitted to a remote receiver  40  and/or remotely transmitted to a receiver  40  that is operatively coupled a large stand-alone display module  38 , which can display the transmitted video images from the inspection-surveillance system and broadcast audio data. Audio and/or visual data can be remotely transmitted to a secure location used as a command point, or can be transmitted to be assessed by personnel in addition to, or instead of, the user.  
         [0025]     It will be appreciated that the open architecture of the inspection-surveillance system addresses the problem of law enforcement or the military purchasing a large number of costly fixed-architecture tools of different types to supply a very large number of facilities, that may not meet the requirements of the field. In light of these problems, the modular inspection-surveillance system of this disclosure accomplishes several important solutions: it provides a system that can be re-configured in the field to provide an immediate solution to user&#39;s needs; the inspection-surveillance system is highly cost-efficient because it is modular and flexible, and can be used while maintaining strict budget constraints that often plague public spending; and the components of the inspection-surveillance system can be obtained and interfaced as needed, or purchased as an kit that is easily transported in a waterproof carrier. The inspection-surveillance system can also be employed for civilian use in factories or other large facilities to inspect equipment, vats, assembly lines, and the like, and the facility itself.  
         [0026]     It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the disclosure, especially because the disclosure relates to an open architecture system. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the disclosure or the sprit thereof. Accordingly, the present disclosure is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims.