Patents Examined by Thomas H. Tarcza
  • Patent number: 8026845
    Abstract: A control module interconnecting a transmitter portion and a signal receiver portion of a mobile device is provided. The control module monitors the transmitter portion of the mobile device and, based on the monitored condition, alters the mobile device to inhibit the ability of a transmission signal from a transmitter to interfere with the signal receiver portion, i.e., intelligent blanking. In other words, the control module may disable or modify the signal receiver portion when power on the transmitter portion exceeds a predetermined power threshold level. Alternatively the control module may force the transmitter portion to transmit at a reduced power level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: Thomas G. Wolf
  • Patent number: 8022857
    Abstract: A submarine warfare radar training system 10 includes an underwater vehicle 15 towing a float device 40 and a radar reflective target 45. The radar reflective target 45 is configured as a hollow tube-shaped element 50 having circular open leading and trailing open circular end to allow water to flow through the target as it is towed. The target 45 includes a positive buoyancy material layer 60 and is horizontally oriented during towing. The float device 40 is configured to support the radar reflective target 45 open leading end above the water surface 30 as the float device 40 and radar reflective target 45 are towed along the water surface to deliver air into the hollow cross-section. The radar reflective target 45 has an adjustable RCS which can be increased or decreased by lengthening or shortening the radar reflective target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: John M. Carcone
  • Patent number: 8022867
    Abstract: A global navigation satellite system-tracking (“GNSS-tracking”) device and method for determining one or more positions of the GNSS-tracking device utilizing a user-plane service is disclosed. The GNSS-tracking device may comprise: charging and tracking modules adapted to be disengagably coupled together, wherein the tracking module comprises (i) tracking circuitry for determining at least one position of the tracking module using the user-plane service in a satellite positioning system, and (ii) a chargeable source for supplying power to the tracking circuitry when disengaged from the charging module, and wherein the charging module is operable to charge the chargeable source when the charging module is coupled to the tracking module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Scott Pomerantz, Charles Abraham, David A. Lundgren
  • Patent number: 8022866
    Abstract: Aspects of a method and system for Doppler estimation may include generating, in a GNSS receiver operating in a duty-cycle mode, a plurality of lag-m products that may be based on a plurality of correlation coefficients corresponding to one or more received signals, wherein the plurality of correlation coefficients may be generated during an active period of the duty-cycle mode of operation. A Doppler frequency may be estimated based on the plurality of lag-m products. The GNSS receiver may be compliant with one or more standards comprising GALILEO, GLONASS, IRNSS, and BEIDOU. The active period of the duty-cycle mode may be chosen arbitrarily from a range of 1% to 99%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Jason Goldberg, Charles Abraham
  • Patent number: 8022859
    Abstract: Systems and methods distinguish weather radar returns from terrain radar returns. An exemplary embodiment receives a radar return from a weather radar system on board an installation vehicle, receives ground-based weather radar information, compares a location of the radar return received from the onboard weather radar system with a corresponding location in the received ground-based, and determines that the radar return received from the onboard weather radar system is a weather radar return when a location in the received ground-based weather radar information indicates a presence of weather at the location of the radar return.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Brian P. Bunch, Michael M. Grove, Paul Christianson
  • Patent number: 8020491
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for defending against airborne assault ammunition. The assault ammunition is located with at least one position-locating device. The flight path of the assault ammunition is iteratively calculated using the determined ballistic coefficient of the assault ammunition. A firing control solution is determined for firing a fragmentation-type defense ammunition, which is fired with a large-caliber weapon, especially one having a caliber of at least 76 mm. A fuse of the defense ammunition is set after the firing and/or the defense ammunition is remotely detonated, and after the firing the defense ammunition is ignited or remotely ignited at an ignition time point TZ. Alternatively, the ignition of the defense ammunition is initiated by a proximity igniter disposed in the defense ammunition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co.
