Spacecraft Or Satellite Patents (Class 701/13)
  • Patent number: 11955021
    Abstract: The present invention relates generally to a method and system (10) for classifying vehicle behaviour, particularly abnormal behaviour of civil aircraft (12). The method may comprise receiving aircraft data from an aircraft (12) which is to be classified; and determining whether the received aircraft data comprises identification information for the aircraft (12). In response to a determination that the received aircraft data comprises identification information, the method may comprise using said identification information to classify the behaviour of the aircraft (12). In response to a determination that the received aircraft data does not comprises identification information, the method may comprise obtaining the position of the aircraft and comparing the obtained position to an expected route for the aircraft to classify the behaviour of the aircraft (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: BAE SYSTEMS PLC
    Inventors: Benjamin Thomas Chehade, Markus Deittert, Matthew Neil Joseph, Simon Jonathan Mettrick, Yohahn Aleixo Hubert Ribeiro, Frederic Francis Taylor
  • Patent number: 11939085
    Abstract: Aspects relate to method and systems for wrapping simulated intra-aircraft communication to a physical controller area network. An exemplary method includes receiving simulator data from an aircraft simulator, disaggregating a simulated digital message from the simulator data, abstracting a simulated signal as a function of the simulated digital message, transmitting the simulated signal on at least a controller area network (CAN), receiving, using at least an aircraft component communicative with the at least a CAN, the simulated signal by way of the at least a CAN, transmitting a phenomenal signal by way of the at least a CAN, receiving the phenomenal signal by way of the at least a CAN, converting a phenomenal digital message as a function of the phenomenal signal, and inputting the phenomenal digital message to the aircraft simulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: BETA AIR, LLC
    Inventors: Nicholas Granger Warren, Charles C. Guthrie, Nicholas Moy, Alexander Hoekje List
  • Patent number: 11928979
    Abstract: A device for avoiding a potential conflict detected in a predetermined trajectory prediction horizon between a first trajectory of a first ship or aircraft and a second trajectory of a second ship or aircraft is disclosed. Each trajectory includes a plurality of segments formed between multiple navigation points. The device includes a determination unit for determining at least one lateral peripheral envelope of the first trajectory, a division unit for dividing the lateral peripheral envelope into a plurality of juxtaposed sections arranged longitudinally the ones after the others and delimited by transition lines marking the change between sections, each transition line cutting, at a first point of intersection, a segment of the first trajectory and, at a second point of intersection, and an edge of the lateral peripheral envelope, a discretisation unit, and a computing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE SAS
    Inventor: Philippe Reinquin
  • Patent number: 11930024
    Abstract: A method of detecting anomalous user behavior in a cloud environment includes calculating a first vector that is representative of actions taken during a plurality of previous time intervals; calculating a similarity between the first vector and a second vector that comprises counts of actions taken by the user during a current time interval; comparing the similarity to a baseline threshold to determine whether one or more anomalous actions have occurred; and generating an alert based at least in part on a determination that the one or more anomalous actions have occurred in the cloud environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Brian H. Xu, Chao Feng, Ganesh Kirti
  • Patent number: 11912426
    Abstract: Thrust values for motors in an aircraft are generated where each flight controller in a plurality of flight controllers generates a thrust value for each motor in a plurality of motors using an optimization problem with a single solution. Each flight controller in the plurality of flight controllers passes one of the generated thrust values to a corresponding motor in the plurality of motors, where other generated thrust values for that flight controller terminate at that flight controller. The plurality of motors perform the passed thrust values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Kitty Hawk Corporation
    Inventor: Tim Allan Wheeler
  • Patent number: 11902007
    Abstract: A facility operates with respect to a configuration of one or more unmanned aerial vehicles operating as relays between on or more wireless network participant devices and one or more wireless base stations being supported directly or indirectly by a planetary surface. The facility conducts an experiment that yields quality of service results and flight duration results for each of multiple values of a UAV control parameter. The facility selects a value of the UAV control parameter that produced an advantageous tradeoff of quality of service results and flight duration results, and stores the selected value, such that the stored value of the UAV control parameter is usable to operate the UAVs of the configuration in production service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: DISH Wireless L.L.C.
