Patent ID: 8508366

Claim:
A method of distinguishing false positives from threats in a space, the method comprising: (a) collecting a first scan of the space during a first time interval, comprising (i) illuminating at least a portion of the space with an energy from an energy source such that the energy is reflected from a surface in the space; (ii) detecting the incident angle of the reflected energy with a plurality of detectors, each disposed at a known distance from the energy source; (iii) calculating a distance from the surface to the energy source using triangulation and the incident angle detected by each of the plurality of detectors and distances between the plurality of detectors; (iv) repeating steps (i)-(iii) for a plurality of portions of the space; (v) generating a first three-dimensional map of the space for the first time interval; (b) collecting a second scan of the space during a second time interval, comprising repeating steps (a)(i)-(a)(v) above during the second time interval to generate a second three-dimensional map of the space; (c) comparing the first three-dimensional map to the second three-dimensional map to determine a change in the space; (d) identifying a potential security threat based on the change in the space; and (e) determining, based on the change in the space, if the potential security threat is a false positive based on a rate of movement, a height, and a location of the threat within the space.