U.S. patent number 3,848,243 [Application Number 05/330,978] was granted by the patent office on 1974-11-12 for inductive reactance proximity alarm system for bulky movable objects.
Invention is credited to Hans A. Schirmer.
United States Patent |
3,848,243 |
Schirmer |
November 12, 1974 |
INDUCTIVE REACTANCE PROXIMITY ALARM SYSTEM FOR BULKY MOVABLE
OBJECTS
Abstract
An alarm system for detecting removal of or tampering with
trucks and other bulky movable objects is provided having an
oscillator-supplied tuned circuit. The circuit has a remotely
located sensing coil which is mounted on a metallic portion of the
truck body and the tuned circuit is adjusted to a predetermined
resonant or non-resonant operating condition. Removal of the
sensing coil from the truck body detunes the circuit from the
predetermined operating condition because of the change in
inductive reactance of the coil and sounds an alarm signal to warn
of the attempted removal. The system is operable with both magnetic
and non-magnetic metallic materials and may also be employed to
detect the opening of doors in buildings and truck bodies.
Inventors: |
Schirmer; Hans A. (Bergenfield,
NJ) |
Family
ID: |
23292120 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/330,978 |
Filed: |
February 9, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
340/517; 340/547;
340/572.5; 340/426.24; 340/426.28 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G08B
13/08 (20130101); B60R 25/1012 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60R
25/10 (20060101); G08B 13/02 (20060101); G08B
13/08 (20060101); G08b 013/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;340/280,276,274,258C,63
;336/226,180 ;331/65 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Swann, III; Glen R.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Maikis; Robert A.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An alarm system for protecting movable objects having at least a
metallic portion comprising
oscillator means in a protected location remote from the object to
be protected;
tuneable circuit means coupled to said oscillator means for
energization thereby, said circuit means having
movable inductive sensing coil means adapted to be mounted on the
metallic portion of the movable object to be protected, so that the
proximity of said coil means to the metallic portion of the object
determines the inductive reactance of the coil means, and
tuning means in said protected location for tuning said circuit
means to a predetermined resonant or non-resonant operating
condition with said coil means mounted on the metallic portion of
the object, so that removal of the coil means from the metallic
portion of the object causes the inductive reactance of the coil
means to change and said circuit means to be detuned;
mounting means for removably mounting said sensing coil means on
the metallic portion of the object to be protected;
detector means in said protected location coupled to said tuneable
circuit means for producing an output signal in response to a
change in the inductive reactance of said coil means; and
alarm signal means in said protected location coupled to said
detector means for producing an alarm signal in response to said
detector means output signal.
2. An alarm system as claimed in claim 1 wherein
said tuneable circuit means is a series circuit tuned to a resonant
operating condition, and
said detector means is coupled across said sensing coil means and
responsive to the voltage thereacross.
3. An alarm system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said detector
means comprises
a bridge rectifier circuit having the input thereof coupled across
said sensing coil means,
an electrical energy source, and
relay means having the control winding thereof coupled to the
output of said rectifier circuit for energization thereby and
normally-closed relay contact means for coupling said alarm signal
means to said electrical energy source whenever the output of the
rectifier circuit falls below a predetermined level.
4. An alarm system as claimed in claim 1 wherein
said mounting means comprises
a permanent magnet, and
means for securing said sensing coil means to said permanent
magnet.
5. An alarm system as claimed in claim 4 wherein
said permanent magnet is a C-shaped permanent magnet having a
recessed portion between the pole pieces thereof and,
said sensing coil means is disposed within the recessed portion of
said C-shaped magnet.
6. An alarm system as claimed in claim 4 wherein
said sensing coil means comprises an annular sensing coil,
said permanent magnet comprises a ceramic permanent magnet disposed
within said annular sensing coil, and
said means for securing the sensing coil means to the permanent
magnet comprises a potting compound encapsulating said sensing coil
and said permanent magnet.
7. An alarm system as claimed in claim 5 wherein said mounting
means further comprises
a ring of magnetic material having a diameter substantially the
same as the distance between the pole pieces of said C-shaped
permanent magnet for magnetically engaging said C-shaped magnet
when the sensing coil means is to be mounted on the metallic
portion of the object to be protected, and
means for securing said ring to the metallic portion of the object
to be protected.