    Inventor: Alexander Simon
  • Patent number: 8018380
    Abstract: There is a provided a system for measuring an antenna radiation pattern in a Fresnel region, including: a fixed antenna and a movable antenna located in the Fresnel region to acquire a far-field radiation pattern; a moving unit for moving upward or downward to adjust a measuring angle of the movable antenna; a rotation unit to rotate a rotation shaft horizontally; a vector network analyzing unit for outputting an radio frequency (RF) signal to one of the fixed antenna and the movable antenna as a transmission antenna, receiving the RF signal received through the other one of the fixed antenna and the movable antenna as a receiving antenna, and detecting a complex value; a control and communication unit for controlling the vector network analyzing unit and a control unit, and performing a data communication; and the control unit for providing a vertical/horizontal rotation force to the moving unit and the rotation unit under a control of the control and communication unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Soon-Soo Oh, Je-Hoon Yun, Jung-Ick Moon, Joung-Myoun Kim, Yong-Heui Cho
  • Patent number: 8018382
    Abstract: A positioning system designed to provide a three dimensional location of an object. The system can include one or more multiple transmitters or electromagnetic beacons, software defined radio receivers with an associated processing unit and data acquisition system, and magnetic antennas. The system applies theoretical calculations, scale model testing, signal processing, and sensor data to operate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Raytheon UTD Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Shore, Benjamin Dolgin, Steven Cotten
  • Patent number: 8018376
    Abstract: A GNSS-based, bidirectional mobile communication system includes a mobile unit, such as a vehicle or a personal mobile system, with GNSS (e.g., GPS) and Internet (worldwide web) access. A base station also has GNSS and Internet access, and provides differential (e.g., DGPS) correctors to the mobile unit via the Internet. The Internet communications link enables audio and/or video (AV) clips to be recorded and played back by the mobile unit based on its GNSS location. The playback function can be triggered by the mobile unit detecting a predetermined GNSS location associated with a particular clip, which can be GNSS position-stamped when recorded. Alternatively, clips can be generated by utilities and loaded by the application either from a personal computer or automatically over the Internet. Moreover, maps, vehicle travel paths and images associated with particular GNSS-defined locations, such as waypoints, can be updated and position-stamped on the data server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Hemisphere GPS LLC
    Inventors: John A. McClure, Dennis M. Collins, Aaron C. Stichter, John T. E. Timm
  • Patent number: 8018378
    Abstract: A satellite navigation receiver having a flexible acquisition and tracking engine architecture. The flexible acquisition engine has a reconfigurable delay line that can be used either as a single entity or divided into different sections. Consequently, it can be configured to search different satellite vehicles, a single Doppler frequency, and full CA code in parallel. When configuring the delay line into different sections, each section is used to search a partial CA code. In this configuration, multiple Doppler mode, multiple satellite vehicles, multiple Doppler frequencies, and partial CA code can be searched in parallel. Furthermore, the different sections of the CA code can be time-multiplexed into a correlator, which can then be over clocked to achieve full CA code correlation. The flexible tracking engine includes a number of parallel tracking channels, whereby each individual channel has a number of taps or fingers, which can be used to lock onto different delays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Atheros Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Qinfang Sun, Wen-Chang Yeh
  • Patent number: 8018372
    Abstract: The spread spectrum radar apparatus in the present invention (i) includes: a transmission code generator (110); a reception code generator (121) generating a reception code obtained by delaying a transmission code; a spread modulator (112) spread-modulating a signal generated by a local oscillator (111) using the transmission code; a transmission antenna (113) transmitting the spread-modulated signal; a reception antenna (120) receiving a signal; a spread demodulator (122) demodulating the signal using the reception code to provide a correlation signal; a mixer (123) mixing the correlation signal and the signal generated by the local oscillator (111) to generate a radar signal; a virtual image determining unit (130) determining a virtual image; and a radar signal calculation device (160) calculating the radar signal using a virtual image determination signal, and (ii) adds a calculation and an offset signal for suppressing a peak intensity of the virtual image when the virtual image occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: PANASONIC Corporation
    Inventors: Noboru Negoro, Takeshi Fukuda, Hiroyuki Sakai
  • Patent number: 8018375
    Abstract: A projected artificial magnetic mirror (PAMM) radar device includes a transceiver module, a shaping module, and an antenna structure. The antenna structure includes a plurality of metal patches, a metal backing, a dielectric material, and one or more antennas. The metal patches are electrically coupled to the metal backing to form an inductive-capacitive network that, for the one or more antennas and within a given frequency band, substantially reduces surface waves to obtain a detectable angle of incidence of approximately ninety degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Nicolaos G. Alexopoulos, Chryssoula A. Kyriazidou
  • Patent number: 8018383
    Abstract: A signal-of-opportunity location device (SOLD) that may be situated in a complex radio propagation environment with multiple RF signal obstructions receives RF signals from a distant transmitter. The RF signals from the distant transmitter interact with obstructions in the propagation environment local to the SOLD. The local obstructions perturb the RF signals causing the RF signals to exhibit near field behavior in the complex radio propagation environment. The SOLD receives the locally perturbed signals. The SOLD detects signal characteristics of RF signal components of the received signals and compares these signal characteristics with reference data in a reference data store to determine the current location of the SOLD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Q-Track Corporation
    Inventors: Hans Gregory Schantz, Alfred Hans Unden, Eric Richards, Robert Edward Depierre
  • Patent number: 8018584
    Abstract: Methods and systems for locating a portable device in an enclosure having a location defining a virtual wall are provided. The system includes first and second infrared (IR) transmitters directed to opposite sides of the virtual wall. Each of the transmitters is configured to selectively transmit an interfering IR signal (IIS) and a data signal including a corresponding transmitter location ID.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Centrak, Inc.
