Patents Examined by Joseph C Fritchman
  • Patent number: 11768271
    Abstract: Optical receivers and transmitters can be used as stand-alone systems or combined together as a transceiver. Each of the receiver and transmitter may include an optically reflective steerable device, such as an optically reflective liquid crystal metasurface (LCM), to steer optical radiation to a target location. A transmit waveguide conveys optical radiation from a light source to the transmitter steerable device. A receive waveguide conveys received optical radiation reflected by the receiver optically steerable device to a sensor. In some embodiments, the transmit waveguide and the receive waveguide may be portions of the same planar waveguide. The receiver includes a holographic lens between the receiver LCM and the receive waveguide to pass through optical radiation received at a first range of incident angles and modify (e.g., collimate and/or spectrally filter) optical radiation reflected by the receiver LCM for conveyance by the receive waveguide to the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Inventor: Gleb M. Akselrod
  • Patent number: 11759822
    Abstract: Embodiments include a primary short circuit (PSC) coupled to a primary side of a transformer and a dampening element, coupled to a transducer coupled to a secondary side of the transformer, configured to dampen a received signal during a portion of a reverberation period. The PSC and the dampening element may be activated substantially simultaneously. Activation of the PSC circuit mitigates a parallel resonance otherwise arising, in part, in the transducer, but, increases the received signal by a DC shift voltage. The dampening element dampens the DC shift voltage. The received signal may be dampened prior to amplification of the received signal by an amplifier. The dampening facilitates earlier and more precise measurement, during the reverberation period, of at least one operating characteristic for the PAS sensor. Another embodiment prevents the DC shift voltage by selectively activating the PSC within a determined time of a zero-crossing of a given signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventors: Zdenek Axman, Tomas Suchy, Petr Kamenicky
  • Patent number: 11754682
    Abstract: A light detection and ranging system includes synchronously scanning transmit and receive mirrors that scan a pulsed fanned laser beam in two dimensions. Imaging optics image a receive aperture onto an arrayed receiver that includes a plurality of light sensitive devices. Scanning mirror offsets may be applied to modify a fan angle of the pulsed fanned laser beam. Adaptive methods dynamically modify the size and location of the field of view, laser pulse properties, and/or fan angle in response to internal and external sensors data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Microvision, Inc.
    Inventors: Alga Lloyd Nothern, III, Jonathan A. Morarity, Thomas Nonn
  • Patent number: 11751853
    Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of the present invention includes: a transmitter that generates and outputs a plurality of drive signals to a transducer of an ultrasound probe, the drive signals causing the transducer to transmit a plurality of transmission ultrasound waves that have different waveforms in a temporally shifted manner, the drive signals being compensated for asymmetry of the transmission sound pressure waveforms of the plurality of transmission ultrasound waves transmitted from the transducer; and a hardware processor configured to extract a harmonic component according to a plurality of reception signals, and generating an ultrasound image based on the extracted harmonic component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Tetsuya Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 11747472
    Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide an optical sensing system, a range estimation system for the optical sensing system, and a method for the optical sensing system. The exemplary optical sensing system includes a transmitter configured to emit a plurality of laser pulses towards an object. The optical sensing system further includes a range estimation system configured to estimate a range between the object and the optical sensing system. The range estimation system includes an analog to digital converter (ADC) configured to convert a plurality of laser pulses returned from an object to a digital signal. The ADC has a predetermined sampling period. The exemplary system further includes a processor. The processor is configured to calculate an intensity ratio between two data points selected from the digital signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: BEIJING VOYAGER TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Qin Zhou, Youmin Wang
  • Patent number: 11709234
    Abstract: A lidar for generating a cyclically optimal Pulse Position Modulated (PPM) waveform includes: a memory for storing a list of prime numbers; a processor for obtaining a list of prime numbers up to a predetermined maximum code length; selecting a largest prime number p* that is less than or equal to a ratio of a timing system bandwidth to the predetermined pulse repetition frequency (PRF), from the list of the prime numbers; constructing a list of pulse indices, m=0: p*?1 for the cyclically optimal PPM waveform; calculating a list of pulse modulations, dJs=mod(m2, p*)?(p*?1)/2, wherein dJs are modulation values; calculating a list of nominal pulse timings T, as T=m×ceil(TPRI/?j), where ?j is a predetermined modulation resolution, and TPRI is the reciprocal of the PRF; calculating pulse timings t0 of the cyclically optimal PPM waveform as t0=?j×(T+dJs); and generating the cyclically optimal PPM waveform from the pulse timings t0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: RAYTHEON COMPANY
    Inventor: Adam Hodge Greenberg
  • Patent number: 11705973
    Abstract: A frequency combination corresponding to target data to be transmitted is determined. The frequency combination includes at least two different frequencies. Ultrasonic waves of frequencies in the frequency combination are sent within a predetermined duration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Runyu Shi, Naichao Guo, Song Mei, Yuqing Hua, Lin Zhang, Wei Lu, Kai Wang
  • Patent number: 11693093
    Abstract: A distance-measuring apparatus includes a precision calculation section that calculates a precision for each pixel, the precision based on a relation among the amounts of the electric charges stored at a plurality of timings that respectively delay by certain phases from a timing of the emission of the measuring light, wherein the precision is outputted from the distance-measuring apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Minoru Nakamura, Yuuki Takahashi, Atsushi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11693112