8. An alarm system as claimed in claim 6 wherein said mounting
means further comprises
a disc of magnetic material removably disposed within said annular
sensing coil and adapted to magnetically engage said ceramic
permanent magnet when the sensing coil is to be mounted on the
object to be protected, and
means for securing said disc to the metallic portion of the object
to be protected.
9. An alarm system as claimed in claim 8 wherein
said disc of magnetic material comprises a ceramic permanent
magnet.
10. An alarm system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the object to be
protected has at least one hinged door thereon having at least a
metallic portion adjacent the metallic portion of the remainder of
the protected object, and
said mounting means is adapted to mount said sensing coil means in
a position wherein the sensing coil means overlaps at least the
metallic portion of the door and the metallic portion of the
remainder of the protected object.
11. An alarm system as claimed in claim 10 wherein
said sensing coil means comprises a sensing coil having a FIG. 8
winding configuration.
12. An alarm system as claimed in claim 10 wherein
said sensing coil means comprises a pair of spaced-apart annular
sensing coils having the windings thereof connected in series
circuit.
13. An alarm system for protecting a plurality of movable objects
each having at least a metallic portion comprising
an oscillator circuit in a protected location remote from the
objects to be protected;
a plurality of tuneable circuit means coupled to said oscillator
circuit for energization thereby, each of said tuneable circuit
means being associated with a different one of the objects to be
protected and having
movable inductive sensing coil means adapted to be mounted on the
metallic portion of the object to be protected associated
therewith, so that the proximity of said coil means to the metallic
portion of that object determines the inductive reactance of the
coil means, and
tuning means in said protected location for tuning said circuit
means to a predetermined resonant or non-resonant operating
condition with said coil means mounted on the metallic portion of
the protected object associated therewith, so that removal of the
coil means from the metallic portion of the object causes the
inductive reactance of the coil means to change and said circuit
means to be detuned;
a plurality of mounting means for removably mounting said plurality
of sensing coil means on the metallic portion of the bodies to be
protected;
a plurality of detector means in said protected location, each of
said detector means being associated with a different one of said
plurality of tuneable circuit means and being coupled to the
tuneable circuit means associated therewith for producing an output
signal in response to a change in the inductive reactance of the
coil means associated therewith; and
a plurality of alarm signal means in said protected location, each
of said alarm signal means being coupled to a different one of said
plurality of detector means and being operable to produce an alarm
signal in response to the output signal of the detector means
associated therewith.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to alarm and detection systems for the
protection of property and, more particularly, to an alarm system
for detecting the unauthorized removal or tampering with of bulky
movable objects, such as office equipment, trucks and other
vehicles. The system may also be used to detect the opening of
doors in buildings, vehicles and equipment cabinets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present day increase in crimes pertaining to property, such as
burglary and larceny, for example, coupled with greatly increased
labor costs for guards and other security personnel have created a
great demand for automatic alarm systems which will permit a single
guard to protect property which is located over a wide area. A
particular need for such systems exists in plants and offices where
a number of bulky movable objects must be protected against theft
and tampering. In industrial plants, for example, a number of
trucks are often parked outside the plant and left unattended for
periods of time while loading and unloading operations are
performed. The trucks are often loaded and then left overnight
until drivers report for work in the morning. The parked trucks
should be protected not only against unauthorized removal from the
plant premises, but also against the opening of doors in the
vehicle to obtain access to the cargo stored therein. A suitable
alarm system for protecting trucks should permit a single security
guard to monitor a large number of parked vehicles and should be
highly reliable and tamper-proof in operation. Additionally, it is
highly desirable that such an alarm system be fail-safe in
operation, so that interruptions to the power supply for the system
will alert the guard. An alarm system of this type may also be
employed to protect other bulky, movable objects in plants and
offices such as safes, computers, and other valuable office
equipment which is subject to theft and unauthorized removal.
