Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Nathan O. Jensen
  • Patent number: 6980182
    Abstract: A passive matrix organic light emitting display system includes a plurality of pixels configured for emitting light when energized by one of a plurality of row electrodes and one of a plurality of column electrodes. The display system also comprises a plurality of column drivers configured for energizing the plurality of column electrodes. The display system also comprises a plurality of row drivers configured for energizing the plurality of row electrodes. At least two of the plurality of row drivers are configured to simultaneously energize at least two of the plurality of row of electrodes. A method of displaying information on a passive matrix organic light emitting display system is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins
    Inventors: Mark J. Nimmer, Ronald A. Ferrante, Goulin Peng, Martin J. Steffensmeier
  • Patent number: 6977608
    Abstract: An airborne network system (ANS) on a member aircraft receives incoming geo-referenced atmospheric data regarding atmospheric conditions from other member aircraft and can re-transmit the data to other members. An air data system senses local pressure and temperature conditions. A navigation system calculates geo-referenced aircraft position. An inertial data system senses member aircraft attitude, angular rates and accelerations. A data processing system (DPS) generates the member aircraft's perspective of the atmospheric conditions, based on input data from the above-mentioned systems. Network directed DPS output atmospheric data is provided to the ANS to be transmitted to other airborne network systems positioned on other member aircraft. An airborne display system is adapted to receive crew directed DPS output atmospheric data and in response thereto display desired atmospheric forecast conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins
    Inventors: Eric N. Anderson, Patrick D. McCusker
  • Patent number: 6975511
    Abstract: A ruggedized electronics sub-system module is disclosed. The ruggedized electronics sub-system module includes a ruggedized housing and an electronic device supported by the housing. The ruggedized electronics sub-system module also includes an electrical connector coupled to the electronic device and supported by the housing. The ruggedized electronics sub-system module further includes a plurality of ruggedized cooling pins extending from the housing. The plurality of pins are spaced so as to allow for natural convective currents or forced air to be used for cooling the electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins
    Inventors: Steve I. Lebo, Scott J. Sellner
  • Patent number: 6972788
    Abstract: A projection display is provided according to one embodiment of the invention. The projection display includes a hollow case including a window opening, a screen formed on one portion of the case, and at least one mirror internally mounted to the case at a position to reflect light from the window opening to the screen. The projection display further includes a window mounted in the window opening. The projection display further includes an optical engine mounted to the case. The optical engine is positioned over the window and oriented so that emitted light from the optical engine is directed onto the at least one mirror. The projection display further includes a diaphragm internally attached to the case and dividing an internal volume of the case into a first portion and a second portion. The projection display further includes a gas filling the second portion of the case at an overpressure and a vent communicating with the first portion of the case and communicating with an external environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins
    Inventors: Richard L. Robertson, Mark A. Woytassek, Brian P. Dehmlow
  • Patent number: 6973150
    Abstract: A cycle slip detector and detection method for a phase comparison circuit are provided. The cycle slip detector includes a cycle slip detection filter possessing a predetermined filter bandwidth and a predetermined high frequency cut-off. The cycle slip detection filter receives a phase difference generated by the phase comparison circuit and transforms the phase difference into a filtered phase difference. The cycle slip detector further includes a compensator communicating with the cycle slip detection filter. The compensator compensates the magnitude based on a predetermined compensation response. The cycle slip detector further includes a cycle slip occurrence detector communicating with the compensator. The cycle slip occurrence detector compares a compensated magnitude of the filtered phase difference to a predetermined cycle slip threshold and generates a cycle slip output if the compensated magnitude exceeds the predetermined cycle slip threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins
    Inventor: Daniel J. Thuringer
  • Patent number: 6972727
    Abstract: An electronically scanned slotted waveguide antenna radiates an RF signal as a scannable beam. The antenna has radiation waveguides positioned in an array. Radiation slots in the radiation waveguides radiate the scannable beam. A feed waveguide is coupled to the radiation waveguides. The feed waveguide feeds the RF signal to the radiation waveguides through coupling slots. The feed waveguide has sidewalls with tunable electromagnetic crystal (EMXT) structures thereon. The EMXT structures vary the phase of the RF signal in the feed waveguide to scan the radiated beam in one dimension. The radiation waveguides may also have tunable EMXT structures on the sidewalls to vary the phase of the RF signal to scan the radiated beam in a second dimension. The EMXT structures may be discrete EMXT devices or a EMXT material layer covering the feed and radiation waveguide sidewalls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins
