Under Vehicle Inspection System - Description
UVIS
(Undervehicle Inspection System): As part of its commitment to the
advancement of anti-terrorist technology, Atlantic Coast Technologies, Inc., in
cooperation with the
Product Summary: UVIS is a computer-controlled linear array of cameras placed at the security entrance of a government, military, or private facility. The system is designed to eliminate the necessity of having guards use mirrors to manually inspect the undercarriage of vehicles.
The UVIS camera array is placed approximately one vehicle length before the security gate, so that the imaging of the undercarriage has already occurred when the driver stops to request entry. As the vehicle passes over the array, a series of contiguous images is produced. Sophisticated image processing algorithms are employed to combine the images into one single image of the entire vehicle bottom. The imaging process begins and ends automatically as the system senses the vehicle passing over the cameras. Variations in speed, direction, vehicle height, and lighting are automatically corrected by the system software to ensure a clear and uniform image at the operator’s screen. Its use of multiple cameras enables the UVIS to generate multiple views of the vehicle undercarriage, exposing items that would otherwise be hidden behind structures. The UVIS will work with automatic license tag readers to identify the vehicle being scanned.
UVIS’ security
component: An important component of the UVIS is its ability to
register, store, retrieve, and compare images of a vehicle. If a vehicle has already been registered
by the system (e.g. an employee who enters the facility every day), a reference
image of the undercarriage is automatically retrieved and compared with the
image being produced at the sensors.
Any anomalies (foreign objects, wires, etc.) are highlighted by the
system on the operator’s screen to draw his attention to that area. The operator will then decide if the
anomaly is serious enough to warrant further investigation. The entire imaging process will take
only seconds, far quicker than the manual inspection methods currently in
use.
UVIS Models 1 + 2: Two models of the UVIS will be produced. One is designed for permanent installations, where the array is placed in the ground. The other is a portable model that can be quickly set up wherever undervehicle inspections are necessary. It will have a very low profile, so that driving over the imaging elements will be similar to driving over a low speed bump.
Production Status: Initial development was sponsored by The U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Transportation under Contract N-41756-01-C-7428, administered by The Technical Support Working Group. TSWG did not continue supporting UVIS through to its’ final incarnation, due to the cancellation of the contract which supported the project.
Atlantic Coast
Technologies, Inc.
11499 Columbia Pike,
E-mail: sabrinh@acoast.com
Phone: (301) 625-9315
Fax: (301)
625-6326