SEISMIC-ACOUSTIC HYBRID SENSOR & ITS APPLICATIONS

John Sledge
46TW/TSR (RANGES DIVISION)
Eglin AFB Florida 32542

ABSTRACT
The need for instrumentation to gather seismic-acoustic signatures under
unusual conditions requires the use of low cost, simple design, and robust
sensors. In some instances, the sensors must adapt and mold to the
environmental medium to provide proper coupling for data collection
purposes. This paper explains how the idea of a hybrid seismic-acoustic
sensor originated and initially implemented. Testing shows the device
performs as a seismic and acoustic signature-gathering sensor. The data
product from the hybrid sensor is similar to those sensors available
through commercial sources. Further evolution of the hybrid sensor and
additional commercial applications for the device are discussed.
SECTION I
INTRODUCTION
The seismic-acoustic hybrid sensor addressed the need of a low-cost, simple
design and robust capability. The sensor was considered hybrid because it
reacted to seismic and seismic phenomena. The sensor was deployed in the
field in one of two ways. One method crested the sensor on top of the
ground. The second method required burying the sensor in the soil. Once
deployed, the hybrid sensor operated for long periods of time, nominally
for months.
Earlier designs of the hybrid sensor appeared in the mid-1970s. The basic
design consisted of 20 AWG Teflon insulated wire placed inside a copper
tube. Variations of design included different lengths, and diameters of
copper tubing to capitalize on signal detection. Coupled with detection was
analyzing the data. Preliminary findings, striking a plate with a
sledgehammer and generating sound from speakers, showed detection possible
and conventional signal processing techniques useful.
Follow-on testing involved sensor detection of different vehicles. One
significant observation regarding soil characteristics was noted.
Neighboring soil behaved similar to a low-pass filter. Since most vehicular
traffic of interest operated in the same frequency range, the observation
did not affect the collected data. Signatures from people walking or
running also fall within the same bandwidth making the device useful for
perimeter security purposes.
SECTION II
DESIGN AND OPERATION OF THE SEISMIC-ACOUSTIC HYBRID SENSOR
The mechanically flexible hybrid sensor easily adapts to various
environments. The device has inherent high noise characteristics similar to
those found in noise coaxial cables. Triboelectricity, current generated by
friction, is the chief cause of electrical noise in coaxial cables. Using a
standard length of RG-58 coaxial cable produces erratic bursts of noise
when acted upon by an external force. These bursts of erratic noise are
unmanageable and non-reproducible using basic signal processing techniques.

MICA
Electronics
A number of mica insulator slices for TO-3 and TO-264 packages.
Mica has a high dielectric strength and excellent chemical stability,
making it a favoured material for manufacturing capacitors for radio frequency
applications.
It has also been used as an insulator in high voltage electrical equipment,
and between the bars of commutators in direct current motors and generators.
Mica is used because it can be split into very thin slices,
and this keeps its thermal resistance low while retaining sufficient dielectric
strength
to prevent current from flowing across it at moderate voltages.
The insulation is usually necessary when the heat sink is earthed (grounded)
while the electronic component's metal surfaces will be connected to a
power supply or signal line. If they were in direct contact this could form a
short circuit. Heat sink insulation can also be necessary to prevent the heat s
ink from
acting like an antenna if the component is connected to a rapidly varying signa
l.
TWR-ISM-002-I Radar
FEATURES
High reliability, low false alarm motion detection out to an adjustable range of
greater
than 50 feet.
Very low power consumption, 7.5 mill-amps typical.
Small, light, low profile circuit board with standard 51 pin interface connector
s.
Digital detection output and analog baseband output for direct connection to pop
ular
micro-controllers (Atmel for example).
On/Off input for power budget control.
Low noise receiver for sensitive detection, less than 1 micro volt typical.
Passband out to 30 Hz minimum for detection of slow walking to fast running targ
ets.

POWER REQUIREMENTS
The +3.6V power pin can be connected directly to a battery. Minimum voltage requ
ired
is 3.4 volts, maximum is 6.0 volts. Current consumption is less than 1 milli-amp
.
The +5.5V power pin requires a regulated voltage of 5.5 volts +/-1% at a nominal
7.5
milli-amps. Note that lower voltage on this pin will result in reduced radar ran
ge or nonoperation,
while excessive voltage on this pin can result in damage to the
radar.

RANGE ADJUSTING
The TWR-ISM-002-I radar can be adjusted for a detection range out to a maximum o
f 60
feet, and is preset at the factory for 50 feet.
Round trip time is 2.03 nano-seconds per foot of range. As an example, for a 50
foot
range, the round trip time is 50ft x 2.03nSec/ft = 101.5 nSec.
The desired round trip time, and therefore the detection range, is adjusted by t
urning the
range potentiometer as shown below:
ADJUSTING DETECTION THRESHOLD
The detect threshold can be adjusted for optimum operation depending upon your
implementation of the radar, and is set by the factory for a nominal 0.11 volts,
which is
typical for 50 foot operation with an antenna elevation of 1 foot, and will prov
ide proper
operation for most cases.
You may want to adjust the threshold upwards for shorter range operation, with 0
.5 volts
being a practical upper limit.
Radar sensitivity will decrease as antenna elevation is reduced due to ground bo
unce
reflection, and you may want to adjust the threshold downward to compensate, wit
h
0.05 volts being a practical minimum.
The detect threshold is adjusted by turning the single turn potentiometer (clock
wise
rotation makes the radar more sensitive, i.e., lower threshold voltage), and mea
suring the
threshold voltage at the top of the capacitor above the potentiometer as shown b
elow:
Tech Tip - in this configuration of the TWR-ISM-002-I board, adjusting the thres
hold
requires a "light touch". Only the end 10% of total potentiometer rotation is us
ed.

MICA 2 NETWORK NODE

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) often feature a (single) base station in charge
of
coordinating the application functionality.
Although this assumption simplified the path to adoption of WSN technology,
researchers are now exploring more decentralized architectures with
multiple sinks and heterogeneous nodes.
These scenarios are brought to an extreme in Wireless Sensor and Actor Networks
(WSANs),
where sensing and acting nodes collaborate in a decentralized fashion to implem
ent
complex control loops. In these settings, new programming abstractions are requ
ired to
manage complexity and heterogeneity without sacrificing efficiency.

To address this issue, we have proposed Logical Neighborhoods: a novel programmi

ng abstraction for WSNs. A logical neighborhood includes nearby nodes that satis
fy predicates over their static (e.g., type) or dynamic (e.g., sensed values) ch
aracteristics. The span of the neighborhood and the definition of its predicates
are specified declaratively, along with requirements about the cost of the comm
unication involved. Logical neighborhoods enable the programmer to slice the net
work according to the application needs, effectively replacing the physical neig
hborhood provided by wireless broadcast with a higher-level, application-defined
notion of proximity.