    Inventor: Mustafa Al Tamimi
  • Patent number: 11882634
    Abstract: A light emitting diode (LED) lighting apparatus is provided. The LED lighting apparatus includes a first LED array; a second LED array; a first driving chip configured to receive AC power, and to control the first LED array based on a first control signal; a second driving chip configured to receive the AC power, and to control the second LED array based on a second control signal; a communication device configured to generate the first control signal and the second control signal based on a request from an external device; and an AC/DC converter configured to receive the AC power, and to provide DC power to the communication device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Deokhee Han
  • Patent number: 11876602
    Abstract: The application provides a communication method, an apparatus, and a system that are used in a satellite network. A user terminal receives, on a management channel, a sounding signal sent by a management satellite. The management satellite manages one or more serving satellites. The user terminal sends a respiratory signal to the management satellite. The respiratory signal carries information about the user terminal. The information about the user terminal is used to determine information about a serving satellite that serves the user terminal. The management satellite or a ground station may uniformly schedule the serving satellite to serve the user terminal. When the serving satellite is switched, a negotiation between satellites may be omitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yunfei Qiao, Rongdao Yu, Yinggang Du, Bin Wang, Tianxiang Wang
  • Patent number: 11873123
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an aerospace vehicle navigation and control system comprising a terrestrial illumination matching module for determining spacecraft position and attitude. The method permits aerospace vehicle position and attitude determinations using terrestrial lights using an Earth-pointing camera without the need of a dedicated sensor to track stars, the sun, or the horizon. Thus, a module for making such determinations can easily and inexpensively be made onboard an aerospace vehicle if an Earth-pointing sensor, such as a camera, is present.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Liberty M. Shockley, Robert A. Bettinger
  • Patent number: 11834203
    Abstract: Drift-based rendezvous control system for controlling an operation of a spacecraft to rendezvous the spacecraft to a goal region over a finite time (FT) horizon. The system including accepting data including values of spacecraft states at a specified time period within the FT horizon. A processor at the specified time period selects a set of drift regions corresponding to a desired goal region at a location on an orbit where the target is located at the specified time period. Update a controller having a model of dynamics of the spacecraft with the accepted data. Formulate the set of drift regions as a penalty in a cost function of the updated controller. Generate control commands resulting in a real-time drift-based control policy where upon entering the drift region, the thrusters are turned off in order to minimize an amount of operation of the thrusters while rendezvousing with the desired goal region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC RESEARCH LABORATORIES INC.
    Inventors: Avishai Weiss, Daniel Aguilar Marsillach, Stefano Di Cairano
  • Patent number: 11816784
    Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods may provide for technology that generates, by a first neural network, an initial set of model weights based on input data and iteratively generates, by a second neural network, an updated set of model weights based on residual data associated with the initial set of model weights and the input data. Additionally, the technology may output a geometric model of the input data based on the updated set of model weights. In one example, the first neural network and the second neural network reduce the dependence of the geometric model on the number of data points in the input data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Rene Ranftl, Vladlen Koltun
  • Patent number: 11807405
    Abstract: A universal test port is connected to the different functional sub-systems of a spacecraft, allowing the sub-systems to be tested from a single location of an assembled spacecraft. The universal test port is mounted on an external surface of the spacecraft and configured to connect to the different functional sub-systems (such as power, propulsion, and command and data handling, for example) of the assembled spacecraft, allowing for the streamlining of testing operations by electrical ground system equipment during assembly, integration, and test (AIT) operations and reducing the risk of collateral damage to spacecraft hardware during testing in AIT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: Maxar Space LLC
    Inventor: Kristin Elisabeth Norwood
  • Patent number: 11807404
    Abstract: Systems and methods controlling an operation of a vehicle in real time to rendezvous the vehicle with a target over a finite time horizon having multiple specified time periods. Select a set of unsafe regions from stored unsafe regions, the set of unsafe regions represents regions of space around the target in which any operation of the PSNO thrusters does not avoid collision with the target, guaranteeing collision trajectories with the target. Formulating the set of unsafe regions as safety constraints, and updating a controller having a model of dynamics of the vehicle with the accepted data. Generating control commands by subjecting the updated controller to the safety constraints to produce a rendezvous trajectory that avoids the set of unsafe regions, guaranteeing an operation of at least the PSNO thrusters, in the event of partial vehicle thruster failure results in a trajectory that does not collide with the target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC RESEARCH LABORATORIES INC.
