Abstract: An aviation transponder system comprising a permanently-mounted antenna, a permanently-mounted receiver module comprising a receiver, a signal splitter, and an external connector, and a portable receiver module, wherein a signal received on the permanently-mounted antenna is passed to the signal splitter of the permanently-mounted receiver module, wherein the signal splitter splits the signal such that the signal is sent to both the receiver and to the external connector, and wherein the portable receiver module is connected to the external connector, whereby the permanently-mounted antenna is used by the receiver of the permanently-mounted receiver module and fed through the permanently-mounted receiver module and made available to the portable receiver module through the external connector.

Abstract: A structural health monitoring system comprising intelligent sensors, wherein the intelligent sensors are individually programmable and can be tuned to listen to specific frequencies based on a scaling factor based on the sensor's location in the system being monitored, a set of pre-known frequencies based on the sensor's location in the system being monitored, and the output of a central frequency-based system sensor.

Abstract: A grain quality sensor comprising a lens, a filter, a photosite array, an illumination source, and an electronics module, wherein the illumination source directs light containing a known set of wavelengths onto a crop sample, wherein the lens picks up light reflected by the crop sample and directs it into the filter, which allows light to pass into different parts of the photosite array such that certain locations on the photosite array only get certain frequencies of the reflected light, wherein the electronics module is electrically connected to the photosite array and capable of determining which parts of the photosite array received light and what frequency the light received was, wherein the electronics module can analyze the optical data received by the photosite array, and wherein the analysis of the optical data is used to determine the composition of different parts of the crop sample.

Abstract: A crop quality sensor, comprising an illumination source, an imaging device, and a processor executing application software. The illumination source is shone onto a crop sample, and an image is taken with the imaging device of the illuminated crop sample. The software executing on the processor is used to analyze the image to identify the outlines of individual kernels and to identify which of those outlines contain a specular highlight, indicative that the kernel is whole and unbroken, while the absence of such a specular highlight is indicative of a broken kernel.

Abstract: A synthetic underwater visualization system (SUVS) comprising a real-time graphics software engine, a sophisticated underwater environmental sensor, a fixed-base database, and a retrieval system designed to accept and assimilate into a common database bathymetric and environmental information acquired from around the world by components of other deployed SUVS sensing systems. SUVS is capable of sensing, modeling, and realistically displaying underwater environments in real-time, and will foster widespread utilization in the areas of homeland security, commercial and recreational maritime navigation, bathymetric data collection, and environmental analysis. The technology will also be readily adaptable and highly desirable in non-marine applications.

Abstract: An intelligent spray nozzle, comprising an input pressure sensor, a flow rate sensor, a flow modulator, a nozzle pressure sensor, a linear actuator, and an output orifice modulator, wherein an input pressure read from the input pressure sensor and a flow rate read from the flow rate sensor are used as inputs by the flow modulator to drive the at least one linear actuator to control an output spray rate from the intelligent spray nozzle, and wherein a nozzle pressure read from the nozzle pressure sensor is used as feedback for the output orifice modulator, wherein an output orifice is modified by the output orifice modulator to achieve optimal output spray.

Abstract: An aviation transponder system comprising a permanently-mounted antenna, a permanently-mounted receiver module comprising a receiver, a signal splitter, and an external connector, and a portable receiver module, wherein a signal received on the permanently-mounted antenna is passed to the signal splitter of the permanently-mounted receiver module, wherein the signal splitter splits the signal such that the signal is sent to both the receiver and to the external connector, and wherein the portable receiver module is connected to the external connector, whereby the permanently-mounted antenna is used by the receiver of the permanently-mounted receiver module and fed through the permanently-mounted receiver module and made available to the portable receiver module through the external connector.

Abstract: A wireless camera system for mobile operations, comprising a mobile device, a software application, and at least one camera module, the at least one camera module comprising an image capture device, a memory, and a communications link, wherein the at least one camera module is mounted on or near a vehicle, wherein the software application is executing on the mobile device, wherein images captured by the at least one camera module may be transmitted over the communications link to the mobile device, wherein the software application processes images received from the at least one camera module, and wherein the software application displays the processed images on the screen of the mobile device.

Abstract: A system and method for determining material yield and/or loss from a harvesting machine using acoustic sensors and advanced signal processing capabilities is presented. The system consists of a sensor housing with an opening on one side of the sensor housing, a strike plate designed to fit into the opening, and an electronics module comprising a microphone and a signal processor designed to capture the sound waves created when material impacts on the strike plate, and convert them into an audio signal indicating the amount of material impacting the sensor at a given time.

Abstract: A platform for a service tool comprising a mobile device, an application executing on the mobile device for displaying three-dimensional CAD-style drawings of a system and all of its important components, and a cloud-based service that allows an operator or service personnel to order components and to exchange information (including video, audio, and other data types) with a remotely-located service provider. The system allows users to view detailed three-dimensional images of parts or part assemblies, choose distributors of those parts, and order to those parts to be shipped.