Prior art solutions to the aforementioned problems have taken a
variety of forms. For example, electric switches have been attached
to safes and other objects and connected to audible or visual alarm
signals in a central location, so that removal of the switch from
the protected object causes the switch to be operated and an alarm
to be sounded. Obviously, systems of this type are easily defeated,
since thin sheets of material could be slid between the switch and
the surface of the protected body to prevent the switch from
operating when it is removed from the body. Systems of this type
are also subject to failure when the switch contacts become dirty
with prolonged periods of use. Intruder alarm systems have been
developed which make use of a capacitor sensing arrangement wherein
the physical presence of an intruder in the vicinity of the
capacitor sensor causes an alarm signal to be sounded. Systems of
this type are unsuited for the protection of trucks and other bulky
movable objects, because the need for such protection very often
exists during the very hours when the plant or office in which the
system is used is filled with workers, so that the presence of
authorized personnel in the vicinity of the protected equipment
could trip the alarm. It may also be noted that suitable alarm
systems for the protection of trucks and other bulky movable
objects should be easily installed without requiring extensive
modifications of the truck bodies or the other objects to be
protected.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide an alarm system for
detecting the removal or tampering with of bulky movable objects
which is virtually tamper-proof and highly reliable in
operation.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an alarm system
for trucks and other bulky movable objects which is easily
installed and fail-safe in operation.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide an alarm
system for trucks and other bulky movable objects which not only
warns against unauthorized removal of the truck but also against
the unauthorized opening of cargo areas.
It is an additional object of this invention to provide an alarm
system for trucks and other bulky movable objects which is
especially suited for the monitoring of a large number of trucks or
other protected objects by a single security guard.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an alarm system
for trucks and other movable objects which is of compact size and
weight and which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and
maintain.
Briefly, the alarm system of the present invention comprises
tuneable circuit means which are coupled to oscillator means for
energization thereby. The tuneable circuit means include inductive
sensing coil means which are adapted to be mounted on a metallic
portion of the object to be protected, so that the proximity of the
coil means to the metallic portion of the object determines the
inductive reactance of the coil means. The tuneable circuit means
also comprise tuning means for tuning the circuit means to a
predetermined resonant or non-resonant operating condition with the
coil means mounted on the object, so that removal of the coil means
from the object causes the inductive reactance of the coil means to
change and the circuit means to be detuned. Mounting means are
provided for removably mounting the sensing coil means on the
metallic portion of the object to be protected. Detector means are
coupled to the tuneable circuit means for producing an output
signal in response to a change in the inductive reactance of the
coil means and alarm signal means are coupled to the detector means
to produce an alarm signal in response to the detector means output
signal. A plurality of tuneable circuit means with separate sensing
coil means may be energized by a common oscillator, so that a
plurality of trucks, doors or other movable objects may be
individually monitored at a single location. Mounting means for
mounting the sensing coil means on the body to be protected are
provided for both magnetic and non-magnetic metallic bodies.
Sensing coil means having different configurations are provided for
certain applications wherein a coil of a larger area may be
desirable, such as detecting the opening of cargo doors in trucks
and other objects, for example.
The nature of the invention and other objects and additional
advantages thereof will be more readily understood by those skilled
in the art after consideration of the following detailed
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of an alarm system constructed in
accordance with the teachings of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the
sensing coil and mounting arrangement therefor of the alarm system
of FIG. 1 showing the sensing coil attached to a truck body;
FIG. 3 is a schematic circuit diagram showing the alarm system of
the invention monitoring a plurality of trucks;
FIG. 4 is a full sectional view of a different mounting arrangement
for the sensing coil which utilizes a ceramic magnet;
FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the sensing coil and mounting
arrangement therefor shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings;
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an alternate form of sensing coil
having a "figure 8" winding configuration; and
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of still another form of sensing coil
which utilizes two serially-connected coils.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown an alarm
system constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present
invention. The alarm system is shown as comprising a transistor 10
of the NPN type which is connected in a common emitter
configuration. The collector of the transistor 10 is connected
through an adjustable collector supply resistor 11 to the positive
output lead 12 of a D.C. supply source 13. The D.C. supply source
13 may comprise a battery of suitable voltage or may, as
illustrated, comprise a rectifier which is energized from an A.C.
voltage supply source 14. The negative output lead 15 of the D.C.
supply source 13 is connected to the emitter of the transistor 10
through a biasing network consisting of an adjustable resistance 16
and a shunt capacitor 17. A base bias resistor 18 is connected
between the base of the transistor 10 and the positive output 12 of
the D.C. supply source 13, so that the D.C. supply source provides
both the collector supply voltage and the base bias. Resistor 16
and capacitor 17 function in the usual manner to provide additional
base bias without introducing objectionable A.C. degeneration. The
output of transistor 10 appearing at the collector is connected
through a coupling capacitor 19 to a tuned circuit 20 consisting of
serially-connected capacitors 21 and 22 and a shunt inductance or
coil 23. The circuit junction of the serially-connected capacitors
21 and 22 is coupled by a capacitor 24 to the base of transistor
10, so that the transistor is caused to function as an oscillator
having an output frequency determined by the circuit parameters of
the tuned circuit 20.