    Inventors: Avishai Weiss, Stefano Di Cairano, Daniel Aguilar Marsillach, Uros Kalabic
  • Patent number: 11801948
    Abstract: An orbital trajectory planning system includes a first computer processor environment configured to preprocess data for providing to a physics-based n-body simulation model, the first computer processor environment including a graphical user interface (GUI) for receiving input from a user. The system also includes a second computer processor environment running at least partially trained neural network software that has been trained to perform nonlinear mapping of the output of the n-body simulation model to a result related to a proposed trajectory for a spacecraft, the second computer processor environment receiving input information from the first computer processor environment. Further the system relates to a third computer processor environment configured to receive data related to the output from the neural network of the second computer processor environment, the third computer processor environment providing user useable output through a GUI running on the third computer processor environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: ProximaAI.com
    Inventor: Michael Limotta
  • Patent number: 11780611
    Abstract: A universal external port is proposed to add new functionality to or replace existing functionality of an already deployed spacecraft (e.g., a satellite in orbit). The universal external port is mounted on an external surface of the spacecraft and configured to connect to different types of external modules that have different functions, without removing components from the spacecraft other than one or more components of the universal external port. A communication interface onboard the spacecraft is configured to wirelessly receive a software patch from an entity remote from the spacecraft (e.g., from a ground terminal or other spacecraft) to program the spacecraft to change operation of the spacecraft to utilize the external module when the external module is connected to the universal external port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: Maxar Space LLC
    Inventor: Robert Erik Schwarz
  • Patent number: 11772824
    Abstract: Systems and methods for obtaining images of a lunar surface and cislunar space using a hybrid telescope are provided. One hybrid telescope is carried by each of two spacecraft. Each spacecraft is in an elliptical orbit about the Moon. The periapsides of the spacecraft orbits are 180° apart from one another. In addition, the spacecraft can be phased 180° apart from one another to enable an offset in access times of each telescope to the cislunar and surface domains respectively. The image sensors associated with the telescopes can include a staring mode for collecting images from cislunar space, and a scanning mode for collecting images from the lunar surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Elvis Dariel Silva, Jeffrey Edward Van Cleve, Robert Hadley Philbrick, Christopher Joseph Grant, Jacob Daniel Griesbach, Michael Patrick Mahoney
  • Patent number: 11767134
    Abstract: For power-enhanced slew maneuvers, a method determines a power collection function for a satellite. The method determines a power cost function for the satellite. The method calculates a power enhanced slew maneuver based on the power collection function and the power cost function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Inventors: Skylar Cox, Tyson Smith, Tanner Lex Jones
  • Patent number: 11697513
    Abstract: A method (50) for orbit control of a satellite (10) in Earth orbit and for desaturation of an angular momentum storage device of the satellite, the satellite (10) including an articulated arm (21) suitable for moving a propulsion unit (31) within a motion volume included in a half-space delimited by an orbital plane when the satellite is in a mission attitude, the method (50) including a single-arm control mode using only the propulsion unit (31) carried by the articulated arm (21), the single-arm control mode using a maneuvering plan including only thrust maneuvers to be executed when the satellite (10) is located within an angular range of at most 180° centered on a target node in the orbit of the satellite (10), including two thrust maneuvers to be performed respectively upstream and downstream of the target node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE SAS
    Inventor: Philippe Laurens
  • Patent number: 11691730
    Abstract: A system and method for the remote piloting of an electric aircraft is illustrated. The system comprises a remote device located outside an electric aircraft, wherein the remote device is configured to receive a flight command input from a user and transmit the flight command input to a flight controller located on the aircraft. The flight controller is located inside the aircraft and configured to receive the flight command input from the remote device and enact the flight command autonomously as a function of the flight command input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: BETA AIR, LLC