Abstract: A ground fleet operations quality management system for use with one or more vehicles which includes a gateway module mounted on each vehicle, a centralized data server to collect, store and pre-process data from multiple vehicles, and a web application designed to provide access to and analysis of the conditions of the entire fleet of vehicles.

Abstract: An electronic system comprising a receiver module and a mobile device, whereby the receiver module is capable of receiving data transmissions from a network of ground stations and buffering the data for future use, and whereby the receiver module provides a means for making requests for access to this buffered data, and the mobile device is capable of generating requests to the receiver module in order to access the buffered data and of displaying the data or playing the data to an operator.

Abstract: A system for creating an agricultural tramline, comprising an agricultural planter, an application executing on a computer terminal, one or more seeding units mounted on the planter, a location sensor, and a planter control system, whereby an operator can use the application to create a file specifying the location of a desired agricultural tramline on a plot of land, which is downloaded from the computer terminal to the planter control system, and where the planter control system uses the location of the desired agricultural tramline and location information from the location sensor to enable and disable the plurality of seeding units, such that the area of land corresponding to the desired agricultural tramline is not planted with seed.

Abstract: A fleet operations quality management system for use with one or more vehicles which includes a data recording unit and separate memory subsystem mounted on each vehicle, a remotely located data collection station to collect, store and pre-process data from multiple vehicles, a centralized data storage and retrieval system designed to accept and assimilate recorded trip data, a web application designed to provide access to and analysis of the recorded trip data, and a graphical software application that can be used to view the recreated trip in a realistic simulated environment. An electronic system comprising a receiver module and a mobile device, whereby the receiver module is capable of receiving data transmissions from a network of ground stations and buffering the data for future use.

Abstract: A synthetic underwater visualization system (SUVS) comprising a real-time graphics software engine, a sophisticated underwater environmental sensor, a fixed-base database, and a retrieval system designed to accept and assimilate into a common database bathymetric and environmental information acquired from around the world by components of other deployed SUVS sensing systems. SUVS is capable of sensing, modeling, and realistically displaying underwater environments in real-time, and will foster widespread utilization in the areas of homeland security, commercial and recreational maritime navigation, bathymetric data collection, and environmental analysis. The technology will also be readily adaptable and highly desirable in non-marine applications.

Abstract: The present invention presents a flight training and synthetic visualization system, which comprises a fully mobile, self-contained data recording unit including a desktop graphics software engine for creating a virtual model of the flight capable of playing back the recorded trip, synchronized with a real-time video or imagery recording of the actual flight with a view from the cockpit of the aircraft as a pilot would actually view the flight, along with ambient audio of the cockpit. This allows for the user of the simulation to view both modeled data of the flight, as well as actual time-sequenced still images or video of the flight. The two sources of data are synched in time so that real video images of the aircraft as it is flying at a specific point in time is displayed in the simulation at the same moment as the rendered visualization of the flight.

Abstract: A system for creating an agricultural tramline, comprising an agricultural planter, an application executing on a computer terminal, one or more seeding units mounted on the planter, a location sensor, and a planter control system, whereby an operator can use the application to create a file specifying the location of a desired agricultural tramline on a plot of land, which is downloaded from the computer terminal to the planter control system, and where the planter control system uses the location of the desired agricultural tramline and location information from the location sensor to enable and disable the plurality of seeding units, such that the area of land corresponding to the desired agricultural tramline is not planted with seed.

Abstract: A system and method of acquiring information from an image of a vehicle in real time wherein at least one imaging device with advanced light metering capabilities is placed aboard a unmanned aerial vehicle, a computer processor means is provided to control the imaging device and the advanced light metering capabilities, the advanced light metering capabilities are used to capture an image of at least a portion of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and image recognition algorithms are used to identify the current state or position of the corresponding portion of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Abstract: A system and method of acquiring information from an image of a vehicle in real time wherein at least one imaging device with advanced light metering capabilities is placed aboard a vehicle, a computer processor means is provided to control the imaging device and the advanced light metering capabilities, the advanced light metering capabilities are used to capture an image of at least a portion of the vehicle, and image recognition algorithms are used to identify the current state or position of the corresponding portion of the vehicle.

Abstract: A fleet operations quality management system for use with one or more vehicles which includes a data recording unit and separate memory subsystem mounted on each vehicle, a remotely located data collection station to collect, store and pre-process data from multiple vehicles, a centralized data storage and retrieval system designed to accept and assimilate recorded trip data, a web application designed to provide access to and analysis of the recorded trip data, and a graphical software application that can be used to view the recreated trip in a realistic simulated environment. An electronic system comprising a receiver module and a mobile device, whereby the receiver module is capable of receiving data transmissions from a network of ground stations and buffering the data for future use.