Method and apparatus for detecting radio-frequency weapon use

An apparatus for detecting usage of a radio-frequency weapon, comprising:

• a. means for receiving a signal having an amplitude, wherein the signal comprises a plurality of signal components;
• b. means for determining a background signal amplitude of the plurality of signal components;
• c. means for filtering the signal to generate a filtered signal corresponding only to signal components of the plurality of signal components having amplitudes greater than a preselected margin above the amplitude of the background signal;
• d. means for comparing the filtered signal to a plurality of known signals;
• and
• e. means for generating an alarm when the filtered signal does not correspond to any of the plurality of known signals.

An apparatus for detecting use of a radio-frequency weapon, comprising:

• a. an antenna responsive to a radio-frequency signal, the radio frequency signal comprising a plurality of signal components, each of which has an associated amplitude;
• b. means for generating a digital representation of the amplitude of the radio-frequency signal;
• c. a digital computer programmed to:
• i. periodically sample and record the digital representation of the amplitude of the first signal during a preselected number of sampling episodes, thereby generating a plurality of recorded amplitudes;
• ii. generate a sum of each of the plurality of recorded amplitudes;
• iii. generate a quotient of the sum divided by the preselected number;
• and
• iv. generate a time-averaged amplitude signal representative of the quotient;
• d. means for generating a threshold signal so that the threshold signal has an amplitude equal to the time average amplitude of the radio-frequency signal plus a preselected offset amplitude;
• e. means, responsive to the threshold signal, for attenuating each of the plurality of signal components having an amplitude not greater than the amplitude of the threshold signal and for generating a suspect signal comprising any of the plurality of signal components having an amplitude greater than the amplitude of the threshold signal;
• f. means for generating a digital signal representation of the suspect signal;
• g. means for comparing the digital representation of the suspect signal to a plurality of digital signal representations of preselected signal types;
• h. means for generating an alarm when the digital signal representation of the suspect signal does not correspond to any of the digital signal representations of the preselected signal types;
• and
• i. means for generating a false-alarm indicator when the suspect signal corresponds to at least one of the digital signal representations of the preselected signal types.

A method of detecting usage of a radio-frequency weapon, comprising:

• a. receiving a signal, having an amplitude, wherein the signal comprises a plurality of signal components;
• b. determining a background signal amplitude of the plurality of signal components;
• c. filtering the signal to generate a filtered signal corresponding only to signal components of the plurality of signal components having amplitudes greater than a preselected margin greater than the amplitude of the background signal;
• d. comparing the filtered signal to a plurality of known signals;
• and
• e. generating an alarm when the filtered signal does not correspond to any of the plurality of known signals.