Year
2002
Abstract
The ReflectoActive TM Seals system, a continuously monitored fiber optic, active seal technology, provides real-time tamper indication for large arrays of storage containers. The system includes a PC running the RFAS software, an Immediate Detection Unit (IDU), an Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR), links of fiber optic cable, and the methods and devices used to attach the fiber optic cable to the containers. When a breach on any of the attached fiber optic cable loops occurs, the IDU immediately signals the connected computer to control the operations of an OTDR to seek the breach location. The ReflectoActive TM Seals System can be adapted for various types of container closure designs and implemented in almost any container configuration. This automatic protection of valued assets can significantly decrease the time and money required for surveillance. The RFAS software is the multi-threaded, client-server application that monitors and controls the components of the system. The software administers the security measures such as a two-person rule as well as continuous event logging. Additionally the software's architecture provides a secure method by which local or remote clients monitor the system and perform administrative tasks. These features provide the user with a robust system to meet today's material control and accountability needs. A brief overview of the hardware, and different hardware configurations will be given. The architecture of the system software, and its benefits will then be discussed. Finally, the features to be implemented in future versions of the system will be presented.