The output of the transistor-oscillator 10 which appears at its
collector is coupled by a capacitor 25 to the base of a transistor
26 of the NPN type which is connected in an emitter follower
circuit. The collector of transistor 26 is connected by a lead 27
to the positive output 12 of the D.C. supply source 13, while the
base of the transistor 26 is connected through an adjustable base
bias resistor 28 to the same positive output 12 of the supply
source so that the lower bias potential required for transistor
operation is obtained. The emitter of transistor 26 is coupled to
the negative output 15 of the D.C. supply source 13 through the
primary winding 29 of an output transformer 30. The transformer 30
is provided with a secondary winding 31 which has one end thereof
coupled by a coupling capacitor 32 and a long lead 33 to one end of
a remotely-located sensing coil 34. The other end of the
transformer secondary winding 31 is coupled by an adjustable tuning
capacitor 35 and a long lead 36 to the other end of the sensing
coil 34. The sensing coil 34 is located in proximity to the truck
body or other movable object which is to be protected by the alarm
system of the invention, so that the inductance of the sensing coil
depends upon its proximity to the body to be protected.
A suitable arrangement for mounting the sensing coil 34 on the
truck body is shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings. As seen in FIG. 2, a
thin annular member or ring 37 of steel, iron or other magnetic
material is affixed to the truck body 38 by a double-sided adhesive
tape 39. The method of mounting the ring 37 on the truck body 38
may be varied to suit particular applications and the double-sided
adhesive tape illustrated may be replaced by cement, screws or
rivets, for example. The sensing coil 34 is preferably wound as a
relatively thin annular coil or "pancake" coil which has an outside
diameter somewhat less than the inner diameter of the ring 37 so
that the coil may be placed in proximity to the truck body 38. The
sensing coil 34 may be secured by any convenient means (not shown)
to the inner portion of a C-shaped permanent magnet 40 which has a
length between pole pieces corresponding to the diameter of the
ring 37. By virtue of this arrangement, the sensing coil 34 is held
in place in proximity to the truck body by the magnetic attraction
exerted between the poles of the permanent magnet 40 and the ring
37 of magnetic material. This arrangement facilitates the
installation and removal of the sensing coil on the object to be
protected. It may be noted that the ring 37 and the ring securing
means 39 may be dispensed with when the truck body 38 is fabricated
of a magnetic material, such as steel or iron, for example, since
the permanent magnet 40 will then hold the sensing coil 34 in place
by the magnetic attraction between the magnet and the truck body.
The ring 37 and ring securing means 39 may be utilized when the
truck body is fabricated of a non-magnetic, metallic material, such
as aluminium, for example.
Referring again to FIG. 1 of the drawings, it may be seen that one
end of the sensing coil 34 is connected by long lead 33 and a lead
41 to one A.C. input terminal of a "bridge" type rectifier circuit
42 formed by diodes 43, 44, 45 and 46, while the other end of the
sensing coil 34 is connected by long lead 36 and a lead 47 to the
other A.C. input terminal of the rectifier circuit 42. The positive
D.C. output terminal of the rectifier 42 is connected by a lead 48
to the base element of a NPN transistor 49 which is connected in an
emitter-follower configuration. The collector supply potential for
the transistor 49 is obtained by means of a lead 50 which connects
the collector element of the transistor to the positive output 12
of the D.C. supply source 13. The emitter element of transistor 49
is coupled through the control winding 51 of a relay 52 to the
negative D.C. output terminal of the rectifier 42, so that the
signal applied to the transistor 49 is the rectified A.C. voltage
appearing across the sensing coil 34. The relay 52 is provided with
a fixed contact 53 which is connected by a lead 54 to one side of
an alarm signal means 55 and a movable contact 56 which is
connected by a lead 57 to one side of an A.C. voltage supply source
58. The other side of the A.C. voltage supply source 58 is
connected by a lead 59 to the other side of the alarm signal means
55. For reasons which will be explained hereinafter, the movable
relay contact 56 is spring biased into making contact with fixed
contact 53, so that the electric circuit through the alarm signal
means 55 is normally closed unless the control winding 51 of the
relay 52 is energized. The alarm signal means 55 may comprise an
audible signal means, such as a buzzer or bell, for example, or a
visual signal, such as a light, or any desired combination of
audible or visual signals.
