Patents by Inventor James Alan Bickford

James Alan Bickford 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).

  • Patent number: 10018686
    Abstract: An ultra-low noise sensor for magnetic fields comprises a mechanically resonant structure having a magnetized proof mass. The displacement of the proof mass due to a magnetic field provides a high resolution and highly amplified measurement of magnetic field fluctuations near the resonance frequency. A flux modulator may be used with the resonant structure to amplify magnetic fluctuations in a non-resonant frequency band. The resonant structure, combined with a high resolution readout device and a frequency-compensating numerical processor, can amplify magnetic fluctuations in a broad range of frequencies. A solenoid coil surrounding the resonant structure may be used to null the quasi-static earth's magnetic field and thereby increase the dynamic range of the sensor. Cryogenically cooling the resonant structure can improve the resolution of the sensor. A magnetometer that embodies features of the present invention is miniaturized and has improved amplification and resolution at room temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: THE CHARLES STARK DRAPER LABORATORY, INC.
    Inventors: James Alan Bickford, Jonathan Jay Bernstein, Marc Steven Weinberg, Amy Elizabeth Duwel, Richard David Elliott, III, Ronald Edmund Gagnon, Jr., Joseph Michael Kinast, John Joseph LeBlanc, Thomas Francis Marinis, Jr., Michael Joseph Tomaino-Iannucci, William Joseph Trinkle, Jr.