Patents Examined by John B. Sotomayor
  • Patent number: 9329266
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a weather radar apparatus includes an antenna apparatus, a signal processing apparatus, a data converter, a forecasting unit, a state determination unit, and radar controller. The antenna apparatus radiates a radar pulse and receives a reflection pulse. The signal processing apparatus calculates a reception intensity, a Doppler speed, and a speed width. The data converter calculates rainfall intensity data and wind direction/speed data. The forecasting unit generates forecasting data based on the rainfall intensity data and on the wind direction/speed data. The state determination unit generates an observation sequence. The radar controller controls the antenna apparatus in accordance with the observation sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Fumihiko Mizutani, Hideki Marui
  • Patent number: 9322864
    Abstract: According to some embodiments, a system is provided for simulating a cluster of reflections. The system includes an array of antenna elements distributed in space over a solid angle having an angular spread. The solid angle is substantially less than a full sphere and each antenna element has a spatial orientation. The system also includes a spatial environment simulator connected to the antenna elements and configured to apply one of excitations to the antenna elements and weights to signals from the antenna elements. The combination of the spatial distribution of the antenna elements, the orientation of the antenna elements, and the weighting applied by the variable path simulator simulates a near field arising from a cluster of reflections of a multipath environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: ETS-Lindgren, LP
    Inventor: Michael Foegelle
  • Patent number: 9322912
    Abstract: A transportable weather radar having radar electronics functionally located above the elevational joint and a frame superstructure rotationally connected to the elevational joint onto which is mounted a parabolic radar antenna adapted for Doppler weather radar use. The radar has a rotational drive assembly mounted below and supporting the elevational joint and a harmonic drive unit positioned inside the elevational joint so that the antennae may be rotated without significant backlash during rotational changes. A hollow center in the rotational joint allows for the passing of electronics cable through the middle of the joint and down through rotating assemblies and to electronics in or adjacent to the radar pedestal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Enterprise Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Bruce Knight, John Charles Fanning, James Rogers Helvin, Mark Alan Jones, Norman Edwin Lawrence, III, Damon Schmidt
  • Patent number: 9322905
    Abstract: A radar transmitting unit Tx transmits a radio-frequency radar transmission signal from a transmission antenna which is inclined in the direction of a depression angle ?. A radar receiving unit Rx estimates the height and speed of a vehicle which travels on a road surface using a reflected wave signal from the vehicle. A template generating unit generates a variation in a phase component of the reflected wave signal corresponding to N heights and speeds of the vehicle as N templates. N vehicle height/speed template correlation calculation units #1 to #Nrep calculate correlation on the basis of any one of the N templates and a correlation value between the reflected wave signal and a transmission code of the radar transmission signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Takaaki Kishigami, Takafumi Tokuhiro, Tadashi Morita
  • Patent number: 9316732
    Abstract: A walk-through screening station scans individuals to detect contraband such as a concealed weapon or improvised explosive device (IED) using ultra wideband (UWB) radar sensing and imaging systems employing wafer scale active array antennas. UWB radar and advanced imaging technology enable automated threat recognition and display for monitoring personnel. The station may scan subjects passing close to or within an aperture width of an array of radar transceivers. Direct calibration by use of reflectors positioned at known locations in the image may be used to implement scanning and imaging so close to the array. The scanning station may employ an easy-to-set-up pair of panels that may be readily deployed by security providers wherever access control—such as to a meeting place or transportation boarding—is needed. Imaging and display processing may provide an abstract display—such as a stick figure representation of anatomy—to address privacy issues and concerns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Inventor: Farrokh Mohamadi
  • Patent number: 9316728
    Abstract: The a system for measuring distance between an RFID reader and tag, including an adaptive linear combiner, which is a tapped delay line with controllable weights on each tap, and outputs that are summed and subtracted from a reference to produce an error signal. After a sufficient number of cycles, the weight distribution indicates the delay of the received signal with respect to the reference, and by extension determines the distance between the tag and receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: Amtech Systems, LLC
    Inventors: Michael George Melville, John Todd Elson
  • Patent number: 9312604
    Abstract: The invention provides a boundary radiation prevention structure, comprising: a metal portion, and a guide portion. The metal portion has an incident plane adapted to block an incident electromagnetic wave, wherein the incident electromagnetic wave induces an induced current on the incident plane. The guide portion is located on one border of the incident plane and has a curved surface electrically connected to the metal portion for the induced current to pass through, wherein the curved surface is covered by an absorption layer for absorbing the incident electromagnetic wave and a boundary radiation generated from the induced current radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: CLARIDY SOLUTIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Horng Ji Chen, Yu Ting Hsiao, Che Fu Lin, Lin Chi Choo
