Patents by Inventor Yisa S. Rumala
Yisa S. Rumala 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).
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Patent number: 11906665Abstract: A system and method for scanning an amplitude modulated transmitted beam through a 360° FOV. The method includes generating a laser beam to be transmitted, intensity modulating the laser beam at multiple modulation frequencies, directing the laser beam to a spiral phase plate resonator (SPPR) device, directing a transmitted beam from the SPPR device onto a conical mirror to direct the transmitted beam at a certain angle therefrom depending on the frequency of the laser beam and processing a return beam.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2022Date of Patent: February 20, 2024Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATIONInventor: Yisa S. Rumala
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Patent number: 11714169Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system including a tunable laser beam source that generates a modulated laser beam over a frequency modulation range; a spiral phase plate resonator (SPPR) device responsive to the modulated laser beam and providing a transmitted beam; and a mirror responsive to the transmitted beam and directing the transmitted beam at a certain angle therefrom depending on the frequency of the laser beam.Type: GrantFiled: August 9, 2022Date of Patent: August 1, 2023Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATIONInventor: Yisa S. Rumala
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Publication number: 20230029592Abstract: A system and method for scanning an amplitude modulated transmitted beam through a 360° FOV. The method includes generating a laser beam to be transmitted, intensity modulating the laser beam at multiple modulation frequencies, directing the laser beam to a spiral phase plate resonator (SPPR) device, directing a transmitted beam from the SPPR device onto a conical mirror to direct the transmitted beam at a certain angle therefrom depending on the frequency of the laser beam and processing a return beam.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 27, 2022Publication date: February 2, 2023Inventor: Yisa S. Rumala
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Patent number: 11555891Abstract: A method for scanning a transmitted beam through a 360° FOV in a LIDAR system using no moving parts. The method includes directing a laser beam at a first frequency to an SPPR device and directing the laser beam from the SPPR device onto a conical mirror to direct the laser beam at a certain angle therefrom depending on the first frequency of the laser beam. The method further includes shifting the optical frequency of the laser beam to a second frequency to change the angle that the transmitted beam is directed from the conical mirror and intensity modulating the laser beam at the second frequency using a first intensity modulation frequency for a predetermined period of time. The method further includes receiving a reflected beam from the target and estimating a round trip time of the transmitted beam and the reflected beam using the modulation of the laser beam.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2019Date of Patent: January 17, 2023Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATIONInventor: Yisa S. Rumala
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Patent number: 11531111Abstract: A LIDAR system that scans a beam in a full 360° FOV without any moving parts. The system includes a transmitter sub-system having a tunable laser beam source, an SPPR responsive to the laser beam, and a conical mirror receiving the output beam and directing the output beam into a desired FOV. The system also includes a receiver sub-system responsive to a reflected beam that is reflected off of an object that receives the output beam from the mirror, where the receiver sub-system includes a plurality of detector modules each including a receiver detector and arranged so that at least one detector module receives the reflected beam from any direction. The system further includes a signal processor sub-system that tunes the frequency of the laser beam generated by the laser source to change the angle orientation of the output beam and scan the output beam in the 360° FOV.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2019Date of Patent: December 20, 2022Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATIONInventor: Yisa S. Rumala
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Publication number: 20220381884Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system including a tunable laser beam source that generates a modulated laser beam over a frequency modulation range; a spiral phase plate resonator (SPPR) device responsive to the modulated laser beam and providing a transmitted beam; and a mirror responsive to the transmitted beam and directing the transmitted beam at a certain angle therefrom depending on the frequency of the laser beam.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 9, 2022Publication date: December 1, 2022Inventor: YISA S. RUMALA
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Patent number: 11448732Abstract: A method for scanning a transmitted beam through a 360° FOV in a LIDAR system using no moving parts. The method includes generating a laser beam, frequency modulating the laser beam, and directing the frequency modulated laser beam to a spiral phase plate resonator (SPPR) device. The method further includes directing the beam from the SPPR device onto a conical mirror, and receiving a reflected beam from the target. The method mixes and correlates the transmitted beam and the reflected beam, calculates a fast Fourier transform of signals representing the mixed transmitted and reflected beams, determines beat frequencies in the mixed and transformed signals, identifies intermediate frequencies in the beat frequencies, estimates a time delay between the transmitted beam and the reflected beam from the beat frequencies to determine the distance to the target, and determines a Doppler frequency from the beat frequencies to determine the velocity of the target.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2019Date of Patent: September 20, 2022Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATIONInventor: Yisa S. Rumala
