Patents Assigned to Rockwell Collins, Inc.
  • Patent number: 11762367
    Abstract: A visual prototyping and assembly system includes a work surface configured to hold one or more work-in-progress units during an assembly operation. The visual prototyping and assembly system may receive the one or more images of the work-in-progress units; determine a current assembly state of the work-in-progress units based on the one or more images of the work-in-progress units; generate a current digital twin model of the -in-progress units corresponding to the current assembly state of the work-in-progress units and display the current digital twin model a user interface; determine a subsequent assembly state of the work-in-progress units; and generate a subsequent digital twin model of the work-in-progress units corresponding to the subsequent assembly state of the work-in-progress units and display the subsequent digital twin model on the user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventor: Ryan Wheeler
  • Patent number: 11762205
    Abstract: An augmented reality system is disclosed that includes an image source configured to generate an image, and a display element configured to display the image. The system further includes an optical relay configured to project the image onto the display element. The system further includes a light sensor configured to quantify an amount of ambient light passing through, the display element. The system further includes a tracker processing unit operatively coupled to the light sensor, the image source, and the optical relay. The tracker processing unit includes a processor, and a memory configured to store instructions executable by the processors. The processors are instructed to receive sensor data from the light sensor, receive the image from the image source, update a pixel characteristic for one or more pixels of the image based on the sensor data, and transmit an updated image to the optical relay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Troy D. Driscoll, Brandon E. Wilson
  • Patent number: 11758119
    Abstract: A system for displaying a stereo image is disclosed. The system includes a stereoscopic head up display (HUD) that includes a combiner and a display configured to display a stereo image. The system further includes either a head tracking sensor or an eye tracking sensor configured to generate a tracking dataset. The system further includes a processor and a memory with instructions that cause the processor to receive the tracking dataset, generate a distortion map based on the tracking dataset and a distortion function, receive a media stereo image, generate a stereo signal based on the distortion map and the media stereo image, and transmit the stereo signal to the display. The system is capable of conveying an image to an operator in the absence of a relay lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert D. Brown, Ian J. Bull, Tracy J. Barnidge, Daniel J. Henry
  • Patent number: 11754444
    Abstract: An analog pulse capture circuit is disclosed. The circuit may include one or more input sources configured to receive one or more optical signals and generate one or more electrical input signals. The circuit may include one or more distributed capacitors configured to store a target charge, the one or more distributed capacitors including one or more top plates and one or more bottom plates. The circuit may include one or more amplifiers coupled to the one or more distributed capacitors, the one or more amplifiers configured to generate one or more electrical output signals. The circuit may include one or more dump switches coupled to the one or more input sources, the one or more dump switches configured to release the stored target charge of the one or more distributed capacitors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Han Chi Hsieh, Wenlu Chen
  • Patent number: 11754706
    Abstract: A system and method for applying an adaptive adjustment or taper to an electronically scanned array (ESA) weather radar based on feedback from the weather radar. To minimize ground clutter and enable the ESA to display hazardous weather phenomena, the system adaptively adjusts amplitude and phase of ESA elements to adjust the far field pattern shape and sidelobes to maintain a desirable signal to clutter ratio. The system identifies ground clutter as a strong ground return over several azimuths depending on the radar beamwidth. Once the system IDs the ground clutter, it adaptively adjusts on receive for for the upcoming azimuths. The system selectively suppresses sidelobe echoes while maintaining the signal to noise (SNR) for weather targets. The system adaptively adjusts in real time as well as adjusting using precomputed historically accurate tapers stored in memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Venkata A. Sishtla, James B. West, Jiwon L Moran
  • Publication number: 20230280437
    Abstract: A system is disclosed. The system may include a receiver or transmitter node. The receiver or transmitter node may include a communications interface with an antenna element. A controller may include one or more processors and have information of own node velocity and own node orientation relative to a common reference frame. The receiver or transmitter node may be time synchronized to apply Doppler corrections to signals, the Doppler corrections associated with the receiver or transmitter node's own motions relative to the common reference frame, the Doppler corrections applied using Doppler null steering along Null directions. The system may be configured to, via the Doppler null steering, flood a communication data packet to a destination node based on a spatial awareness. The system may limit the flooding to only be towards the destination node and/or for a maximum number of hops.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2023
    Publication date: September 7, 2023
    Applicant: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Tj T. Kwon, William B. Sorsby, Eric J. Loren, James A. Stevens
  • Patent number: 11750277