  • Patent number: 9310470
    Abstract: There is provided a radar apparatus. A derivation unit derives this time-decided transverse distance of the target of this time processing, by filtering, with a predetermined filter constant, this time transverse distance of paired data of this time processing, and a predicted transverse distance. A change unit changes, when the transverse distance of an object moving target moving in a traveling direction of a vehicle mounted with the radar apparatus and the transverse distance of a specific target satisfy a predetermined relation, the filter constant for filtering this time transverse distance and the predicted transverse distance of the object moving target so that a reflection amount of this time transverse distance is reduced in comparison to before the change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: FUJITSU TEN LIMITED
    Inventors: Takumi Moriuchi, Masayuki Kishida, Hisateru Asanuma
  • Patent number: 9310480
    Abstract: A digital radar receiver generates the input signal which is a stream of complex numbers. The input signal is rearranged and sorted by measurement volumes, resulting in Doppler data vectors. Doppler data vectors are filtered using a number of different digital filters. The output Doppler data vectors of the filters together with the original Doppler data vector are the candidate signals. Each candidate signal is analyzed using several criteria in order to find the one signal which is most likely to be caused by precipitation and has the ground clutter removed by the filtering. The selected signal is then used to calculate the meteorological products. The selected signal is also used to derive a velocity value or velocity distribution while taking into account the effects of the filtering performed earlier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Inventor: Jorn Sierwald
  • Patent number: 9310478
    Abstract: A radar sensor device having at least one planar antenna device that includes a plurality of vertically oriented antenna columns which are configured as a sparse array in one plane in parallel at defined mutual distances and which each have at least two line-fed patch elements, the sparse array of antenna columns is designed to have such a minimal redundancy that the amount of defined distances among the antenna columns in the sparse array is at least equal to all of the different distances between any two antenna columns of a corresponding non-sparse array of a planar antenna device having the same antenna aperture and the same characteristics of the antenna columns, but is the most minimum possible number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Volker Gross, Goetz Kuehnle
  • Patent number: 9310198
    Abstract: Target land area is three-dimensionally located using an optical sensor and a radar sensor in satellites. The positions of the satellites are measured and images are captured when the sensors point toward land areas. The aiming direction of the optical sensor for each area is measured. The distance between each area and the radar sensor pointing thereto is measured. Images of land areas captured by the sensors and covering common areas are matched. The distance between the target area selected from the common areas and the optical sensor is accurately determined on the basis of the positions of the sensors, the distance between the target area and the radar sensor, and the aiming direction of the optical sensor, which are associated with the images covering the target area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: AIRBUS DS SAS
    Inventor: Michael Seymour
  • Patent number: 9310469
    Abstract: A radar performance monitor is provided. The monitor includes a receiver for receiving a transmission signal of which a temporal change of a frequency is non-linear, the transmission signal being transmitted from a radar unit of a pulse-compression radar apparatus, and a response signal generator for generating a response signal of which a temporal change of a frequency is linear and transmitting the response signal to the radar unit as a response to the transmission signal received by the receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshifumi Ohnishi
  • Patent number: 9307631
    Abstract: According to various aspects, exemplary embodiments include one or more frequency selective surfaces, which may be used for attenuating, reflecting, and/or redirecting electromagnetic signals. Also disclosed are methods of using one or more frequency selective surfaces for attenuating, reflecting, and/or redirecting electromagnetic signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Laird Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: John Song, Paul Francis Dixon, Yoeri Ariën
  • Patent number: 9306290
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a controllable barrier layer against electromagnetic radiation, to be used, inter alia, as a radome for a radar antenna for instance. The barrier layer comprises a first frequency selective layer (4) of a given geometric shape, said frequency selective layer transmitting radiation of a certain polarization within a desired frequency band and reflecting radiation of a different polarization and radiation outside said band and at least a second identical frequency selective layer, which is placed close to or in connection with the first layer in the radiation direction. The layers are configured to be placed in a first position relative to each other so that they together obtain transmission properties similar to those of the first layer alone and in a second position relative to each other so that they together reflect radiation of said certain polarization within said desired frequency band.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: FOERSVARETS MATERIELVERK
