Lockheed Martin Corporation

Hughes Aircraft Company

Raytheon Company

Other

He Holdings, Inc.

Clifford A Megerle

Carl W Townsend

John McHardy

J Brian Murphy

Allen Mark Jones

John T Swider

John M Brauninger

Barry Wake

David B Cohn

Douglas Ray Adkins

Gregory Charles Frye-Mason

Jacques F Linder

Michael A Heaton

Michael W Finney

Christopher J Tatar

Boon Wong

Philip T James

A system and method for detecting contaminants in or on objects, having a movably mounted container for holding objects and having a plurality of perforations and an entrance opening through which objects may be placed into the container. A housing encloses the container and forms a barrier to ambient air. There is a sealable opening for inserting and removing objects from the container. A drive assembly moves the container within the housing to move objects therein for emitting particles which are in or on such object. There is an air stream for moving air through the housing and container to entrain any emitted particles into the air stream and a sensor for sensing contaminants in the air stream and providing a signal when a contaminant is sensed. The container can be a rotatable cage or a vibrating box. In the method, there is a chamber provided which may be sealed with respect to ambient air to create an enclosed atmosphere. A plurality of objects are loaded into or onto a perforated container disposed within the enclosed atmosphere and an air stream is created within the enclosed atmosphere. The objects are agitated to cause them to emit particles therefrom into the air streamwhichis tested to determine whether it contains any contaminants. If so, a signal is provided.

System and method for detecting hazardous materials using agitation

The present invention is embodied in a system for collecting biological samples from air including a collection assembly to store at least one biological sample and a separator to remove selected particles from the air prior to entry into the collection assembly. In one embodiment, the selected particles are magnetic and the separator includes at least one magnet to attract the particles from the air.

Separator and particle detection system

A system and method for detecting bio-hazardous particulates in mail handling systems includes an air intake hood that connects to a biohazard sensing suite which, in turn, connects through an outlet duct to a filter, adsorber, or scrubber that removes any bio-hazardous material prior to exhausting the air. An air mover is located in the outlet duct and moves the air into the air intake hood into the biohazard sensing suite . The biohazard sensing suite detects the presence of any undesired bio-hazardous material.

System and method for detecting bio-hazardous particulates in mail handling systems

A system and method for detecting hazardous materials inside containers includes an air distribution plate that defines an air plenum AP with a series of openings that function to distribute a flow of air. An air input port and an air output port are provided to allow connection to an air recirculation and sensor system including an air mover having an inlet duct that is selectively connectable to the air outlet port and an outlet duct that is selectively connectable to the air inlet port of the semi-trailer . Upon the creation of a recirculation air flow, the air recirculation and sensor system functions to detect the presence of hazardous materials with in the containment.

System and method for detecting hazardous materials inside containers

A system and method for detecting contaminants in or on objects, having a movably mounted container for holding objects and having a plurality of perforations and an entrance opening through which objects may be placed into the container. A housing encloses the container and forms a barrier to ambient air. There is a sealable opening for inserting and removing objects from the container. A drive assembly moves the container within the housing to move objects therein for emitting particles which are in or on such object. There is an air stream for moving air through the housing and container to entrain any emitted particles into the air stream and a sensor for sensing contaminants in the air stream and providing a signal when a contaminant is sensed. The container can be a rotatable cage or a vibrating box. In the method, there is a chamber provided which may be sealed with respect to ambient air to create an enclosed atmosphere. A plurality of objects are loaded into or onto a perforated container disposed within the enclosed atmosphere and an air stream is created within the enclosed atmosphere. The objects are agitated to cause them to emit particles therefrom into the air stream is tested to determine whether it contains any contaminants. If so, a signal is provided.

An adaptive escape routing system for use in buildings and building complexes in which a plurality of detectors or detector suites are situated throughout the building or building complex and provide information to a central controller as to the release of toxic, injurious, and/or agents, such as nuclear, biological, or chemical agents, in any form (including gaseous, vaporous, or particulate form). The controller, upon detection of an active sensor, commands exit and, optionally, no exit signage to designate safe exit/escape routes.

Adaptive escape routing system

A method and system for expelling test sample-volumes from luggage/packages includes, in one form, a set of superposed or otherwise cooperating belt conveyor ( ) and a cooperating biohazard detection system ( ). Luggage articles (L) or packages to be inspected are moved by the belt conveyor ( ) and subject to a momentary compressive force to reduce the internal volume of the luggage article or package sufficient to expel some of the interior air within the luggage article or package. The biohazard detection system ( ) samples some of the air expelled from the interior of the luggage article (L) and subjects that air sample to various test of undesired or prohibited materials.

Method and system for expelling test-sample volumes from luggage/packages

An ion mobility spectrometer includes a housing with a flow channel, an air pump to force air through the flow channel, a heater at an inlet end of the flow channel, and an ionization source that ionizes the air after it is heated. The heated, ionized air passes through an electric field produced by a field source and a plurality of sensor elements located within in the wall of the flow channel in the measurement region of the electric field. The sensor elements include a plurality of sensor electrodes in one wall of the flow channel. Ion currents to the sensor electrodes are measured by an integrated high-sensitivity readout circuit array, permitting the sensor electrodes to be quite small. The sensor electrodes may be arranged in one-dimensional or two-dimensional arrays.

Miniature ion mobility spectrometer

A method and apparatus for screening an object for the presence of an explosive, chemical warfare agent, biological warfare agent, drug, metal, weapon, and/or radioactive material. The apparatus includes a portal through which the object is arranged to pass, the portal including a housing equipped with an ion mobility spectrometer and a surface acoustic wave device for detecting explosives, drugs and chemical warfare agents. In another embodiment the housing is equipped with a biological warfare agent detector, chemical warfare agent detector, metal detector, x-ray system, and/or radiation detector.