    Abstract: A system for satellite communication is disclosed. The system includes a base terminal and a mobile terminal configured to communicate via a communication satellite relay. The base terminal and the mobile terminal include a receiver and a transmitter. At least one of the base terminal or the mobile terminal further includes an artificial intelligence engine configured to receive status or instruction data based on a received signal, determine an instruction or command based on the received data, prepare instruction data or updated status data, and send an instruction signal or status signal based on the instruction data or updated status data. The artificial intelligence engine utilizes a machine learning model and may generate the machine learning model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventor: William T. A. Tollefson
  • Patent number: 11748923
    Abstract: A system and method for flight chart font character scaling is disclosed. A host computing device is configured to: detect a font character size of a font character in a flight chart file, associate a threshold zoom level with the font character based on the respective font character size, and convert the flight chart file to aircraft display hardware directives. An aircraft display is configured to display a flight chart using the aircraft display hardware directives. An aircraft computing device is configured to detect a current zoom level of the aircraft display, compare the current zoom level to the threshold zoom level, set a drawing mode of a font character reference as a stroked mode or a filled mode, and present a referenced character as a filled character or a stroked character based on the drawing mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeff M. Henry
  • Patent number: 11749539
    Abstract: Systems and methods for selectively etching features in an electronic substrate via a precision dispense apparatus and precision etchant dispense tool are disclosed. The method includes creating a toolpath instruction for etching at least one feature in the substrate, programming the precision dispense apparatus to execute the created toolpath instruction, and causing the precision dispense tool to deposit etchant material onto the surface of the substrate to etch the substrate surface to produce the at least one feature according to the created toolpath instruction. The capabilities of the systems and methods disclosed herein extend to 3D substrates and post-build processing, among others.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Korneisel, Nathaniel P. Wyckoff, Brandon C. Hamilton, Kyle B. Snyder, Jenny Calubayan
  • Patent number: 11741374
    Abstract: An artificial intelligence engine is trained via a historical data set derived from communication events to and from mobile platforms under various environmental conditions. The artificial intelligence engine makes dynamic predictions about optimum available communications assets and settings over the entire available frequency spectrum. The artificial intelligence engine may determine and store a quality metric associated with each prediction. Such stored data is used to refine the artificial intelligence engine’s predictive algorithms. The artificial intelligence engine is trained via analysis of linear and / or nonlinear equations, including partial differential equations, associating various factors to potential communication channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian P. Difranco
  • Patent number: 11742881
    Abstract: A transmitter apparatus and method are disclosed. An RF terminal provides an RF signal. A first antenna transmits a first portion of the RF signal and a second antenna transmits a second portion of the RF signal. Directional couplers generate a first monitoring signal and a second monitoring signal. A power comparison operational amplifier receives the first monitoring signal and the second monitoring signal and generates a power difference signal. A phase control operational amplifier receives the power difference signal and a reference input signal and generates a phase control signal. A phase shifter receives the phase control signal, and based on the phase control signal, phase-shifts the RF signal to direct the RF signal to the first antenna, or phase-shifts the RF signal to direct the RF signal to the second antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeremy J. Seiler, Andrew J. Wiebold
  • Patent number: 11741573
    Abstract: A system may include a computer readable medium and a processor communicatively coupled to the computer readable medium. The processor may be configured to: obtain a graphical image file, the graphical image file including an image, wherein the image includes at least one sequence of repeating pattern elements, each of the at least one sequence including the repeating pattern elements that are repeated along a linear direction; and convert the graphical image file to at least one file including hardware directives that when executed cause a recreation of the image of the graphical image file to be drawn, wherein a file size of the at least one file is smaller than the graphical image file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeff M. Henry, Kyle R. Peters, Reed A. Kovach
  • Patent number: 11735160
    Abstract: A method for announcing the correct pronunciation of travelers' names is disclosed. The method may include retrieving a traveler ID from a tag on a travel document; determining whether a remote database includes a stored audio recording associated with the retrieved traveler ID; collecting an audio recording if the remote database does not include the stored audio recording associated with the retrieved traveler ID using an audio recording device; receiving the audio recording in a non-standardized format from the audio recording device; converting the audio recording received in the non-standardized format to a standardized format; retrieving traveler data; storing the converted audio recording in the standardized format in the remote database along with the retrieved traveler ID and the retrieved traveler data; retrieving the converted audio recording from the remote database; and generating control signals configured to cause an audio speaker device to play the retrieved audio recording.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventor: Deepak Virupaksha
