Year
1992
Abstract
The Barrier Integrity Monitor (BIM) is an opticalfiber- based perimeter sensor system designed for arms control monitoring of large treaty-limited items. The BIM system is not intended to detect human intruders but, rather, to monitor the integrity of a perimeter structure that would deter the movement of large items across the perimeter of a treaty monitored site. The BIM uses an optical cable threaded through fence elements or posts and an optical communication link that transmits a coded signal through the fiber to verify the fiber's integrity. Any disruption of the signal indicates a disruption of the fiber. A separate fiber is placed across each segment of the perimeter, allowing identification of the sector that has been penetrated. The importance of the BIM system is that there are no active electronics in the perimeter and that the optical fiber is immune to sources of interference. This results in a perimeter sensor system with very low maintenance and low false alarm rates. A previous BIM design included highly sensitive monitoring electronics and a fairly massive barrier structure. Current development has simplified the monitoring electronics for greater reliability and reduced false alarm and nuisance alarm rates. The barrier is designed to be readily deployed and to accommodate personnel or vehicle portals and variations in terrain. This paper discusses the development of the BIM system and the results of the construction and testing of a field prototype.