In operation, transistor 10 of the alarm system of the invention
functions as an oscillator to provide an A.C. signal of
substantially constant frequency which is applied to the primary
winding 29 of transformer 30 through the transistor 26. Since the
transistor 26 is connected in an emitter-follower configuration,
the output from this circuit remains substantially constant over a
wide range of load changes, so that multiple tuned circuits and
sensing coils may be supplied from a single oscillator. The voltage
appearing across secondary winding 31 of transformer 30 is applied
to a tuneable circuit consisting of capacitor 32, sensing coil 34
and tuning capacitor 35. When the sensing coil 34 is in place in
proximity to the truck body, the series circuit formed by coil 34
and capacitors 32 and 35 may be tuned to resonance by means of the
variable capacitor 35, so that a maximum current will flow through
the circuit and a maximum reactive voltage drop will appear across
the sensing coil 34. The maximum voltage drop across the sensing
coil 34 will produce a maximum A.C. applied voltage to the bridge
rectifier 42, so that a maximum D.C. current will flow through the
control winding 51 of relay 52 and the series circuit through the
alarm signal means 55 will be opened, thereby deactivating the
alarm. Should the truck to which the sensing coil is affixed be
disconnected from the system by driving the truck away from the
designated area or by manually removing the sensing coil 34 from
the truck body, the inductance and, consequently, the inductive
reactance of the sensing coil 34 will be changed, with the result
that the tuned circuit will become detuned and the voltage
appearing across the sensing coil 34 will be decreased. The
decrease in voltage across the sensing coil 34 will reduce the D.C.
current flowing in the winding 51 of relay 52, so that the movable
contact 56 will be moved to its normally-closed position in contact
with fixed contact 53, thereby causing the alarm signal means 55 to
be energized by the A.C. supply source 58 and the alarm
sounded.
Should the long leads 33 and 36 coupling the sensing coil 34 to the
main portion of the alarm system be cut, or the coil 34 itself be
opened or otherwise tampered with, the alarm will be sounded, since
the tuneable circuit will detune and the current through the relay
winding 51 decrease, thereby closing the alarm signal circuit. The
alarm system of the invention permits all of the components of the
system, with the exception of the sensing coil 34 and the long
leads 33 and 36, to be located in a protected location within the
plant or other building. Since the only exposed portion of the
system is the sensing coil 34 and the leads 33 and 36, any
tampering with the coil or cutting of the long leads will
immediately sound the alarm. The system has also been designed to
be fail-safe, since a failure of the A.C. supply source 14 will
cause the current flowing through the relay winding 51 to fall to
zero, thereby closing the circuit through the alarm signal means
55. In this regard, it may be noted that it would be preferable to
provide an independent power supply for alarm signal means 55, so
that a failure of A.C. supply service to the plant will not prevent
the alarm signal means from being energized. To this end, the alarm
signal means 55 may be designed to operate on direct current and
the A.C. supply source 58 may be replaced by a battery or other
suitable independent electric supply source.
When the sensing coil 34 is located in proximity to a truck body
formed of a magnetic metallic material, such as steel or iron, for
example, the change in inductive reactance of the coil caused by
movement of the coil away from the truck body will be substantial.
When the truck body is formed of a non-magnetic metallic material,
such as aluminum, for example, the movement of the sensing coil
away from the truck body will also cause a variation in the
inductive reactance of the coil because the aluminum of the truck
body is an electrically conductive material and eddy currents will
be induced in the aluminum by the A.C. voltage in the coil. The
presence of the induced currents in the aluminum truck body will
then produce a small, but definite change in the overall inductive
reactance of the sensing coil, so that the removal of the sensing
coil from the truck body will still serve to sound the alarm.
Consequently, the alarm system of the invention may be used with
both magnetic and non-magnetic metallic truck bodies.
