Patents Represented by Attorney Koestner Bertani LLP
  • Patent number: 6711954
    Abstract: A system for identifying ultrasonic displacements in a material under test utilizing a time-varying output pulse of a first laser beam. The system includes a seed laser light source for providing a laser beam, a modulating assembly in the path of propagation of the laser beam for time-varying of the laser beam, at least one optical isolation assembly placed in the path of propagation of the laser beam for preventing reflected laser light feedback into the seed laser light source, and at least one laser light amplification assembly placed in the path of propagation of the laser beam for amplifying the laser beam which passes the amplified time-varying output pulse of the laser beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: Thomas E. Drake, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6684701
    Abstract: The invention provides for ultrasonically measuring the porosity in a sample composite material by accessing only one side of the sample composite material and includes the steps of measuring a sample ultrasonic signal from the sample composite material, normalizing the sample ultrasonic signal relative to the surface echo of the sample composite material, and isolating a sample back-wall echo signal from the sample ultrasonic signal. A sample frequency spectrum of the sample back-wall ultrasonic signal is then determined. Next, the method and system include the steps of measuring a reference ultrasonic signal from a reference composite material, normalizing the reference ultrasonic signal relative to the surface echo of the reference composite material; and isolating a reference back-wall echo signal from the sample ultrasonic signal. A reference frequency spectrum of the reference back-wall ultrasonic signal is then determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2004
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Marc Dubois, John B. Deaton, Jr., Peter W. Lorraine, Thomas E. Drake, Jr., Robert J. Filkins
  • Patent number: 6682021
    Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for actively manipulating and controlling aerodynamic or hydrodynamic fluid flow over a surface. More specifically, the present invention provides a system and method to control aerodynamic or hydrodynamic fluid flow behavior of a ducted fluid flow using very-small-scale effectors. The system and method for actively manipulating and controlling fluid flow over a surface includes the placement of arrays of very-small-scale effectors on ducted surfaces bounding the ducted fluid flow. These very-small-scale effectors are actively manipulated to control the flow behavior of the ducted fluid flow and prevent flow separation within the primary fluid flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Philip P. Truax, Daniel N. Miller, Jeffrey W. Hamstra, Patrick J. Yagle
  • Patent number: 6668654
    Abstract: A system and method for testing a physical attribute of a manufactured object that includes a laser generator and pulse generator that generate a plurality of Dirac-like pulses. The pulses, directed at an object, cause a sonic signal to be initiated indicative of the physical attribute of the manufactured object, and are detected. The system also controls the width of the Dirac-like pulses and time separation between pulses. A display may also be used to present the detected signal or physical attribute. The Dirac-like pulses are structured to produce a particular output in the manufactured object. The Dirac-like pulses may be altered dynamically in the presence of deviations from the expected output. One embodiment of the Dirac-like pulses is a series of pulses with pulse widths less than 20% a time separation between successive pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Marc Dubois, Peter W. Lorraine, Robert J. Filkins
  • Patent number: 6657733
    Abstract: The present invention detects ultrasonic displacements includes a detection laser to generate a first pulsed laser beam to detect the ultrasonic surface displacements on a surface of the target. Collection optics to collect phase modulated light from the first pulsed laser beam either reflected or scattered by the target. An optical amplifier which amplifies the phase modulated light collected by the collection optics. An interferometer which processes the phase modulated light and generate at least one output signal. A processor that processes the at least one output signal to obtain data representative of the ultrasonic surface displacement at the target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: Thomas E. Drake, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6649900
    Abstract: A photoreceiver assembly for accurately separating at least one low level, high frequency signal carried from a large, low frequency pulse. Illustratively, in one exemplary embodiment, the photoreceiver assembly extracts a high frequency ultrasonic signal from the optical frequency of light by shining that ultrasonic base band signal onto a photodetector for conversion into an electrical signal in the bandwidth of interest. The photoreceiver assembly includes a photodetector and a splitter coupled to the photodetector. The splitter is also coupled to a plurality of transimpedance signal paths. In operation, the splitter receives a current from the photodetector, separates, and directs the current to the plurality of transimpedance signal paths. In one exemplarily embodiment, the photoreceiver further includes a transimpedance amplifier assembly coupled to at least one path of the transimpedance signal paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Filkins, Thomas E. Drake
  • Patent number: 6643002
    Abstract: The invention is directed to an ultrasonic testing system. The system tests a manufactured part for various physical attributes, including specific flaws, defects, or composition of materials. The part can be housed in a gantry system that holds the part stable. An energy generator illuminates the part within energy and the part emanates energy from that illumination. Based on the emanations from the part, the system can determined precisely where the part is in free space. The energy illumination device and the receptor have a predetermined relationship in free space. This means the location of the illumination mechanism and the reception mechanism is known. Additionally, the coordinates of the actual testing device also have a predetermined relationship to the illumination device, the reception device, or both.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: Thomas E. Drake, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6633384
    Abstract: The present invention for detecting ultrasonic displacements includes a detection laser to generate a first pulsed laser beam to generate the ultrasonic surface displacements on a surface of the target. A second pulsed laser beam to detect the ultrasonic surface displacements on a surface of the target. Collection optics to collect phase modulated light from the first pulsed laser beam either reflected or scattered by the target. An interferometer which processes the phase modulated light and generate at least one output signal. A processor that processes the at least one output signal to obtain data representative of the ultrasonic surface displacements at the target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas E. Drake, Jr., Mark A. Osterkamp
  • Patent number: 6601020
    Abstract: A method and system using one or more load cells coordinates load testing of one or more sites under test over a network such as the Internet in accordance with one or more load test requests. In one embodiment, such method and system facilitates an economic, efficient, and accurate evaluation of the capacity of the SUTs to support concurrent users of the SUTs. A load test request is received from a User and provides information concerning a load test to be performed on a site under test (SUT). A load test is generated, and the load test is allocated to one or more load cells. The load cells perform the load test by sending load test data to the SUT and receiving responses from the SUT. Portions of a load test may be allocated to different load cells, which may be geographically remote from the SUT and/or geographically diverse. Multiple concurrent pending load tests may be processed for the same SUT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignee: Eureka Software Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Monty G. Myers