Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of security technology, and more particularly, but not exclusively relates to a security system for detecting physical intrusions or movements in a monitored perimeter of a land region, and reporting any detected intrusions and/or movements.

Background of the Invention

In various industries, there are areas that need to be controlled, such as chemical plants, dangerous goods storage areas or military areas. Security systems, preferably perimeter security systems having sensors, came into being in order to achieve security in these areas. Said security systems aims to effectively prevent, detect or alarm the intrusion, theft or destruction of security areas.

One type of a security system uses sensors to detect an intruder where the sensors are placed in predetermined locations that can be breached by the intruder. Therefore, if an intruder interrupts a circuit on a sensor, the security system sounds an alarm and/or alerts remote security personnel. This type of security system can only be used where a building or structure is available to support the wiring for the sensors.

Other type of security system may use invisible beams of light, visible beams of light or narrow radar beams to effectively form a fence around a predetermined protection zone. Thus, if an intruder interrupts any one of the beams then the security system sounds an alarm and/or alerts remote security personnel. However, if the intruder penetrates the fence without triggering the alarm, it is unlikely that the intruder will be detected by the security system.

Another type of security system uses radar or ultrasonic energy throughout the area in the protection zone. Therefore, if an intruder moves within the protection zone a Doppler shift in the radar or ultrasonic energy can be detected by the security system, which then sounds an alarm and/or alerts remote security personnel. Unfortunately, all of these security systems and other known security systems can be easily jammed, hacked, spoofed or otherwise defeated by intruders. Furthermore, these known systems suffer from a high level of false alarms due to domestic/wild animals; environmental factors/events such as rain or wind; or vibration caused by the passage of large vehicles such as trucks etc. Accordingly, there is a need for a security system that is essentially spoof-proof or very difficult for an intruder to defeat and that allows generation of a reliable alarm signal, free of false positives. This need and other needs are solved by the security system of the present invention.

Objects of the Invention

Primary object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned shortcomings in the present state of the art.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a system with enhanced security for detecting physical intrusions or movements in a monitored area or perimeter of a land region, and reporting any intrusions and/or movements.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a security system which cannot be passed by an unauthorized person/intruder.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a security system that allows generation of a reliable alarm signal, free of false positives.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a security system powered by a solar panel unit.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple, accurate and affordable security system which provides real-time intrusion detection.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a security system which can be integrated into a fencing system. Another object of the present invention is to provide a security system comprising a compact security unit engaged to a fence post in a tight-fit manner. Thereby, an unauthorized person/intruder cannot displace the compact security unit.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a security system which identifies specific location of any intrusion attempt and provides information to the security personnel including specific attempt location.

Brief Description of the Invention

The present invention proposes a security system for detecting an intrusion into a perimeter of a land region comprising at least one compact security unit having a unique electronic ID; a remote control unit having a central processor, a central receiver and a central transmitter; an alarm unit connected to said remote control unit and responsive to a security breach determined by the remote control unit; at least one sensor which is in electrical communication with said security unity; and one or more network interface(s) for establishing communication among said remote control unit and one or more security units. Said compact security unit comprises an upper body portion and a lower body portion; where a solar panel unit is provided on the upper body portion of said compact security unit for harvesting solar radiation to enable the operation of the security system and a communication module is provided on the lower body portion of said compact security unit and comprises a transmitter and a receiver structured to perform two-way communication with a remote control unit.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, said lower body portion of the compact security unit is sized and shaped to be accommodated into a hollow upper portion of a fence post.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, said security system comprises a plurality of fences each of which is mounted between two adjacent fence posts and/or compact security units for defining the region.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, said fence(s) and/or compact security units(s) are equipped with one or more of a sensor that measures movement- related parameters. According to an embodiment of the present invention, said sensor is a tension sensor, a motion sensor, a proximity sensor, a vibration sensor, an acceleration sensor or an image sensor.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, said remote control unit further comprises a database including data to be compared with the new data obtained from the communication module(s) of the compact security unit(s).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of one or more of said sensors may be provided on different horizontal wires of the fence and/or on different vertical wires of the fence for monitoring any motion respectively in vertical and/or horizontal direction.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the network interface(s) include(s) a Wi-Fi (wireless) interface, a cellular interface, a local area network (LAN) interface, a Universal Serial Bus (USB), and a Bluetooth™ interface.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, each one of the transmitter(s) of the communication module(s) and the central transmitter comprises an encryption module that encrypts the information that will transmitted by said transmitter, and each one of the receiver(s) of the communication module(s) and the central receiver comprises a decision component receiving the encrypted wireless signal from the receiver and comprising a decryption module thereon to decrypt the encrypted wireless signal.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, each one of the solar panel unit comprises a main body receiving a solar panel in electrical communication with a rechargeable battery, at least one lighting means powered by said rechargeable battery, a solar sensor board and a protecting cap.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the lower body portion of said compact security unit further comprises a re-chargeable battery in electrical communication with the solar panel unit for storing energy generated by the solar panel unit, and further in electrical communication with mains power or external power supply. The present invention further proposes a method for detecting an intrusion into a perimeter of a land region having the security system of as disclosed in claim 1 given below, wherein said method comprises the steps of: - collecting data from a plurality of said sensors; - sending at least a portion of the data to a remote control unit which is configured to receive said portion of data; - processing the received data by a central processor; - identifying events occurring in the monitored perimeter by comparing said collected data with the data recorded on a database of the remote control unit and differentiating between human generated events and non-human generated events; and - generating alerts by an alarm unit connected with said remote control unit, to a user regarding at least part of said events.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, said processing step of the disclosed method comprises generating a dynamic virtual image of perimeter of the land region.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, said processing step of the disclosed method comprises; - mapping each of the plurality of sensors to a specific horizontal wire of a specific fence, or to specific vertical wires of a specific fence, and - interpreting the movement parameters obtained from said each of the plurality of sensors to movements of said specific wires in said specific fence.

