Patent ID: 8372006

Claim:
A method of detecting and locating a target comprising: a. positioning a multiplicity of signal receiving sensors at given locations around the target; b. impacting the target with an acoustic stimulation signal of at least one known frequency from a transducer which results in the generation of acoustic signals at the position of the target through processes selected from the group consisting of reflection, re-radiation, demodulation and scattering; c. using the sensors to receive the signals emanated at the target location due to at least one process selected from the group consisting of reflection, re-radiation, demodulation and scattering; d. estimation of the phases of each of the signals received by the multiplicity of sensors relative to the stimulation signal; and e. using a cost function to determine the presence or absence of the target and if the target is present, the likely location of the target based upon the phase estimations.