It is often necessary to protect a perimeter of a site in addition to critical area located within the site itself. This requires an integration of different sensors optimised for different tasks.
A typical example is an airport where a large perimeter has to be protected, while intruders must also be tracked across large open areas adjacent to aircraft, hangers or communication equipment. The same issues arise at many other locations, including utility and infrastructure sites. The problem is finding an integrated solution that works reliably using multiple detectors without either system causing mutual interference or degrading performance of the other. The major limitation with installing a mix of different sensors is the effort required to prove conclusively that interoperability exists under all circumstances.
Our solution: Combination of Super-Beam and Scan 360
We have designed the Super-Beam and Scan-360 radar systems with interoperability in mind. By combining our deep knowledge of these complimentary products with accurate testing in controlled environments we know they will work together. This is unlike other wide area sensors from other manufacturers that use the same frequencies or modulation as perimeter sensors from a different manufacturer, which places the burden on the installer to prove that the equipment will operate at the same site without issues. This is surprisingly non-trivial and typically requires a lab environment and complex calculations rather than the more pragmatic, but un-wise “switch it on and see” approach.
Key benefits
Interference free
We have worked very hard to devise reliable, accurate and affordable synchronisation systems for our radars to ensure that when a beam from one equipment passes over another, it will ensure that there is always a difference in the instantaneous frequencies of the two. All of our radar sensors have integrated satellite receivers that receive ultra-precise timing signals derived from atomic clocks. This is used, in conjunction with hardware filters and software routines to aid the removal of unwanted signals, mitigating mutual interference.
Radar interoperability
We have undertaken side-by-side trials of the equipment to demonstrate the interoperability of the integrated radar systems. The various equipment was set to use different channel numbers with respect to the adjacent radars to maintain the expected high performance levels.
Optimised sensors
Our integrated approach uses the most appropriate sensor for each requirement. The Scan-360 is optimised for wide area detection using monostatic radar technology, whereas the Super-Beam is optimised for narrow perimeter protection using bistatic radar technology. By using dedicated sensor types that are designed for interoperability this combined arrangement gives the optimal performance for the security of large sites.