Brief Explanation of the Figures

The figures brief explanation of which is herewith provided are solely intended for providing a better understanding of the present invention and are as such not intended to define the scope of protection or the context in which said scope is to be interpreted in the absence of the description.

Figure 1 shows a fencing system and solar panel units provided on the fence posts of said fencing system, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 shows (a) a front view, (b) a side view, (c) a top view and (d) a perspective view of a compact security unit according to the present invention. Figures 3a to 3g illustrate perspective views of fence posts with compact security units, each of which is suitable for introducing the respective compact security unit thereon, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of gate module of a security system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of a sensor module of a security system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6a and 6b show perspective views of fence posts respectively with a wired compact security unit and a wireless compact security unit.

Figure 7 shows an exploded view of a fence post having a compact security unit, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 shows (a) a top view, (b) a side view, (c) a bottom view of main body of an upper body portion according to the present invention.

Figure 9 shows a fence post having a compact security unit according to the present invention.

Figure 10 shows (a) a top view and (b) a side view of a piece of a fencing system, and (c) a representative view of a remote control unit of a security system according to the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Embodiments of a security system for detecting intrusion and a method for generating alerts based on events which were identified by said system are disclosed herein below. By monitoring perimeter of a land region, which may also be surrounded by a fencing system including fences and fence post, the disclosed security system is capable of performing security evaluations and identifying possible threats to the fencing system or the perimeter of the land region. The system uses sensors capable of monitoring events such as vibration, motion, acceleration, proximity and thermal signals and communicating them to a remote control unit for evaluation. Data obtained from a plurality of sensors is used by a central processing unit to generate for example a dynamic virtual time-dependent image of said fencing system/region, identifying events occurring on the fence (20) sections and generating visual or audible alerts to a user regarding at least part of the events (security breach).

Referring to the figures outlined before, the present invention proposes a security system for detecting an intrusion into a perimeter of a land region comprising at least one compact security unit (1) having a unique electronic ID. Said compact security unit (1) comprises an upper body portion (11) and a lower body portion (12), where a solar panel unit (30) is provided on the upper body portion (11) of said compact security unit (1) for harvesting solar radiation to enable the operation of the security system, and a communication module is provided on the lower body portion (12) of said compact security unit (1), which comprises a transmitter and a receiver structured to perform two-way communication with a remote control unit. Said security system further comprises said remote control unit having a central processor, a central receiver and a central transmitter; an alarm unit connected to said remote control unit and responsive to a security breach determined by the remote control unit; at least one sensor which is in electrical communication with said security unity; and one or more network interface(s) for establishing communication among said remote control unit and one or more security units.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, said lower body portion (12) of the compact security unit (1) is sized and shaped to be accommodated into a hollow upper portion of a fence post (10). Accordingly, in case of said compact security unit (1) is introduced into the hollow upper portion of the fence post (10), a tight-fit engagement will be obtained between the lower body portion (12) of said compact security unit (1) and related portion of said fence post (10). By means of said tight-fit engagement, it is not possible to remove the compact security unit (1) from the fence post (10).

