WO2012107900A1

WO2012107900A1 - Security barrier for the controlled transit of people, animals and items, particularly for the exit from tourist ports and airports

Info

Publication number: WO2012107900A1
Application number: PCT/IB2012/050607
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rinaldo Rinaldi
Original assignee: Saima S.P.A.
Priority date: 2011-02-10
Filing date: 2012-02-10
Publication date: 2012-08-16
Also published as: ITAR20110002A1; IT1404611B1

Abstract

A security barrier (1) for the controlled transit of people, animals and items, particularly for the exit from tourist ports and airports, comprising a frame (2) which is associated with a base (15) for resting on the ground. The frame defines a control chamber (5) provided with means for detecting foreign objects (9) and with at least two accesses: an entrance from a sterile area (3) and an exit toward an unprotected common area (4). The two accesses can be closed respectively by means of at least one first sliding wall (6) and at least one second sliding wall (7) which are mutually interlocked. A particularity of the device resides in that the control chamber (5) is made of a material that reflects microwaves. The microwaves are irradiated by high-frequency energy emitters (1 1) and are picked up by receivers (12), both of which are connected to the frame (2) and to means for assessing the alteration of the electromagnetic field inside the control chamber (5).

Description

SECURITY BARRIER FOR THE CONTROLLED TRANSIT OF PEOPLE, ANIMALS AND ITEMS, PARTICULARLY FOR THE EXIT FROM TOURIST PORTS AND AIRPORTS

The present invention relates to a security barrier for the controlled transit of people, animals and items, particularly for the exit from tourist ports and airports.

The need for greater security in sensitive targets, especially in airports, is felt increasingly.

For this reason, in order to access the boarding area of an airport and then get onto a flight, passengers and baggage are required to be inspected and checked by qualified staff with sensitive and state-of-the-art equipment. The region beyond the checks is known in the technical jargon as the sterile area, and every person, animal or item that is in this area is to be considered clean and checked as regards the danger of attacks or acts for terrorist purposes.

On the contrary, the exit flow from the sterile area toward a common area that is not subjected to checks is free from checks except for customs inspections or is monitored by security staff which blocks any attempts to enter the sterile area from the unchecked common area.

Utilizing this security gap, today, despite constant and enormous investment by individual governments and airport operators, it is nonetheless still rather easy for an ill-intentioned individual to take advantage of peak airport traffic times to elude the surveillance of security staff and access easily the sterile area from the unchecked area, accessing in practice the sterile area from the direction opposite to the direction of passenger flow.

In some airports it has been decided to prevent this possibility by creating a one-way security barrier between the sterile area and the unchecked common area.

In the background art, the most widespread security barriers are the ones with revolving doors of the drum-like type, which have cylindrical walls that delimit an access compartment monitored by specialized staff and are rendered unidirectional by means of radars, capacitive mats or other known means.

Usually, two access openings are provided in this type of device and are regulated for opening and closing by means of a central door which can revolve about an axis substantially normal to the ground, of the type that is commonly found in hotel lobbies.

Barriers of this type, which occupy a surface of 30-40 square meters, are first of all too bulky, especially for old or medium-small facilities. In such cases, providing a security barrier at the exit of the baggage pick-up area can become an unsurmountable problem, since it would force the company that manages services in the airport to bear high costs and renounce spaces for commercial activities.

Moreover, these barriers force passengers who carry baggage and/or push trolleys to follow the motion of the revolving door wing, with the risk of tripping or becoming jammed, with all the consequences (also in terms of financial damage) that this might entail.

This problem is even worse in the case of handicapped people, elderly people or people with walking impediments, who are sometimes forced to seek help from assigned staff or other passengers in order to cross the barrier.

Another type of one-way security barrier can provide revolving doors with a wing, which have smaller space occupation dimensions than the drum solution and have a configuration that makes the barrier better accessible to the handicapped or to people with mobility problems.

However, barriers of this type, as well as those of the rotating drum type, become blocked when an attempt is made to enter the common area from the uncontrolled area; in this case the alarm system connected for example to the radar or capacitive mat blocks the device, and the passengers in the access compartment remain trapped, without the possibility of continuing or going back until an operator restores normal operation.

In addition to this, these types of one-way security barriers are unable to ensure absolute impenetrability from the common area to the sterile area.

Consider, for example, the risk that might arise if an ill-intentioned individual in the common area places or throws a foreign object (explosive material, a container of flammable liquid, a weapon...) into the access compartment, eluding surveillance and taking advantage of the opening of the doors that is actuated by the passage of unwitting travelers. It would be easy for an accomplice of said individual who is in the sterile area to take possession of the foreign object simply by entering the access compartment and pretending to exit from the sterile area.

Another Achilles' heel of barriers of this type is the fact that they allow, because of the way in which they are made, an introduction of blades, sheets of explosive or other thin and dangerous material through the gap between the revolving door and the movement platform.