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Publication number: 20200371212Abstract: A method for scanning a transmitted beam through a 360° FOV in a LIDAR system using no moving parts. The method includes generating a laser beam, frequency modulating the laser beam, and directing the frequency modulated laser beam to a spiral phase plate resonator (SPPR) device. The method further includes directing the beam from the SPPR device onto a conical mirror, and receiving a reflected beam from the target. The method mixes and correlates the transmitted beam and the reflected beam, calculates a fast Fourier transform of signals representing the mixed transmitted and reflected beams, determines beat frequencies in the mixed and transformed signals, identifies intermediate frequencies in the beat frequencies, estimates a time delay between the transmitted beam and the reflected beam from the beat frequencies to determine the distance to the target, and determines a Doppler frequency from the beat frequencies to determine the velocity of the target.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 21, 2019Publication date: November 26, 2020Inventor: Yisa S. Rumala
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Publication number: 20200371239Abstract: A LIDAR system that scans a beam in a full 360° FOV without any moving parts. The system includes a transmitter sub-system having a tunable laser beam source, an SPPR responsive to the laser beam, and a conical mirror receiving the output beam and directing the output beam into a desired FOV. The system also includes a receiver sub-system responsive to a reflected beam that is reflected off of an object that receives the output beam from the mirror, where the receiver sub-system includes a plurality of detector modules each including a receiver detector and arranged so that at least one detector module receives the reflected beam from any direction. The system further includes a signal processor sub-system that tunes the frequency of the laser beam generated by the laser source to change the angle orientation of the output beam and scan the output beam in the 360° FOV.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 21, 2019Publication date: November 26, 2020Inventor: Yisa S. Rumala
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Publication number: 20200371213Abstract: A method for scanning a transmitted beam through a 360° FOV in a LIDAR system using no moving parts. The method includes directing a laser beam at a first frequency to an SPPR device and directing the laser beam from the SPPR device onto a conical mirror to direct the laser beam at a certain angle therefrom depending on the first frequency of the laser beam. The method further includes shifting the optical frequency of the laser beam to a second frequency to change the angle that the transmitted beam is directed from the conical mirror and intensity modulating the laser beam at the second frequency using a first intensity modulation frequency for a predetermined period of time. The method further includes receiving a reflected beam from the target and estimating a round trip time of the transmitted beam and the reflected beam using the modulation of the laser beam.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 21, 2019Publication date: November 26, 2020Inventor: Yisa S. Rumala
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Patent number: 10809057Abstract: A method for simultaneously measuring roll angle, pitch angle and yaw angle of an element. The method includes directing a laser beam into a spiral phase plate resonator (SPPR) device to generate an optical vortex intensity pattern having a centroid and radial light peaks. The method reflects the laser beam off of the element after it has propagated through the SPPR device so that the laser beam is directed onto a camera that generates images of the optical vortex intensity pattern. The method determines a location of the centroid in the images, determines integrated counts along a radial direction from the centroid in the images, and determines a location of the radial light peaks in the images using the integrated counts. The method changes the frequency of the laser beam to rotate the radial light peaks, and estimates the roll angle of the element from the change in frequency.Type: GrantFiled: May 14, 2019Date of Patent: October 20, 2020Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATIONInventor: Yisa S. Rumala
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Patent number: 10788664Abstract: An exemplary optical apparatus includes a coherent source of light having a frequency controlled by command signals. One surface of a spiral phase plate resonator receives the light and the light exits from different regions of another surface dependent on the frequency of the light. A fixed reflector is mounted adjacent the another surface to reflect the exiting light at about a 90 degree angle relative to the path of the exiting light. A source of the command signals sends different values of the command signals to the coherent light source to produce corresponding frequencies of the light that determine a particular region from which the light exits the another surface and hence a location on the fixed reflector where the light will be reflected. By changing the frequency of the light, the light is output in a plane by the optical apparatus with no physically moving components.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 2018Date of Patent: September 29, 2020Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATIONInventors: Yisa S. Rumala, Gregory Luther