Said compact security unit (1) may be introduced in different types of fence posts as shown in Figs. 3a to 3g. Accordingly, the shape and size of the compact security unit is preferably adapted as to conform with the size and shape of the hollow upper portion of the fence post (10). Furthermore, since the communication module is provided on the lower body portion (12) of said compact security unit (1), said communication module will be embedded into the inner portion of said fence post together with the lower body portion (12) of the compact security unit (1). Thereby, it will be restrained any possible intruders to reach and interfere the working status of said communication module and its interiors, such as PCB cards. Consequently, the protection of the lower body portion (12) of the compact security unit (1) together with the communication module will be enhanced against the possible attacks to the fence post (10). On the other hand, the solar panel unit (30) of the system will be positioned on the upper body portion (11) of said fence post (10) and thus, the solar panel unit (30) is directed upwards to absorb sufficient sunlight. Optionally, with sufficiently high fence posts (10), they can be perceived hardly at all by a possible intruder on the ground (G) and are difficult to be reached. Therefore, tampering is avoided as much as possible.

Alternatively, the upper body portion (11) and lower body portion (12) of said compact security unit (1) are produced as separate elements and are detachably secured to one another during installation. Accordingly, in case of the upper body portion (11) of said compact security unit (1) is damaged, a new upper body portion (11) can be placed without the need to replace the existing lower body portion (12).

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, disclosed security system further comprises a plurality of fences (20) each of which is mounted between two adjacent fence posts, as shown in Fig. 1, and/or compact security unit (1) for defining the region for defining perimeter of the land region that will be monitored. Said fence(s) (20) may be selected from any known fence types and, optionally selected from wire fence, barbed wire fence and razor wire fence. Optionally, height of the fence (20) may be up to 4 meters.

According to an embodiment, the compact security units (1) are placed into the fence posts which are erected around a land region, with intervals of 3 to 6 meters between each one.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, said fence(s) (20) and/or compact security unit(s) (1) are equipped with one or more of a sensor that measures movement- related parameters. Disclosed sensors of security system may be, for example and without limitation gyroscopes, speedometers or accelerometers. Other sensors or sensor combinations may also be used, which suit requirements of measuring movement- related parameters such as but not limited to wire tension, speed, acceleration, rotation and direction. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, one or more of tension sensor, motion sensor, proximity sensor, vibration sensor, acceleration sensor or image sensor is equipped on said fences (20) and/or compact security unit(s) (1) of said system. Thereby, attempts to cut or dislocate the wires and/or any movement within a perimeter around an area to be monitored are detected by the sensors and thus, by the security system according to the present invention.

The sensor(s) of the present invention cooperate with the communication module of the relevant compact security unit (1). Thus, the communication module regularly keeps track of the status of the cooperated sensor(s) and transmits signals to the remote control unit, including information data taken from the sensor(s) and ID of its communication module. On the other hand, said remote control unit further comprises a database including data to be compared, by the processor, with new data obtained from the communication module(s) of the compact security unit(s) (1).

The remote control unit receives the data of each communication module via central receiver and passes it to central processor for evaluating and comparing the new data with data recorded in the database. After the disclosed evaluation and comparison procedure is completed, in case of the central processor confirms that the received new data indicates an intrusion, the central transmitter generates a signal to alarm unit with the ID information of the communication module which the relevant first signal is mainly produced by. Thereby, the alarm unit is triggered by the remote control unit for giving an audible and/or visual alarm and/or for alerting security personnel with the information of the location (fence/compact security unit), preferably with its coordinates (see Fig. 10a to 10c), where the intrusion is detected. Accordingly, the security system of the present invention provides real-time intrusion detection that can be integrated into a fencing system. Additionally, the solar panel unit (30) of the relevant compact security unit (1) may be triggered by the remote control unit for powering its lighting means and thereby illuminating the location where the intrusion is occurred.

By comparing the new data with the data recorded in the database of the remote control unit, possibility of sounding false alarms due to domestic/wild animals or environmental factors/events such as rain or wind; or vibration caused by the passage of large vehicles such as trucks etc. are eliminated. Accordingly, the proposed security system is essentially spoof-proof, i.e. free of false positives, and thus it is impossible for an intruder to defeat the system. Furthermore, the database of the remote control unit can be calibrated according to said environmental factors/events

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of one or more of said sensors are provided on different horizontal wires (extending on x direction) of the fence (20) as to be on different height, compared to ground level (G), and/or on different vertical wires (extending on y direction) of the fence (20) as to be on different distance when compared to the location of the fence post (10) for watching and/or detecting any motion/event respectively in vertical and/or horizontal directions.