The foregoing description of the operation of the alarm system of
the invention is based upon the assumption that the tuneable
circuit formed by the sensing coil 34 and capacitors 32 and 35 is
tuned to a resonant operating condition when the coil is mounted on
the truck body, so that removal of the coil from the body detunes
the circuit to a non-resonant condition. It is believed apparent
that the alarm system would also operate if the tuneable circuit
was tuned to a resonant operating condition before the sensing coil
is mounted on the truck body, so that the circuit is shifted to a
non-resonant operating condition when the coil is mounted on the
truck body. In this situation, the current in the series tuneable
circuit would increase rather than decrease when the sensing coil
is removed from the truck body, whereby the current in the control
winding 51 of the relay 52 would also increase with the result that
the alarm signal means would not be energized. Accordingly, for
this mode of operation, the relay contacts should be biased to a
normally-open position, so that the increase in current through the
relay winding caused by the removal of the sensing coil from the
truck body causes the relay contacts to close, thereby energizing
the alarm signal means. The same effect may also be produced by
suitably biasing the transistor 49 to provide for a decrease in the
current through the relay control winding 51 when the voltage
applied to the base element of the transistor from the rectifier 42
is increased. Accordingly, the alarm system of the invention may be
operated when the tuneable circuit is tuned to either a resonant or
a non-resonant operating condition with the sensing coil mounted on
the truck body.
Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawings, it may be seen that the
alarm system of the invention permits a single oscillator and power
supply to monitor a plurality of trucks or other movable objects.
As seen in FIG. 3, a common oscillator 60 is supplied with a single
power supply 61 and the voltage output of the oscillator is applied
to the parallel-connected sensing coils 62 of a plurality of parked
trucks through coupling capacitors 63. In this arrangement, the
common power supply 61 would be the D.C. supply source 13 shown in
FIG. 1 of the drawings, while the common oscillator 60 would
comprise the transistors 10 and 26 and associated circuitry shown
in the arrangement of FIG. 1. The capacitors 63 and the sensing
coils 62 would respectively correspond to the capacitor 32 and the
sensing coil 34 shown in the circuit of FIG. 1 of the drawings.
Since the transistor 26 in the circuit of FIG. 1 of the drawings is
connected in an emitter-follower circuit, it serves as a buffer
amplifier to provide an output which is constant over a fairly wide
range of load changes. Consequently, the oscillator circuit of FIG.
1 is ideally suited to supply a plurality of parallel-connected
tuneable circuits. In the arrangement of FIG. 3, individual tuning
capacitors 35, rectifiers 42, output transistors 49, relays 52, and
alarm signal means 55 would be located in a central control unit
64, so that each of the plurality of trucks being monitored would
have its own detector and alarm circuit. For example, the alarm
signal means 55 shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings would become a
plurality of separate panel indicator lamps 65 as illustrated in
the arrangement of FIG. 3 of the drawings and could be utilized
with an audible alarm, such as a buzzer or bell, for example, to
provide the necessary warning and identification of the vehicle
being tampered with or removed. In practice, the individual
tuneable circuits associated with each of the sensing coils 62
shown in the arrangement of FIG. 3 would be individually tuned by
the variable capacitor associated with that circuit. By virtue of
this arrangement, trucks having both magnetic and non-magnetic
metallic bodies may be accomodated by a single common oscillator
and power supply.
An alternate arrangement for mounting the sensing coil 34 of the
alarm system of the invention on a truck body is shown in FIGS. 4
and 5 of the drawings. In this arrangement, a cylindrical permanent
magnet 70 is concentrically disposed within an annular sensing coil
71 and the resulting assembly is encapsulated in an Epoxy resin
material 72. The permanent magnet 70 may conveniently comprise a
ceramic magnet which is formed of an electrically non-conductive
material, so that eddy current losses in the permanent magnet
structure are eliminated. The use of a ceramic magnetic material
and the resultant elimination of eddy current losses permit the
permanent magnet to be located within the annular sensing coil 71
to produce the small compact assembly shown. As seen in FIG. 5 of
the drawings, the cylindrical permanent magnet 70 may be magnetized
with radially-disposed pole pairs to increase the holding power of
the magnet. When the truck body is formed of a magnetic material,
such as steel or iron, for example, the structure as described thus
far will hold the sensing coil 71 securely in place against the
truck body. When the truck body is fabricated of a non-magnetic
metallic material, such as aluminum, for example, the permanent
magnet 70 will not be attracted to the truck body. In this case, a
magnetized ceramic disc 73 may be mounted on the truck body by any
convenient means (not shown), such as cementing, screws or
riveting, for example, so that a magnetic attraction exists between
the ceramic disc 73 and the permanent magnet 70 which will hold the
encapsulated sensing coil 71 in place. In order to receive the
ceramic disc, the encapsulation 72 may be conveniently formed with
a centrally-disposed depression 74 as illustrated. If desired, the
magnetized ceramic disc 73 may be replaced by a small steel washer
without creating a substantial eddy current loss and materially
affecting the functioning of the system. The mounting arrangement
shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings produces a sensing coil
arrangement having small size and low weight and reduces the cost
of the system through the elimination of the relatively expensive
C-shaped permanent magnet utilized in the arrangement of FIG. 2 of
the drawings.