    Inventor: Anders Grop
  • Patent number: 9304195
    Abstract: An object detection method includes outputting a radio wave, receiving a reflected wave of the radio wave, generating a plurality of object information each indicating a location of each of a plurality of objects with respect to a predetermined reference point based on the radio wave and the reflected wave, calculating a first distance between an observation reference line which represents a shape and a location of a target area for detection preset depending on a target object for detection, and each of the plurality of objects, based on the observation reference line information stored in advance indicating a shape and a location of the observation reference line and the object information, selecting a predetermined number or less of the object information in ascending order of the first distance among the plurality of the object information as the object information to be output, and outputting the selected object information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventors: Junko Kajiki, Tomonori Ikeya, Mitsuru Ochi, Kazuhiko Shite
  • Patent number: 9295245
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for an airborne biota monitoring and control system are disclosed. Radar and laser/optical sensors are used to detect insects, with detection zones being over water in some embodiments to reduce backscatter clutter. A pest control laser or small autonomous or radio controlled aircraft under automated or human control may be used to disable a targeted flying insect. One embodiment includes use of a head-mounted display for displaying insect targeting information superimposed on a real landscape view. Technologies such as adaptive lens, holographic optical elements, polarized radar and/or laser beams, light amplifiers and light guides, thin disk, spinning disk, or vertical cavity surface emitting lasers enhance performance of the apparatus or reduce cost of the apparatus. Also disclosed are methods of discrimination of insect types using spectral information and dynamic relative variation of spectral intensities at different wavelengths reflected from an insect in flight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Inventors: David L. Guice, Augustus Hammond Green, Jr., William V. Dent, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9297892
    Abstract: A method for operating a radar system on a vehicle to reduce nuisance alerts caused by a stationary structure proximate to the vehicle. The method includes determining a stationary count indicative of the number of targets detected by the radar system that are within a travel path of the vehicle and are classified by the radar system as stationary, and indicating that the vehicle is proximate to a stationary structure if the stationary count is greater than a count threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew R. Smith, Robert J. Cashler
  • Patent number: 9285463
    Abstract: A method for assessing results from application of energy onto one or more electric or electronic devices includes the steps of acquiring an electromagnetic emission from the one or more devices, directing energy onto the one or more devices, acquiring another electromagnetic emission from the one or more devices having the energy directed thereonto and determining, in accordance with at least one logic algorithm state and/or change in state of the one or more devices. There is also a microprocessor based apparatus that is employed for acquiring the electromagnetic emissions and executing the at least one logic algorithm. Energy is directed by either a weapon or electromagnetic phenomena.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: NOKOMIS, INC.
    Inventors: Stephen Dorn Freeman, Walter John Keller
  • Patent number: 9287870
    Abstract: Embodiments of a drain modulator that uses high power switch sensing to control active pulldown are generally described herein. In some embodiments, a logic and sense module is arranged to receive a control signal for controlling an on and an off state of an input of a switch to turn a high power voltage at an output of the switch on and off. A pullup module and a pulldown module are coupled to the input of the switch. An active pulldown module coupled to the output of the switch. The logic and sense module monitors the input to the switch and activates the active pulldown module to drain the output of the switch to a zero voltage when the input of the switch transitions to the off state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Mark T. Richardson, Denpol Kultran, George W. Gerace, Richard D. Young, Mark E. Stading, Jeffrey H. Saunders
  • Patent number: 9285461
    Abstract: Apparatus, method, and system example embodiments provide an improved integrated circuit RF front end to simultaneously transmit and receive signals for radar imaging. In an example embodiment, an apparatus comprises a transceiver coupled to a circularly polarized antenna assembly, capable of transmitting circularly polarized signals that are a component of a multi-signal radar beam; a power amplifier configured to amplify a transmit signal, coupled through isolation couplers to the circularly polarized antenna assembly; a phase shifting block circuit configured to perform phase shifting of a local oscillator signal, in response to the receipt of phase control signals, to perform phased-array beam steering of the multi-signal radar beam when the component circular signals are associated with signals transmitted from other transceivers receiving the phase control signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
    Inventors: Paul Stanley Swirhun, Andrew Patrick Townley