Both the remote control unit and communication modules of the fence posts (10) includes one or more network interface(s) for providing communication between each other, which may include a Wi-Fi (wireless) interface, a cellular interface, a local area network (LAN) interface, a Universal Serial Bus (USB), and a Bluetooth™ interface. Other interfaces may also be provided and used in accordance with this disclosure. Thus, a defect on a network interface does not immediately mean the functional intrusion of the complete security system, so that the protection against intrusion is still assured until the relevant component can be repaired.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the communication module of each compact security unit (1) is optionally in wireless communication with the communication modules of other compact security units (1) and also with the remote control unit. This communication is provided by the transmitters and the receivers thereof. Said communication between the communication modules and also the remote control unit can further be provided by wired and/or wireless systems.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, each communication module generates signals including its ID information for transmitting the same through its transmitter to the receivers of other communication modules. Thereby, in case of a defect is occurred on communication module of a compact security unit (1), a signal regarding to this defect will be transmitted to receivers of the communication module(s) of adjacent security units thereof and thus will be transmitted to the remote control unit by the communication modules of said adjacent security units. Accordingly the remote control unit may alert the security personnel and/or an audible and/or visual alarm. The same procedure will be applied, in case of the communication module of a compact security unit (1) is damaged and any signal, i.e, a signal of defect or a signal of normal working situation, can not be generated by the communication module of that compact security unit (1). On that case, the communication module(s) of each adjacent compact security unit(s) (1) will generate a signal that any signal cannot be received from the communication module of that compact security unit (1) and this signal will be transmitted to the remote control unit by the communication modules of said adjacent compact security unit(s) (1). Accordingly the remote control unit may alert the security personnel, optionally via a system monitor, and/or an audible and/or visual alarm.

Additionally, in case of communication module of a compact security unit (1) is disabled, other compact security units' (1) communication modules and remote control unit continue to regularly communicate with each other through bypassing the disabled compact security unit (1). And thus, the security system duly performs its duty. On the other hand, the communication modules and the central unit may transmit signals via routes other than wireless technology if the communication means of the system are defective. A defect does not immediately mean the functional intrusion of the complete detection system, so that the protection against intrusion is still assured until the relevant component can be repaired.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the signals are transmitted via encryption for avoiding interference with other signals and thus for avoiding sabotage possibility of the signals by i.e. jammer. According to this embodiment, each one of the transmitters of the communication modules and the central transmitter comprises an encryption module that encrypts the information that will transmitted by said transmitter. Furthermore, each one of the receivers of the communication modules and the central receiver may receive encrypted wireless signals and comprises a decision component receiving the encrypted wireless signal from the receiver and comprising a decryption module thereon to decrypt the encrypted wireless signal.

The solar panel unit (30) of the system is provided on the upper body portion (11) of the compact security unit (1) for harvesting solar radiation to enable the operation of the security system. Said solar panel unit (30) optionally comprises a main body (37) (Fig. 8a, 8b and 8c). Furthermore, said main body (37) receives a solar panel (33) in electrical communication with a rechargeable battery (34), at least one lighting means (36), preferably LEDs, powered by said rechargeable battery (34), a solar sensor board (35) and a protecting cap (31) preferably of transparent material. Said protecting cap (31) ensures that said lighting means (36) are protected against environmental factors such as humidity and rainy weather conditions. For obtaining enhanced security and insulation, said protecting cap (31) may be fixed to the main body (37) by welding.

Optionally, said main body (37) further receives a camera and its related motion system (32). Furthermore, said solar panel unit (30) is preferably rotatable such that said solar panel's (33) inclined outer surface is positionable to face a certain direction. Fig. 7 shows an exploded view of a fence post having a compact security unit. Said rechargeable battery(ies) may optionally be located on the upper body portion (11) and/or the lower body portion (12) of the compact security unit (1).

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in case of the central processor confirms that the received new data from a communication module points to an intrusion, the central transmitter further generates a signal and transmits to the relevant communication module for activating the lighting means (36) of its solar panel unit (30). On the other hand, user/security personnel may also activate the lighting means (36) through a controlling means.