Security system for NBC-safe building

In a surface acoustic wave sensor mounted within a body, the sensor having a surface acoustic wave array detector and a micro-fabricated sample preconcentrator exposed on a surface of the body, an apparatus for collecting air for the sensor, comprising a housing operatively arranged to mount atop the body, the housing including a multi-stage channel having an inlet and an outlet, the channel having a first stage having a first height and width proximate the inlet, a second stage having a second lower height and width proximate the micro-fabricated sample preconcentrator, a third stage having a still lower third height and width proximate the surface acoustic wave array detector, and a fourth stage having a fourth height and width proximate the outlet, where the fourth height and width are substantially the same as the first height and width.

Ram-air sample collection device for a chemical warfare agent sensor

An improved biological probe is disclosed that employs a plurality of groups of modified single-stranded DNA attached to a single electrode. Using a plurality of such groups increases the inherent sensitivity of the probe by providing additional hybridization location sites and also serves to improve performance by diminishing steric hindrance caused by the crowding and tangling of the long single-stranded oligionucleotide molecules. The modification of the oligionucleotides involves the attachment of electron donor and acceptor moieties that alters the electrochemical properties of the hybridized molecules. The selected groups of modified oligionucleotides are complementary to unique characteristic sequences of the target DNA or RNA. A sample that containing oligionucleotides of a target biological agent is brought into contact with the probe and complementary portions of the molecules will hybridize with the oligionucleotides attached to the probe. When voltage is applied to the electrode, current will flow through the hybridized molecules with little resistance. Measurement of the current or changes in the current within the probe will indicate the presence of target DNA or RNA.

Highly sensitive biological agent probe

A chemical sensor comprising a gas detector having first and second printed wiring boards with opposed separated pairs of signal and grounded counter electrodes and processing electronics for processing ionic current signals derived from the signal and counter electrodes. A corona discharge source is provided that produces an ionized air stream containing a chemical that is to be detected. An insulating plate is disposed between the second printed wiring board of the gas detector and the corona discharge source that is used to electrically isolate the electrodes and processing electronics of the gas detector from the corona discharge source. An air flow passage is formed through the corona discharge source, the insulating plate, and the gas detector that allows the ionized air stream generated by the corona discharge source to flow past the signal and counter electrodes, so that the chemical may be detected.

Ion mobility sensors and spectrometers having a corona discharge

The composition of an electrically conductive mixture, such as a mixture of gasoline and alcohol, is measured using a single measurement cell having a first electrode and a second electrode with a measurement space therebetween for receiving a specimen of the mixture. With a specimen of the mixture in the measurement space, the first electrode is alternatively connected to a reference discharge voltage, preferably ground, and to an applied voltage through a resistor. A first operational state encompasses the period when the first electrode is connected to the reference discharge voltage and a second operational state encompasses the period when the first electrode is connected to the applied voltage through the resistor. A first operational state peak voltage is measured during the first operational state, and a second operational state peak voltage is measured during the second operational state. The first operational state peak voltage and a preselected constant proper fraction of the second operational state peak voltage are summed to obtain a summed voltage output, which may be correlated to the composition of the mixture.

Dielectric mixture composition sensor with compensation for mixture

An improved ion mobility spectrometer for detecting chemical warfare agents and hazardous vapors. The ion mobility spectrometer has an improved sensor cell that includes a heated air flow assembly, an ionization assembly and a field electrode and detector assembly printed circuit assembly. The heated air flow assembly includes a cover with an air inlet, an ambient temperature sensor, a thin-film heater element, a heater frame, a heated air sensor, and a heater channel formed therein. The ionization assembly comprises a nuclear ionization source attached to a holder, a lid, and an ionization channel formed therein that is coupled to the heater channel. The field electrode and detector assembly printed circuit assembly comprises a field electrode printed circuit board, a detector electrode printed circuit board, and detector electronics. The field electrode printed circuit board has a plurality of field electrodes disposed on a bottom surface thereof. A gasket is disposed between the field electrode and detector electrode printed circuit boards. The detector electrode printed circuit board has a plurality of detector electrodes disposed on a top surface thereof. The detector electronics processes current outputs of the detector electrodes to generate a histogram of ion currents that identify mobilities of chemical species tested by the ion mobility spectrometer.

Miniaturized ion mobility spectrometer sensor cell

A sensor system and method are provided that are capable of the real-time detection of target live microorganisms, such as biological warfare agents. The sensor system includes a highly-sensitive, highly-selective sensor cell that comprises a single-stranded oligonucleic acid sequence that is complementary to a portion of the DNA of a target live microorganism, the oligonucleic acid having been modified with the covalent attachment of electron donor and acceptor moieties. In the presence of the targeted microorganism, hybridization occurs between the modified oligonucleic acid and the microorganism's DNA, such that the electron conductance between the electron transfer moieties greatly increases, thereby providing a means of detecting the presence of the target live microorganism. Aside from the sensor cell, the sensor system also includes an inlet port in the sensor cell wall by which to introduce a sample from the fluid environment into the sensor cell; a cell wall disrupter to release the nucleic acid of the fluid sample into the sensor cell; an electron transfer rate measuring system to gauge the electron transfer rate between the electron transfer moieties of the modified oligonucleic acid; a power source; a microcontroller to analyze the measured electron transfer rate for evidence of hybridization; and a communication system for relaying information regarding the presence or absence of the target live microorganism to the user of the sensor system. It is contemplated that the sensor system, exclusive of a battery and pump pack, will be only slightly larger than a pack of cigarettes and light enough to be comfortably worn and carried by personnel.

Growing community of inventors

Thousand Oaks, CA, United States of America

Clifford A Megerle