Security & Monitoring
A security revolution
Encrypted radio frequency communications are playing an increasingly important role in homeland security, with mobile networks now coming to the fore. John Boston looks at how things are changing
H
aving worked in the electronics manufacturing sector for over 30 years I have watched with interest the rise of the mobile phone infrastructure. In the 1980s, I was involved for a short period of time on the then “state of the art” battlefield radio system for the British army called “Ptarmigan”.
Ptarmigan was a mobile, cryptographic digital and modular battlefield wide area network communications system, connected by multi-channel UHF and SHF radio relay links that carried encrypted voice, data, telegraph and facsimile communications.
Over the next decade companies spotted the commercial opportunities of such a network and the mobile phone revolution was launched.
One such application was is in the world of homeland security. The events of 9/11 and other terrorist events since have changed our world forever. Security forces from across the globe are now having to protect their countries from an array of sophisticated threats and advances in the global mobile infrastructure is playing an important role in monitoring risk around the globe in real time.
During this time the UK became a hub for mobile technology. Firms from across the UK supported major manufacturers in the design and build of their products. While cost competitiveness eventually drove a lot of this work to low cost economies, the design engineers remained in the UK and migrated into other business areas, using their skills to design systems that could use the infrastructure they helped to create.
28 April 2013
Advancements in these technologies have come from a number of different sectors, with best practice and technical advancement being incorporated into modern day security technologies. For example, in the early 1990’s Custom Interconnect began working with various companies active in this field, mainly assembling early model prototypes, some of which were mobile phones transmitting using RF technology. Around the same time we were seeing our work with marine rescue equipment evolve and over the course of the past few years, GPS modules and antennas have not only reduced in size, but have come down significantly in terms of unit cost. Furthermore other projects using the newly developed CCD camera chip, which in a very short period of time completely replaced the ageing Tube based camera systems and has gone on to be developed into the CMOS optical sensor, now have a pixel count of circa 9Mega pixels. As mobile communications developed further in the 1990’s, we then saw a trend towards not just transmission of voice, but more and more the transmission of data and this then went up by unprecedented volume with newly emerging web based data transmission. With technologies now sophisticated enough and small enough to utilise the mobile communication frameworks, the growing role of using such developments in homeland security was inevitable. Over the past 20 years, Custom Interconnect has been involved with an increasing number of customers who are using some
Components in Electronics
or all of the technologies described above to assist in homeland security.
Some of these technologies cannot for obvious reasons be documented, however the world of homeland security covers a whole spectrum of observation technologies that may not be deemed homeland security, but are used for that reason sometimes as the primary, but also as a secondary solution. Iris recognition cameras, ANPR cameras, X- RAY based inspection are all products that are used as part of the homeland security network.
The development of Iris recognition cameras, that look at an individual’s iris (eye) as a unique personal identifier, is more reliable and repeatable than a fingerprint. Already we have seen these cameras deployed to conflict areas such as Afghanistan in a battlefield environment to record individual IRIS patterns onto a database. Within the UK you will see them deployed more widely at border entry points and there is discussion around whether this will replace the traditional 4 digit PIN code used on credit and debit cards.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera systems are also increasing their role in security. Using CMOS and IR camera chips coupled with GPS and 3G/4G network cards, ANPR cameras are now capable of reading front and rear facing number plates of vehicles day and night and are fitted to most police patrol vehicles. In normal use, they are simply used for the checking of Tax/MOT/Insurance purposes, but can of course automatically be set to identify suspect vehicles. Using a combination of cameras/GPS/3G modules and sophisticated pattern recognition software these cameras can scan both moving and stationary vehicles, day or night and communicate to a database within 3-5 seconds.
As well as police vehicles ANPR cameras are now being used for car park entry systems, congestion charge areas and will eventually be used in developing countries as a method of road toll collection.
Cameras are also becoming increasingly
efficient. GPS configured, they each have an individual IP address that is connected to the web via a 3G/4G mobile module
and can be battery powered or now solar powered. This has enabled this technology to become self-contained and mobile, resulting in location change issues being a thing of the past and offering a wide array of uses for homeland security services, both home and overseas. CCD/CMOS X-Ray sensors are also playing their part. These inspection systems have been rolled out at airports and ports to develop completely automated X-Ray systems that can auto inspect suitcase style baggage and now complete container systems. Indeed, there are now mobile lorry based X-Ray systems that can be set up to inspect a complete container shipment from large container vessels.
All of the above systems are transmitting encrypted data via mobile networks and web based systems. In the late 1980’s the RF element of the electronics was both very specialised as all of it was bespoke to the PCB design. A growing number of specialist RF module based companies now offer “off the shelf” solutions to system designers to make it much simpler to communicate to the necessary networks. This has both simplified the problem and significantly reduced the cost and time to market for some companies.
Using a combination of “off the shelf” GPS modules, CMOS sensors, RF modules and 3G mobile modules, companies have become more system integrators than out and out design companies. By then using EMS companies who have invested in manufacturing, test and inspection equipment, the UK has much to offer companies developing new homeland security products.
Over the last couple of decades, the changing security threat has resulted in using a multitude of varying sensor technology that transmits encrypted data via the mobile network and web based infrastructure, enabling the world’s security services to monitor and track threats. As advancements on both sides gain pace, the UK electronics sector will play a critical role.
Custom Interconnect Limited |
www.cil-uk.co.uk
John Boston is the managing director of Custom Interconnect Limited
www.cieonline.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44