Cabinet with tamper detection system and method

Abstract

A cabinet formed of a plurality of panels, includes a tamper detection system that includes an electrical circuit for detecting forming of a hole in a protected region of at least one panels. The electrical circuit includes at least one conductive trace on one of the panels. The conductive trace spans a protected region, wherein the minimum distance from any point in the protected region to the at least one conductive trace does not exceed some defined maximum. An electrical current source provides a current through the conductive trace. A sensor is in electrical communication with the electrical current source to sense a change in current provided to the trace and generate a tamper signal in response thereto.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 577,303, filed Dec. 19, 2011 the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to tamper detection, and more particularly to cabinets that include tamper sensors and related methods.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Often cabinets housing electronic equipment or valuables need to be secured against tamper and theft. One way to provide such security is to use an electronic alarm that produces a signal in response to sensed tampering[0004]A common way in which cabinets may be tampered with is by drilling or cutting holes through cabinet panels so that an intruder may gain access to the cabinet interior. Accordingly, existing approaches to detecting cabinet tampering include detection of indicia of drilling.[0005]An approach uses a vibration sensor and possibly a pattern recognition algorit...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent describes a tamper detection system for cabinet panels that uses an electrical circuit to detect when someone tries to drill a hole in a protected area of the panel. The system includes a conductive trace that is placed on the panel and spans the protected area. The conductive trace is connected to an electrical current source, and a sensor is connected to the current source to detect any changes in the current. The system can generate a tamper signal if it detects any attempt to tamper with the panel. The technical effect of the invention is to provide an effective way to protect against unauthorized access to cabinet panels and prevent damage or tampering.

Problems solved by technology

Unfortunately, this method requires high processing power to recognize vibration patterns associated with drilling.

Moreover, vibration sensors are sensitive to environmental sources of vibration, such as vibrations in building walls, vibrations from nearby vehicles and industrial noise.

Further, vibration-based systems can fail to detect tampering using certain types of tools.

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