Because of these problems, these security barriers must be monitored constantly by more than one person, with onerous costs.

The aim of the invention is to eliminate the drawbacks noted above in known types of security barriers for the controlled transit of people, animals and items, particularly for the exit from tourist ports and airports, which is compact, so as to allow its installation even in small or old airports, enhancing the security measures of the facility without renouncing the revenues of commercial activities.

Within the scope of this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a security barrier for the controlled transit of people, animals and items, particularly for the exit from tourist ports and airports, that allows easy oneway transit for all travelers, even those with heavy baggage and suitcases, and to people with severe mobility and walking impediments, preventing the blocking of the passengers inside the access compartment in case of an alarm.

Another object of the invention is to provide a security barrier that does not allow the introduction of foreign objects into the structure from the unprotected common area.

Another object of the security barrier according to the invention is to allow minimal surveillance by specialized airport staff so as to limit management costs.

Another object of the invention is to provide a security barrier for the controlled transit of people, animals and items, particularly for the exit from tourist ports and airports, with means which are easily commercially available and by using common materials, so that the device is commercially competitive.

This aim, as well as these and other objects which will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a security barrier for the controlled transit of people, animals and items, particularly for the exit from tourist ports and airports, comprising a frame which is associated with a base for resting on the ground and defining a control chamber provided with means for detecting foreign objects and provided with at least two accesses, an entrance from a sterile area and an exit toward an unprotected common area, said at least two accesses being able to be closed respectively by means of at least one first sliding wall and at least one second sliding wall which are mutually interlocked, characterized in that said control chamber is made of a material that reflects microwaves, said microwaves being irradiated by high- frequency energy emitters and being picked up by receivers, both of which are connected to said frame and to means for assessing the alteration of the electromagnetic field inside said control chamber.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the security barrier for the controlled transit of people, animals and items, particularly for the exit from tourist ports and airports, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevated perspective view of the security barrier according to the invention in the standby step;

Figure 2 is a perspective view, from below, of the security barrier in the standby step;

Figure 3 is a first sectional view, taken along a plane which is substantially normal to the ground, of the security barrier;

Figure 4 is a view of a detail of Figure 3 ;

Figure 5 is a view of a detail of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a second sectional view, taken along a plane which is substantially normal to the ground, of the security barrier;

Figure 7 is a view of a first detail of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a view of another detail of Figure 6.

With reference to the cited figures, the security barrier for the controlled transit of people, animals and items, particularly for the exit from tourist ports and airports, generally designated by the reference numeral 1 , according to the invention, comprises a frame 2, which is associated with a base 15 for resting on the ground 10 and defines a control chamber 5. The chamber 5 is provided with means for detecting foreign objects 9 and is provided with at least two accesses: an entrance from a sterile area 3 and an exit toward an unprotected common area 4. The two accesses can be closed respectively by means of at least one first sliding wall 6 and at least one second sliding wall 7 which are mutually interlocked.

A particular characteristic of the control chamber 5 is that it is made of a material that reflects microwaves, i.e., of a material that is electrically conducting in a broad sense, for example in the 10-GHz range. The microwaves, with environment saturation, are irradiated by high-frequency energy emitters 1 1 and are picked up by receivers 12, both of which are interconnected to means for assessing the alteration of the electromagnetic field inside the control chamber 5 which are connected to the frame 2.

In the constructive solution presented here, the frame 2 has two fixed walls 13 made of metalized glass, which are associated with a ceiling 14 and with the base 15 by means of a set of supporting beams 16 which is composed of horizontal beams and vertical columns made of metal or covered with metallic material or in any case adapted to reflect microwaves.

Moreover, it has been decided to provide the walls 6 and 7 by means of a double wing.

In other constructive examples, the fixed and sliding walls (13, 6 and 7) can be made of glass which includes a metallic mesh with a spacing which is relatively small with respect to the wavelength that corresponds to the microwave emission band.

Advantageously, the base 15 has at least one guiding slot 8, which is provided in depth, for at least one of the two sliding walls 6 and 7.

As clearly shown in Figure 4, each one of the walls 6 and 7 can have at least one tooth 21 which slidingly engages the slot 8.

In the constructive solution preferred herein, it has been decided to provide two slots 8: one for the first sliding wall 6 and the other one for the second sliding wall 7.

Thanks to this system, there is no gap between the bottom of the walls 6 and 7 and the ground 10 and therefore ill-intentioned individuals determined to pass explosive sheets or weapons which are thin enough for said gap, thus attempting to bypass in this manner the inspection of the microwave system, are forced to renounce their plans.

Advantageously, the means for assessing the alteration of the electromagnetic field inside the chamber 5 comprise an electronic computer which is connected in input to the emitters 1 1 and to the detectors 12 and in output to alarm means, such as for example a siren.