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Patent number: 10670391Abstract: A confocal optical protractor for simultaneously measuring roll angle, pitch angle and yaw angle of an element that includes a tunable laser source generating a laser beam and an SPPR device responsive to the laser beam. The protractor also includes a beam splitter receiving and splitting an output beam from the SPPR device, and a lens being responsive to and projecting the split beam onto the element and being responsive to a reflected beam from the element. The protractor further includes a measurement detector responsive to the reflected beam from the element, where the reflected beam is imaged by the lens onto the measurement detector, and a processor receiving and processing image data from the measurement detector and generating the pitch, yaw and roll angles from the data, where the image data includes an orientation of an vortex intensity pattern in the split beam.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 2018Date of Patent: June 2, 2020Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems CorporationInventor: Yisa S. Rumala
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Publication number: 20200132443Abstract: A confocal optical protractor for simultaneously measuring roll angle, pitch angle and yaw angle of an element that includes a tunable laser source generating a laser beam and an SPPR device responsive to the laser beam. The protractor also includes a beam splitter receiving and splitting an output beam from the SPPR device, and a lens being responsive to and projecting the split beam onto the element and being responsive to a reflected beam from the element. The protractor further includes a measurement detector responsive to the reflected beam from the element, where the reflected beam is imaged by the lens onto the measurement detector, and a processor receiving and processing image data from the measurement detector and generating the pitch, yaw and roll angles from the data, where the image data includes an orientation of an vortex intensity pattern in the split beam.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 26, 2018Publication date: April 30, 2020Inventor: YISA S. RUMALA
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Publication number: 20200132444Abstract: A method for simultaneously measuring roll angle, pitch angle and yaw angle of an element. The method includes directing a laser beam into a spiral phase plate resonator (SPPR) device to generate an optical vortex intensity pattern having a centroid and radial light peaks. The method reflects the laser beam off of the element after it has propagated through the SPPR device so that the laser beam is directed onto a camera that generates images of the optical vortex intensity pattern. The method determines a location of the centroid in the images, determines integrated counts along a radial direction from the centroid in the images, and determines a location of the radial light peaks in the images using the integrated counts. The method changes the frequency of the laser beam to rotate the radial light peaks, and estimates the roll angle of the element from the change in frequency.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 14, 2019Publication date: April 30, 2020Inventor: YISA S. RUMALA
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Publication number: 20190293929Abstract: An exemplary optical apparatus includes a coherent source of light having a frequency controlled by command signals. One surface of a spiral phase plate resonator receives the light and the light exits from different regions of another surface dependent on the frequency of the light. A fixed reflector is mounted adjacent the another surface to reflect the exiting light at about a 90 degree angle relative to the path of the exiting light. A source of the command signals sends different values of the command signals to the coherent light source to produce corresponding frequencies of the light that determine a particular region from which the light exits the another surface and hence a location on the fixed reflector where the light will be reflected. By changing the frequency of the light, the light is output in a plane by the optical apparatus with no physically moving components.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 22, 2018Publication date: September 26, 2019Inventors: Yisa S. Rumala, Gregory Luther
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Patent number: 10323934Abstract: An optical protractor that employs a spiral phase plate resonator (SPPR) device for measuring a roll angle between two points on a static surface or a rotating surface. The protractor includes a tunable laser source that generates a laser beam. The SPPR device is responsive to the laser beam, and includes opposing reflective surfaces that reflect the beam back and forth in the device, where one of the reflective surfaces includes a spiral step index that causes multiple reflected beams having different phases to be combined as an output beam from the device having an optical vortex intensity pattern defined by the phases of the multiple beams, and where the intensity pattern includes radial light intensity lines. The protractor includes a lens that projects the output beam onto the element and the intensity pattern is detected to measure the roll angle.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 2018Date of Patent: June 18, 2019Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems CorporationInventor: Yisa S. Rumala