    Inventor: Israel Amir
  • Patent number: 8018381
    Abstract: An antenna apparatus is disclosed. The antenna apparatus has a first antenna, a second antenna, and a third antenna which have different directivity directions each other and are switched for a desired directivity direction. The first antenna is disposed on a substrate which is in parallel therewith. The second antenna is disposed on one principal surface of the substrate which is nearly perpendicular thereto. The third antenna is disposed on the other principal surface of the substrate which is nearly perpendicular thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Nobuyuki Mori
  • Patent number: 8013786
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention recite a method and system for limiting the functionality of a mobile electronic device. In one embodiment, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver configured to determine a GNSS Doppler frequency shift measurement corresponding to a GNSS signal. A control component is configured to control an operation of the mobile electronic device in response to a control signal which is generated when the GNSS Doppler frequency shift measurement is used to determine that the speed of the mobile electronic device exceeds a speed threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited
    Inventor: David Gildea
  • Patent number: 8013775
    Abstract: An exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprises a radio frequency absorber that is operative for absorbing electromagnetic energy, scattering electromagnetic signals, and/or attenuating electromagnetic signals. In accordance with certain aspects of the invention, the radio frequency absorber is substantially flat and comprises an absorbing surface. The absorbing surface is operative to absorb electromagnetic energy, scatter electromagnetic signals, and/or attenuate electromagnetic signals. In exemplary embodiments of the invention, the radio frequency absorber comprises a plurality of holes disposed within the radio frequency absorber. The radio frequency absorber, according to various embodiments of the present invention, is configured to reduce cavity oscillations and/or cavity modes and resonances within an integrated circuit device, such as a device that houses a monolithic microwave integrated circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: ViaSat, Inc.
    Inventor: Charles E. Woods
  • Patent number: 8013785
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to perform positioning at favorable positioning precision and in a favorable positioning time, according to whether a receiver is indoors or outdoors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignees: NTT DoCoMo, Inc., Polaris Wireless, Inc.
    Inventors: Tarun Kumar Bhattacharya, Hassan Mohamed Ei-Sallabi, Scot Douglas Gordon, Yasuhiro Oda, Jiyun Shen
  • Patent number: 8013694
    Abstract: The invention relates to a small and low-voltage operable dielectric waveguide device. First and second electrode are embedded in a dielectric part and are formed to be thinner than a skin depth for a frequency of electromagnetic wave propagating along a first dielectric part included in the dielectric part. Thereby, even if the first and second electrodes are arranged to be in contact with the first dielectric part, the propagating electromagnetic wave can transmit the first and second electrodes, and therefore the electromagnetic wave can propagate without being cut off and there is no influence on waveguide modes of the electromagnetic wave. Further, in a state where a transmission loss due to the embedded of the electrode is suppressed, an electric field with large electric field strength can be applied to the first dielectric part by the first and second electrodes, and a small and low-voltage operable dielectric waveguide device can be achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuki Hiramatsu, Djuniadi A. Sagala, Tetsuya Kishino
  • Patent number: 8013782
    Abstract: A method and arrangement for processing signals emitted by a plurality of apparent emitters that is detected by an Electronic Measures System/Direction Finder unit (ESM1). The ESM1 unit is adapted to identify a real emitter and at least one false emitter among said apparent emitters, based on the variance of emitter characterizing parameters for each apparent emitter. When false and real emitters have been identified, this information may be used to suppress clutter from false emitters, and/or to determine the position of the real emitter using observations from only one ESM/DF unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson (Publ)
    Inventor: Per Atle V{dot over (a)}land