Optionally, the lower body portion (12) of said compact security unit (1) comprises a mobile charging module (38) for storing energy generated by the solar panel unit (30) (Fig. 7). Said mobile charging module (38) may be a re-chargeable battery, optionally with a switch, which is in electrical communication with the solar panel unit (30) positioned on the upper body portion (11) of the same compact security unit (1). Thus, the sensors, lighting means (36) and the communication modules of the fence posts (10) may be powered by said re-chargeable battery which is charged by the solar panel unit (30). Alternatively, mains power (wired) or external power supply may also be used to charge the re-chargeable batteries, as there is insufficient energy from sunlight on cloudy days. Furthermore, the charging state of mobile charging module (38) of the compact security unit (1) can be monitored on the remote control unit and can thus be charged by the external power supply or mains power, when required. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the alarm unit is also structured to perform a communication with the solar panel unit (30). Thereby, in case of the one of the sensors are detected an intrusion on a fence (20)/fence post (10)/compact security unit (1) or in a previously determined region, the alarm unit or central unit transmits a signal to activate the solar panel unit (30) of the compact security unit (1) for emitting light and thus, the relevant solar panel unit (30) of the compact security unit (1) starts to emit light or increases the quantity of the existing light.

The remote control unit and each communication module provided on said lower body portion (12) of said compact security unit (1) are preferably configured to be in wireless communication with each other. Accordingly, wi-fi module (interface) of each one of the communication modules is preferably mounted on the upper body portion (11) of the relevant compact security unit (1).

Optionally, said wi-fi module may be mounted into the lower body portion (12) of the relevant compact security unit (1). While the invention has been shown and described with reference to the security system incorporating the novel features described herein, both a conventional wired and conventional wireless communication units (Fig. 6a and 6b, respectively) can be retrofitted with the all components of the invention. The use of both a conventional wired and conventional wireless communication systems prevents the communication from being interrupted, if one of the communication systems fails for any reason.

The events disclosed above may be penetration, intrusion, cutting at least one of the wires of a fence, spreading wires apart, climbing upon a fence, collision with the wires, wind, rain, or combinations thereof.

Furthermore, each compact security unit (1) can be calibrated by the remote control unit via remote access.

Other embodiments of the invention teach a method for detecting an intrusion into a perimeter of a land region having the security system as disclosed above. Said method comprises below given steps: - collecting the data from a plurality of said sensors that are configured to produce data representing a time-dependent pattern of physical intrusion or movement in a perimeter of a land region;

- sending at least a portion of the data to a remote control unit which is

configured to receive said portion of data;

- processing the received data by a central processor;

- identifying events occurring in the monitored perimeter by comparing said collected data with the data recorded on a database of the remote control unit and differentiating between human generated events and non-human generated events; and

- generating alerts by an alarm unit connected with said remote control unit, to a user regarding at least part of said events.

Accordingly, said method step of identifying events occurring in the perimeter further comprises comparing at least a portion of said collected data with the data already recorded on the database, and differentiating said events between human generated events and non-human generated events. As an option, the time-dependent pattern of physical intrusion or movement in a monitored area or perimeter may be compared to pre-defined patterns. Furthermore, said time-dependent patterns may be studied and automatically added to the database over time. Moreover, said time-dependent patterns may be compared with data obtained from external sources such as humidity detection sensors, cameras, weather stations, etc.

The above disclosed processing step may further comprise a step of generating a dynamic virtual image of the fencing system. By generating a substantially virtual image of a fencing system, and movements around thereof, the disclosed security system is capable of performing security evaluations and identifying possible threats to the fencing system or the perimeter protected thereby. Furthermore, the authorized security personnel may monitor and control the current status of the monitored area or perimeter instantly.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, said processing step comprises mapping each of the plurality of sensors to different horizontal wires of a specific fence, and/or to different vertical wires of a specific fence, and thus, interpreting the movement parameters obtained from said each of the plurality of sensors to movements of said horizontal/vertical wires in said specific fence. Optionally, said step of interpreting the movement parameters further comprises determining coordinates of location on said fencing system where the intrusion is detected.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, said method step of collecting the data from the plurality of sensors comprises periodic readings obtained at a sample speed and sensitivity rate that may be set and changed by an authorized security personnel. Furthermore, said sample speed and sensitivity rate may automatically be changed according to pre-defined thresholds and/or according to previously detected events.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, amount of the stored/present energy of the rechargeable batteries provided into the lower body portion (12) of said compact security unit (1) can be monitored and on the remote control unit by the authorized security personnel. Optionally, alarm unit has intelligent energy management system and therefore consumes small amount of energy. Furthermore, battery consumption is kept at a minimum level while the alarm is in standby mode.

List of reference signs used in the text and drawings:

I compact security unit

10 fence post

II upper body portion

12 lower body portion

20 fence

30 solar panel unit

31 protecting cap

32 camera and motion system

33 solar panel

34 rechargeable battery

35 solar sensor board

36 lighting means

37 main body

38 mobile charging unit

G ground level