Preferably, the device comprises corner elements 17 which are fixed on the resting base 15 and connected to the frame 2 (see Figure 7). The elements 17 are for covering the corners formed by the intersection between the fixed walls 13 and the base 15, so as to allow the microwaves that saturate the environment to bounce better inside the chamber 5.

Advantageously, there are protection means, connected to the frame 2, against the concealment of foreign objects 9 in the interspace formed between the ceiling 14 and the frame 2, in order to elude detection by the microwave system.

Said protection means are useful in preventing an ill-intentioned individual from concealing a foreign object 9 in the interspace between the frame 2 and the ceiling 14, i.e., above the control chamber, and preventing an accomplice coming from the sterile area from easily taking possession of it by accessing the chamber 5.

With reference to Figures 5 and 7, the protection means comprise flat laminae 18. Each one of these laminae 18 has a first flap which is associated with an end portion of one of the walls 13 and a second flap which is rigidly fixed to the ceiling 14.

The protection means can preferably comprise curved laminae 19, which have a first end rigidly coupled to the set of beams 16 and the other end associated with the ceiling 14.

In practice, the ill-intentioned individual is prevented from being able to enter the sterile area directly, he cannot introduce into the chamber 5 the explosive material, the weapon or the container of liquid that he seeks to introduce into the sterile area 3 due to the environment saturation microwave means, and passage from the bottom of the walls 6 and 7 is not possible to him. As a last move, therefore, he might consider concealing explosives or weapons in the gap between the frame 2 and the ceiling 14, which the accomplice would then recover. By using the laminae 18 and/or 19, even this last risk situation is avoided.

The control method for people, animals and items in transit through a security barrier, particularly for the exit from tourist ports and airports, comprises the steps that consist in:

- bringing the security barrier 1 to a standby step. The barrier 1 comprises, on a frame 2 which defines a control chamber 5, has means for detecting foreign objects 9 and is provided with at least two accesses: an entrance from a sterile area 3 and an exit toward an unprotected common area 4, which can be closed respectively by means of at least one first sliding wall 6 and at least one second sliding wall 7, which are mutually interlocked;

- making people, animals and items enter the chamber 5 through the entrance from the sterile area 3;

- evacuating the inside of the control chamber 5, making people, animals and items exit through the exit toward the common area 4;

- bringing the security barrier 1 to a control step with the walls 6 and 7 in the closed position, so that emitters 1 1 of high-frequency energy connected to the frame 2 irradiate microwaves within the control chamber 5. The emitters 1 1 are connected to means for assessing the alteration of the electromagnetic field detected by receivers 12, which are also connected to the frame 2 inside the control chamber 5.

In practice, a passenger or a group of passengers who pass through the sterile area toward the common area are forced to pass through the security barrier 1 , which is in the standby step, with the wall 6 in the open position and the wall 7 closed.

The passengers enter the control chamber 5, the wall 7 opens and allows the passengers to access the common area 4.

Once the control chamber 5 has been evacuated and therefore in this step contains no people or animals, the doors close and the barrier 1 enters the control step; the emitters and detectors are activated and penetrate the interior of the chamber 5 with beams of microwaves.

The computer, by means of an adapted program, allows to assess the presence of foreign objects by comparing the value of the electromagnetic field acquired during this step with a preset value, which is measured in case of perfect sterility of the control chamber 5 (absence of any foreign object 9)·

Once this check has been performed, if there are no alarms the device returns to the standby step; otherwise specialized staff takes action (bomb squad, police, etcetera).

In this manner, if ill-intentioned individuals have hidden explosives, weapons or any other object inside the chamber 5, for example by attaching it to the walls, eluding security, they will fail in their attempt since the presence of foreign objects is detected by the microwaves and signaled by the alarm means, which allow the security operators to intervene.

The passage of dangerous material in the gap between the walls and the ground 10 also is impeded by provision of the walls 6 and 7 so that they can slide on guiding grooves provided within the base 15.

Likewise, the protection means (laminae 18 and 19) prevent the concealment of dangerous material in the gap comprised between the ceiling 14 and the frame 2, in order to prevent the detection of foreign objects 9 by means of the microwaves.

From what has been described above it is thus evident that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects, and in particular the fact is stressed that a security barrier for the controlled transit of people, animals and items, particularly for the exit from tourist ports and airports, is provided which has very small dimensions, with an equal number of average transits per minute, as compared to barriers with revolving doors (be they of the drum or of the wing type) and therefore can be used in small or old airports, allowing an increase in security measures without renouncing spaces for commercial activities.

In particular, the provision of the barrier with mutually independent sliding entry and exit doors allows easy transit even to passengers with trolleys or bulky baggage, handicapped persons, and elderly people and people with walking impediments, without the risk of remaining blocked inside the control chamber if an anomaly is detected, waiting for the intervention of the assigned personnel.