    Inventors: James B. West, John C. Mather, Don L. Landt
  • Patent number: 6972631
    Abstract: A rubidium frequency standard control circuit which utilizes an initial sweep hand-off frequency locking process followed by a negative feedback loop for optimization of the stability of the voltage control oscillator employing the rubidium frequency standard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins
    Inventor: Leo J. Haman
  • Patent number: 6970151
    Abstract: A display system is provided that reduces electromagnetic emissions of at least one frequency component of a signal in the display system. A signal that drives a display is modulated so that one or more frequency components of the driving signal are attenuated due to the modulation of the signal. In one embodiment, an LCD controller is adapted to provide a modulated row driving signal to an active matrix LCD. The input data source may be adapted to accommodate the modulated display driving signal. Alternatively, a FIFO buffer is used to buffer input data to accommodate the modulated display driving signal. In a further embodiment, a clock modulating circuit is provided to modulate the display driving signal without modifying the display controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins
    Inventor: Donald E. Mosier
  • Patent number: 6968021
    Abstract: A bandwidth efficient advanced modulation waveform modem using concatenated iterative turbo coding and continuous phase modulation is disclosed. A demodulator in the modem has a turbo decoder and a decision feedback carrier and time tracking algorithm to track a carrier and adjust timing. The decision feedback carrier and time tracking algorithm may use an APP decoder as a decision device to provide symbol decisions at a high error rate and low latency for a coded input data stream. A symbol phase estimator produces a symbol phase error estimate from the symbol decisions. An erasure decision function decides which symbol decisions are correct and which symbol decisions are erasures. A carrier tracking function receives the symbol phase error estimates when the symbol decisions are correct and receives erasure inputs when the symbol decisions are erasures to maintain carrier tracking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins
    Inventors: Steven L. White, Joseph C. Whited, Thomas L. Tapp, Rodney L. Mickelson
  • Patent number: 6961445
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for capturing and processing images from a portion of a system in order to detect a warning condition for providing warnings to users or operators of the system. One or more image capture devices capable of capturing an image, for example, a continuous video, monitor at least a portion of the system. An image processing assembly processes the image captured by the image capture devices in real time for determining if the warning condition exists. Upon determining that the warning condition exists the image processing assembly causes a warning device to provide a warning to the user. The captured image may then be displayed to the user or operator if desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins
    Inventors: David W. Jensen, David A. Haverkamp, James E. Bodmer
  • Patent number: 6959057
    Abstract: A method of enhancing signal tracking in a global positioning system receiver utilizing a frequency banked filter in providing code and carrier tracking loops includes acquiring a continuous time global positioning signal and separating the continuous time global positioning signal into in-phase and quadrature signals I and Q. The signals I and Q are sampled over a predetection interval (PDI) to provide discrete time signals, and the discrete time signals are used to generate a component in-phase measurement and a component quadrature measurement for each of multiple PDI segments of one PDI. For each of multiple different frequency bins, composite in-phase and quadrature measurements are generated by combining component in-phase measurements and component quadrature measurements from the PDI.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins
    Inventor: Jeffrey L. Tuohino
  • Patent number: 6954774
    Abstract: A bandpass filter which has a tunable passband frequency and independently controllable Q and passband gain, where the filter employs a separate passband gain control which is summed with a gain loop controlling the Q of the filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins
    Inventor: Mark M. Mulbrook
  • Patent number: 6950418
    Abstract: A type of channel access, Clique Activated Multiple Access (CAMA), is disclosed which allows neighboring nodes to form cliques for the purpose of supporting a broadcast channel. CAMA operates using only local knowledge, meaning it can scale to large networks. It also has the potential of requiring less channel resources than node allocation. In addition, it would lend itself well to an application like push-to-talk voice where only one transmitter per neighborhood is active (except for relay nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: C. David Young, James A. Stevens
  • Patent number: 6950062
