Patents by Inventor Austin C. Fikes

Austin C. Fikes has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230155649
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a reconfigurable phased array and a method for determining the current configuration of a phased array. Certain disclosed embodiments include a reconfigurable phased array including a constellation of antennas configured to receive and transmit radiation towards a far field target. Each of the antennas senses incidental power from the retransmitted radiation from the other antennas of the constellation of antennas. This incidental power may be referred to as mutual coupling. The reconfigurable phased array further includes a computer system configured to: measure the incidental power sensed by the each of the antennas; perform a physical constraint mapping of the constellation of antennas; perform an array shape construction to determine a current position of all the elements based on the physical constraint mapping of the constellation of antennas and the incidental power sensed by each of the antennas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2022
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Applicant: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Seyed Ali Hajimiri, Oren Mizrahi, Austin C. Fikes
  • Publication number: 20230109403
    Abstract: A phased-array includes, in part, N transceivers each including a receiver and a transmitter, and a controller. The phased array is configured to transmit a first radio signal from a first element of the array during a first time period, receive the first radio signal from a second element of the array, recover a first value associated with the radio signal received by the second element, transmit a second radio signal from the second element of the array during a second time period, receive the second radio signal from the first element of the array, recover a second value associated with the radio signal received by the first element, and determine a first phase of a reference signal received by the second element from the recovered first and second values. The first phase is relative to a second phase of the reference signal received by the first element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2022
    Publication date: April 6, 2023
    Inventors: Austin C. Fikes, Behrooz Abiri, Florian Bohn, Seyed Ali Hajimiri, Christopher Ian Walker, David Elliot Williams
  • Patent number: 11601183
    Abstract: Spatial redistributors and methods of redistributing signals in accordance with various embodiments of the invention are illustrated. One embodiment includes an array of channels configured to receive and retransmit a signal, where each of a plurality of independently operating channels in the array includes: at least one antenna element; an RF chain configured to apply at least a time delay to the received signal prior to retransmission; control circuitry configured to control the time delay applied to the received signal by the RF chain; and a reference oscillator. In addition, the array of channels is configured to redirect a signal received from a first set of directions for retransmission in a second set of directions; and the control circuitry of the channels in the array of channels coordinates the time delays applied to the received signal across the array of channels to control the wave front of the retransmitted signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Seyed Ali Hajimiri, Austin C. Fikes, Parham Porsandeh Khial
  • Publication number: 20220399630
    Abstract: A self-deployable antenna and/or antenna array that is made up of one or more antenna elements. Each of the antenna elements has a structural base that supports portions of the antenna and can be positioned between a stored configuration for compaction and a deployed configuration for transmitting. The antenna elements and structural base can be part of a base substrate that provides a base support for the antenna and/or antenna array to be compacted and deployed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2022
    Publication date: December 15, 2022
    Applicant: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Austin C. Fikes, Oren Mizrahi, Fabian Wiesemuller, Eleftherios Gdoutos, Alan Truong, Sergio Pellegrino, Seyed Ali Hajimiri
  • Patent number: 11021223
    Abstract: Various embodiments are directed to interconnectable tiles configured for operation in an aquatic environment or a near-zero/zero gravity environment. The interconnectable tiles are configured to interconnect relative to one another to form interconnected surfaces, and individual interconnectable tiles provide thrust, ballast, and/or buoyancy to the overall interconnected surface so as to move the interconnected surface in a desired configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Austin C. Fikes, Seyed Ali Hajimiri
  • Publication number: 20210105092
    Abstract: Scalable decentralized redistributors and methods of redistributing signals in accordance with various embodiments of the invention are illustrated. One embodiment includes an array of channels configured to receive and retransmit a signal, where each of a plurality of independently operating channels in the array includes: at least one antenna element; an RF chain configured to apply a time delay to the received signal prior to retransmission; control circuitry configured to control the time delay applied to the received signal by the RF chain; and a reference oscillator. In addition, the array of channels is configured to steer a signal of a first frequency in a first direction and steer a signal of a second frequency in a second direction different from the first direction to create a dual beam redistributor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2020
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Applicant: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Seyed Ali Hajimiri, Austin C. Fikes, Parham Porsandeh Khial, Samir Nooshabadi
  • Publication number: 20200204244
    Abstract: Spatial redistributors and methods of redistributing signals in accordance with various embodiments of the invention are illustrated. One embodiment includes an array of channels configured to receive and retransmit a signal, where each of a plurality of independently operating channels in the array includes: at least one antenna element; an RF chain configured to apply at least a time delay to the received signal prior to retransmission; control circuitry configured to control the time delay applied to the received signal by the RF chain; and a reference oscillator. In addition, the array of channels is configured to redirect a signal received from a first set of directions for retransmission in a second set of directions; and the control circuitry of the channels in the array of channels coordinates the time delays applied to the received signal across the array of channels to control the wave front of the retransmitted signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Applicant: Califormia Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Seyed Ali Hajimiri, Austin C. Fikes, Parham Porsandeh Khial
  • Publication number: 20200130795
    Abstract: Various embodiments are directed to interconnectable tiles configured for operation in an aquatic environment or a near-zero/zero gravity environment. The interconnectable tiles are configured to interconnect relative to one another to form interconnected surfaces, and individual interconnectable tiles provide thrust, ballast, and/or buoyancy to the overall interconnected surface so as to move the interconnected surface in a desired configuration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Inventors: Austin C. Fikes, Seyed Ali Hajimiri