    Abstract: A continuous wave, frequency diverse array (FDA) Detector, Transmitter, Receiver and/or Method are disclosed. The frequencies can be radio waves or sonic waves. Different frequencies are applied to each transmitter element, to generate transmissions schemes with repeating patterns of constructive interference (e.g. each pattern may be a spiral). The patterns differ (e.g. opposite spiral directions to help determine azimuth, or different spiral rotation speeds to help determine range), to a sufficient extent that from the timing of signal reflected back as a result of each one, the azimuth and/or range of an object can be determined, irrespective of where the object/target is in the field of view. Use of continuous wave transmissions enables lower transmission powers and/or avoids requiring an expensive beam-steering transmitters or receivers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Aaron M Jones, Richard Walkerdine, Joseph Spencer
  • Patent number: 11693136
    Abstract: A seismic vibrator is configured to operate close to resonance for range of actuating frequencies. The vibrator has a baseplate, a reaction mass coupled to the baseplate via an elastic coupling mechanism and an actuator configured to displace the reaction mass with an actuating frequency. The vibrator also has a frequency-adjusting system configured to adjust a natural frequency of the elastic coupling mechanism and the reaction mass, to track the actuating frequency so that to achieve resonance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: SERCEL
    Inventor: John J. Sallas
  • Patent number: 11686873
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a new submerged buoy data acquisition system, including a battery compartment, a main control processor, a GPS receiver, a gigabit Ethernet interface module, and a plurality of data acquisition boards, where the GPS receiver is connected to the main control processor, and the main control processor is connected to a host computer by using the gigabit Ethernet interface module; the data acquisition board includes a hydrophone sensor, a front-end drive circuit, an AD conversion circuit, a clock module, a DA conversion circuit, an FPGA, an ARM processor, and a storage module; the hydrophone sensor is connected to the AD conversion circuit by using the front-end drive circuit, the AD conversion circuit is connected to the FPGA, the FPGA is connected to the ARM processor, the storage module is connected to the ARM processor, the DA conversion circuit is connected to the FPGA and the clock module, the clock module is connected to the FPGA, and the ARM processor is connected to the ma
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignees: The First Institute of Oceanography, SOA, Xi'an Hong Lu Yang Electrical Equipment Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Guangming Kan, Zili Chen, Baohua Liu, Yanliang Pei, Yanhong Lian
  • Patent number: 11662489
    Abstract: There is described a method of making an acoustic sensor having a frequency response approximating a desired frequency response. The method comprises wrapping optical fiber around a core according to a wrapping pattern. The wrapping pattern is determined from an impulse response of the acoustic sensor. The impulse response is determined from the desired frequency response of the acoustic sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: HIFI ENGINEERING INC.
    Inventors: Arne Dankers, Seyed Ehsan Jalilian
  • Patent number: 11662422
    Abstract: A system is provided for determining the position of a mobile receiver unit (7) in an environment (1). The system comprises a plurality of transmitter units (2, 3, 4, 5) which transmit a respective phase-modulated transmitter-unit identifier, a mobile receiver unit (7), arranged to receive a signal from a transmitter unit (2, 3, 4, 5), and a processing subsystem (205; 9).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Sonitor Technologies AS
    Inventor: Wilfred Edwin Booij
  • Patent number: 11635537
    Abstract: A seismic sensor assembly can include a housing that defines a longitudinal axis; a sensor; sensor circuitry operatively coupled to the sensor; and overvoltage protection circuitry electrically coupled to the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: WESTERNGECO, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Ole Oeverland
  • Patent number: 11609328
    Abstract: A light source may illuminate a scene that is obscured by fog. Light may reflect back to a time-resolved light sensor. For instance, the light sensor may comprise avalanche photodiodes that are not single-photon sensitive. The light sensor may perform a raster scan. The imaging system may determine reflectance and depth of the fog-obscured target. The imaging system may perform a probabilistic algorithm that exploits the fact that times of arrival of photons reflected from fog have a Gamma distribution that is different than the Gaussian distribution of times of arrival of photons reflected from the target. The imaging system may adjust frame rate locally depending on local density of fog, as indicated by a local Gamma distribution determined in a prior step. The imaging system may perform one or more of spatial regularization, temporal regularization, and deblurring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Guy Satat, Ramesh Raskar
  • Patent number: 11609350
    Abstract: A modular seismic unit storage and handling system with a gantry robot and charging magazine is provided. The storage and handling system can include a storage container. The storage and handling system can include a top hat and a top hat extension. The storage and handling system can include an automated connection and charging magazine. The top hat can be connected to a gantry robot. The gantry robot can include a robotic arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: Magseis FF LLC
    Inventors: Sam Hand, Michael Morris, Matthew Stubbe
  • Patent number: 11493652
    Abstract: Apparatus and techniques are disclosed relating to a two-axis sensing element. In various embodiments, a two-axis sensing element includes a mounting plate that includes a first pair of mounting slots oriented in a first direction and a second pair of mounting slots oriented in a second, different direction. Further, in various embodiments, the two-axis sensing element may include a first pair of bender elements and a second pair of bender elements. The first pair of bender elements may be mounted through the first pair of mounting slots such that the first pair of bender elements is oriented in the first direction and the second pair of bender elements may be mounted through the second pair of mounting slots such that the second pair of bender elements is oriented in the second, different direction. In various embodiments, the mounting plate may transect each of the bender elements into two cantilever portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: PGS Geophysical AS
    Inventors: Robert Alexis Peregrin Fernihough, Lakshmi Subramanian