    Abstract: A phased array antenna is formed from an array of apertures having walls containing phase shifter devices for phase shifting and beam steering a radiated beam of the phased array antenna. The phase shifter devices are interconnected with an interconnect structure formed from substrate slats that form the walls of the apertures. The substrate slats may be thin film circuitized column slats having a metal substrate, dielectric layers, metal bias/control circuitry, a shielding layer, and circuit terminations to connect to a phase shifter device attached to the substrate slat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins
    Inventors: John C. Mather, Christina M. Conway, James B. West
  • Patent number: 6944032
    Abstract: An interconnect for use with a pixel layer of a pixel web is provided, the interconnect including an interconnect substrate having a plurality of conductive leads and a plurality of contact vias formed on and extending from the interconnect substrate. The contact vias are formed in a predetermined pattern on the interconnect substrate and are in electrical communication with the conductive leads. The interconnect includes a patterned spacer of a thickness substantially equal to a height of the contact vias. The patterned spacer includes a plurality of through-holes also formed according to the predetermined pattern and having a dimension substantially equal to a dimension of the contact vias. The interconnect substrate and the patterned spacer are capable of being assembled onto the pixel layer, with the patterned spacer being in a middle position and the contact vias extending through the through-holes to contact corresponding cathode portions on the pixel layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins
    Inventors: Martin J. Steffensmeier, John K. Hagge
  • Patent number: 6938258
    Abstract: A computer is used to manage communication over a network between one or more network addressable units and a plurality of physical devices of a passenger entertainment system. The system is configured and operated using software to provide passenger entertainment services including audio and video on-demand, information dissemination, product and service order processing, video teleconferencing and data communication services. The system includes a system server and a network supporting multiple computer processors. The processors and the server comprise application software that control telephony applications and network services. The server is coupled by way of the network to physical devices of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins
    Inventors: Alan J. Weinberger, Joseph J. Renton, Rick Neugaubauer
  • Patent number: 6937377
    Abstract: An illumination system is disclosed, which includes a first light source and a second light source configured to emit light when the first light source is not emitting light. A polarizing element accepts light from the first and second light sources. The polarizing element emits, along a light path, light from the first light source with a first polarization orientation. The polarizing element emits, along the light path, light from the second light source with a second polarization orientation. A homogenizing element receives and homogenizes polarized light from the polarizing element. A polarization rotator receives light from the homogenizing element. The polarization rotator selectively rotates one of the first and second polarization orientations to ensure light emitted therefrom maintains a constant polarization orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins
    Inventors: Robert D. Brown, David H. Modro
  • Patent number: 6937194
    Abstract: A method of forming a conformal electronic scanning array (ESA) is disclosed. The ESA is formed using rolling techniques similar to those used in forming LCD displays. If the layers forming the ESA are made of substantially transparent materials, the ESA may be applied to an outer surface of a display, such as a flexible display. The ESA may also be applied to a window or other non-planar surface such as an outer surface of a vehicle, or may be integrated into a computer display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins
    Inventors: John L. Meier, Martin J. Steffensmeier, James B. West, Stephen J. Wright, Nathan O. Jensen
  • Patent number: 6933885
    Abstract: The present invention is a method and apparatus for providing anti-jam protection for GPS receivers. The anti-jam system of the present invention may require less space and less power than conventional anti-jam systems. The anti-jam circuitry of the present invention may provide anti-jam protection while reducing the number of high-power usage components and integrating the components into an overall reduced form factor. Complex signal processing may be avoided whereby hardware manipulations are handled by hardware components rather than a digital signal processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins
    Inventors: Michael H. Stockmaster, Charles E. McDowell, Scott R. Ernst
  • Patent number: 6933534
    Abstract: An emissive display system includes a matrix of pixels. The matrix of pixels can be comprised of two or more elements. The two or more elements have different areas from each other. The different areas allow the elements to be driven at similar or preferred drive biases and energies despite the different materials utilized to manufacture the elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins
    Inventor: Martin J. Steffensmeier