  • Patent number: 11737121
    Abstract: A system may include a mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) including nodes. The nodes may include beacon-based clusterhead (BB-CH) nodes and members. Each of the nodes may be configured to transmit communication data packets and transmit beacons. Each of the nodes may have passive spatial awareness. For each of at least some of the BB-CH nodes having members, a BB-CH node may be configured to compile spatial awareness information of all members of the BB-CH node. The compiled spatial awareness information may include a BB-CH node identification, position-location information (PLI) of the BB-CH node, a quantity of the members, and a member list with PLI. For each of the at least some of the BB-CH nodes, the BB-CH node may be configured to broadcast, via efficient flooding, some or all of the compiled spatial awareness information to every connected node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Tj T. Kwon, William B. Sorsby, Eric J. Loren
  • Patent number: 11733522
    Abstract: A system is disclosed that display configured to transmit a signal that includes a first light configured as a display image and a second light configured as a reference image. The system also includes a beam splitter, a selectively transmissive mirror and a sensor configured to detect the second light. The beam splitter is configured to receive the signal from the display and reflect the signal to the selectively transmissive mirror. The selectively transmissive mirror is configured to receive the reflected signal, transmit the second light toward a sensor, and reflect the first light, wherein the first light is configured with a first bandwidth, wherein the second light is configured with a second bandwidth. The system further includes a corrector lens configured to receive the first light and transmit the first light to an exit pupil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric P. Stratton, Brandon E. Wilson, David I. Han, Christopher A. Keith
  • Patent number: 11736203
    Abstract: A system and method for radio frequency (RF) signal processing via photonic local oscillator (LO) phase control generates a set of N optical carriers and M sets of control inputs, each control input including an amplitude and/or phase control for the nth carrier. Each nth optical carrier is split into an RF path and M LO paths, the RF path including N electro-optical (EO) modulators for amplitude/phase modulation of each nth carrier per a set of N RF input signals and each mth LO path including a set of N EO modulators for amplitude/phase modulation of each nth carrier per the mth control input. Demodulators generate M in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) balanced optical outputs based on the multiplexed N combined RF optical outputs and each mth set of N combined LO optical outputs. The M I/Q balanced optical outputs are converted to the electrical and then to the digital domain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald D. Esman, Daniel J. Esman
  • Patent number: 11726162
    Abstract: A system and method for frequency offset determination in a MANET via Doppler nulling techniques is disclosed. In embodiments, a receiving (Rx) node of the network monitors a transmitting (Tx) node of the network, which scans through a range or set of Doppler nulling angles adjusting its transmitting frequency to resolve Doppler frequency offset at each angle, the Doppler frequency shift resulting from the motion of the Tx node relative to the Rx node. The Rx node detects the net frequency shift at each nulling direction and can thereby determine frequency shift points (FSP) indicative of the relative velocity vector between the Tx and Rx nodes. If the set of Doppler nulling angles is known to it, the Rx node can determine frequency shift profiles based on the FSPs, and derive therefrom the relative velocity and angular direction of motion between the Tx and Rx nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric J. Loren, William B. Sorsby, Tj T. Kwon
  • Patent number: 11726332
    Abstract: A light projection apparatus is provided comprising: a source of light; a switchable grating on a first substrate; and a diffractive optical element. Light is diffracted at least once by the switchable grating and is diffracted at least once by the DOE.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignees: DigiLens Inc., Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan David Waldern, Milan Momcilo Popovich
  • Patent number: 11726323
    Abstract: An image generation device includes: a spatial light modulator; a source of light; a beam deflector; an illumination waveguide and an image transport waveguide, each waveguide containing at least one switchable grating; and a coupler for directing scanned light into a first set of TIR paths in said illumination waveguide. A switchable grating in the illumination waveguide diffracts light onto said SLM, a switchable grating in said image transport waveguide diffracting image-modulated from the SLM into a waveguide path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignees: DigiLens Inc., Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Milan Momcilo Popovich, Jonathan David Waldern, Alastair John Grant
  • Patent number: 11725420
    Abstract: A collinear latching and locking system is disclosed. In embodiments, the system includes a strike with a lock bolt disposed at or defined by an end of the strike. The system further includes a latch pawl configured to surround at least a portion of the strike. The strike and the latch pawl are configured to actuate linearly along the same axis. In this regard, the strike and the latch pawl have a collinear configuration and actuation path. The system further includes a latch cam configured to actuate the latch pawl from a latched position to an unlatched position when the latch cam is turned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventor: Logan Butler