From the foregoing description of the alarm system of the
invention, it is believed apparent that the system will not only
function to prevent the removal of a truck from a designated
location but may also be used to sense the unauthorized opening of
a door on the truck body. When the door on the truck body is of the
hinged type, the sensing coil may be affixed to the truck body in a
position where it straddles the small opening between the edge of
the door and the door frame, so that when the door is opened, the
change in magnetic path through a magnetic truck body or the
decrease in eddy current area on a non-magnetic truck body causes
the inductive reactance of the coil to change, thereby sounding the
alarm. When the truck body contains a pair of adjacent, hinged
doors, the diameter of the sensing coil should be increased to a
point where the coil is able to overlap both doors. In some
applications, because of the spacing between the doors, this may
result in a sensing coil having an excessively large diameter. It
is also possible to employ two separate sensing coils with separate
associated tuneable circuits, so that the opening of either door
will sound the alarm. This solution, however, is expensive because
two circuits must be provided for each truck. The sensing coil
arrangement shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings provides a coil which
is capable of covering a large surface area of the body to be
protected. In this arrangement, the sensing coil 80 is wound with a
"figure 8" configuration, so that the coil is long and narrow. The
coil is so placed that it straddles a pair of truck doors
consisting of truck door 1 and truck door 2 which are separated by
a sash strip or frame 81. The "figure 8" configuration produces two
coil sections 82 and 83 which are then respectively located in
proximity to truck door 1 and truck door 2, so that the opening of
either door sounds the alarm signal.
Another arrangement for the sensing coil which facilitates the coil
being used with truck bodies having a pair of hinged doors is shown
in FIG. 7 of the drawings. In this arrangement, the sensing coil 90
consists of a first annular sensing coil 91 and a second annular
sensing coil 92 which are spaced a distance apart. The winding of
coil 91 is connected in series circuit with the winding of coil 92,
so that a variation in inductance of either coil will cause a
detuning of the tuneable circuit associated with the pair of coils.
Sensing coil 91 is located in proximity to truck door 1 and is
arranged to straddle the opening between truck door 1 and the truck
frame or strip 93 which separates the doors, while sensing coil 92
is located in proximity to truck door 2 and is arranged to straddle
the opening between truck door 2 and the door frame 93, so that the
opening of either truck door will vary the total inductance of the
serially-connected sensing coils, thereby detuning the tuned
circuit and sounding the alarm signal.
It is believed apparent that many changes could be made in the
construction and described uses of the foregoing alarm system and
many seemingly different embodiments of the invention could be
constructed without departing from the scope thereof. For example,
the series-tuned circuit energized by the secondary winding 31 of
the transformer 30 in FIG. 1 of the drawings could be replaced by a
suitably designed parallel-tuned circuit and the detector and alarm
circuits modified in a known manner to accomodate the resulting
change in resonance characteristics. It is also believed apparent
that the alarm system of the invention may be used to prevent the
removal or tampering with of movable bulky objects other than truck
bodies. For example, safes and other valuable office and laboratory
equipment could be protected through the use of the present alarm
system. The alarm system of the invention may also be used to
protect and monitor interior and exterior doors in buildings, since
the sensing coil means may be mounted on the door in such manner
that the tuneable circuit means is detuned when the door is opened.
In this case, the door itself would be considered to be the movable
object to be protected. When the door, truck body or other movable
object to be protected is entirely fabricated of a non-metallic
material, such as wood or a plastic, for example, a metallic plate
can be affixed to the object and the sensing coil means mounted on
the plate, so that removal of the sensing coil means from the plate
produces a suitable change in the inductive reactance of the coil
means. By virtue of this arrangement, the alarm system of the
invention is made suitable for use with virtually all movable
objects having at least a metallic portion. Accordingly, it is
intended that all matter contained in the above description or
shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as
illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
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