In addition to this, since the resting base has a smooth surface, because the sliding guides of the doors are provided in depth, the risk of tripping has been eliminated, allowing an even easier transit to people passing through.

Another advantage of the invention is that, thanks to the microwave system, it is not possible for ill-intentioned individuals or accomplices thereof to place weapons, explosives or other kinds of dangerous item on the internal walls of the structure, even without the surveillance of assigned staff. In practice, any possibility is prevented of:

- placing or throwing foreign objects into the control chamber, thanks to the use of the microwave system,

- passing under the walls small and substantially two-dimensional objects such as sheets or plates, thanks to the provision of a guide formed inside the resting base (and therefore by means of a recess), and

- concealing foreign objects in the interspace between the frame and the ceiling of the device thanks to the (flat and/or curved) protective laminae.

Another advantage of the barrier according to the invention is that it allows minimal surveillance by specialized staff, with all the economic benefits that derive from this, thanks to the complete inviolability of the control chamber and of the microwave detection system.

Last but not least, the device is also competitive thanks to the use of means which are easily commercially available and of commercially known materials.

In practice it has been found that the device according to the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects, making it possible to reduce space occupation and facilitating the transit of travelers with bulky baggage or with walking impediments, increasing the level of security of the facility with respect to known devices. The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.

All the details may furthermore be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

In practice, the materials used, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to the requirements, as long as they are consistent with the constructive aim.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application no. AR201 1 A000002, from which this application claims priority, are incorporated herein by reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

1. A security barrier (1) for the controlled transit of people, animals and items, particularly for the exit from tourist ports and airports, comprising a frame (2) which is associated with a base (15) for resting on the ground (10) and defining a control chamber (5) provided with means for detecting foreign objects (9) and with at least two accesses, an entrance from a sterile area (3) and an exit toward an unprotected common area (4), said at least two accesses being able to be closed respectively by means of at least one first sliding wall (6) and at least one second sliding wall (7) which are mutually interlocked, characterized in that said control chamber (5) is made of a material that reflects microwaves, said microwaves being irradiated by high-frequency energy emitters (1 1) and being picked up by receivers (12), both of which are connected to said frame (2) and to means for assessing the alteration of the electromagnetic field inside said control chamber (5).

2. The barrier according to claim 1 , characterized in that said frame (2) comprises at least two fixed walls (13), which are associated with said resting base (15) and with a ceiling (14) by means of a set of supporting beams (16) made of a material adapted to reflect microwaves.

3. The barrier according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one guiding slot (8) for at least one of said at least one first sliding wall (6) and said at least one second sliding wall (7).

4. The barrier according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one of said at least one first sliding wall (6) and said at least one second sliding wall (7) comprises at least one tooth (21) which engages slidingly said guiding slot (8).

5. The barrier according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said alteration assessment means comprise an electronic computer which is connected in input to said emitters (1 1) and to said detectors (12) and in output to alarm means.

6. The barrier according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises corner elements (17) which are connected to said frame (2) and are fixed to said resting base (15), for covering the corners defined by the intersection between said fixed walls (13) and said resting base (15) made of microwave-reflecting material.

7. The barrier according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises protection means, connected to said frame (2), against the concealment of said foreign objects (9) within the interspace defined between said ceiling (14) and said frame (2).

8. The barrier according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said protection means comprise flat laminae (18), each one of said flat laminae (18) having a first flap which is associated with an end portion of one of said fixed walls (13) and a second flap which is firmly fixed to said ceiling (14).

9. The barrier according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said protection means comprise curved laminae (19), each one of said curved laminae (19) having a first end which is integral with said set of supporting beams ( 16) and the other end which is associated with said ceiling (14).

10. A control method for people, animals and items in transit through a security barrier, particularly for the exit from tourist ports and airports, comprising the following steps:

- bringing a security barrier (1) to a standby step, said security barrier (1) comprising, on a frame (2) which defines a control chamber (5), has means for detecting foreign objects (9) and is provided with at least two accesses, an entrance from a sterile area (3) and an exit toward an unprotected common area (4), which can be closed respectively by means of at least one first sliding wall (6) and at least one second sliding wall (7) which are mutually interlocked; - making people, animals and items enter said control chamber (5) through said entrance from said sterile area (3);

- evacuating the inside of said control chamber (5), making people, animals and items exit through said exit toward said common area (4);

- bringing said security barrier to a control step with said at least one first sliding wall (6) and said at least one second sliding wall (7) in the closed position, so that emitters (1 1) of high-frequency energy connected to said frame (2) irradiate microwaves within said control chamber (5), said emitters (1 1) being connected to means for assessing the alteration of the electromagnetic field detected by receivers (12) which are connected to said frame (2) inside the control chamber (5).