    Inventors: Nicholas Moy, Collin Freiheit, Joshua E. Auerbach
  • Patent number: 11694558
    Abstract: A method and system for continuously re-planning a vehicle's path, in the face of stationary and moving obstacles, dynamically calculates a new path in real time which is both efficient and maintains minimum safety clearances relative to obstacles. Repulsion signals emanating from obstacles and propagating through delineated sections of a grid representing a geographic space are summed along with values representing the relative distance of the sections from the vehicle origin and vehicle destination. The grid sections having optimal values according to a predetermined criteria represent an efficient and safe travel path between the vehicle origin and destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: SMARTSKY NETWORKS LLC
    Inventor: James W. Herriot
  • Patent number: 11681292
    Abstract: A system and method for generating simulated vehicles with configured behaviors for analyzing autonomous vehicle motion planners are disclosed. A particular embodiment includes: receiving perception data from a plurality of perception data sensors; obtaining configuration instructions and data including pre-defined parameters and executables defining a specific driving behavior for each of a plurality of simulated dynamic vehicles; generating a target position and target speed for each of the plurality of simulated dynamic vehicles, the generated target positions and target speeds being based on the perception data and the configuration instructions and data; and generating a plurality of trajectories and acceleration profiles to transition each of the plurality of simulated dynamic vehicles from a current position and speed to the corresponding target position and target speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: TUSIMPLE, INC.
    Inventors: Xingdong Li, Xing Sun, Wutu Lin, Liu Liu
  • Patent number: 11649076
    Abstract: A system detects a maneuver of at least one space object by receiving a first data set relating to orbital characteristics of at least one space debris object. The system trains a model, using the first data set, in order to model orbital behaviors of the at least one space debris object. The system then receives a second data set relating to orbital characteristics of the at least one space object, and detects a maneuver of the at least one space object using the trained model and the second data set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Jonsimon Tack, Christine Nezda
  • Patent number: 11619470
    Abstract: Systems and methods of calculating a ballistic solution for a projectile are provided. A ballistic system may include an airborne device, a ballistic computer, a data interface, and a flight module, or any combination thereof. The airborne device (e.g., a drone) may be operable to gather wind data along or adjacent to a flight path of a projectile to a target. The ballistic computer may be in data communication with the airborne device to receive the wind data. The ballistic computer may be configured to calculate a ballistic solution for the projectile based on the wind data. The data interface may be in data communication with the ballistic computer to output the ballistic solution to a user. The flight module may be configured to calibrate a flight path of the airborne device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: Knightwerx Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel Baumgartner
  • Patent number: 11614734
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices of the various embodiments enable local visual identification and verification of robotic vehicles. Various embodiments may enable disambiguation of a robotic vehicle from among a plurality of robotic vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Charles Alfred Bergan, Edward Harrison Teague, Paul Guckian
  • Patent number: 11597539
    Abstract: A method for attitude control of a satellite in inclined low orbit in survival mode is disclosed, the satellite including at least one solar generator, at least one solar sensor, magnetic torquers capable of forming internal magnetic moments in a satellite reference frame having three orthogonal axes X, Y, and Z, and inertial actuators capable of forming internal angular momentums in the satellite reference frame. The at least one solar sensor has a field of view at least 180° wide within the XZ plane around the Z axis, the method including a step of attitude control using a first control law, a step of searching for the sun by means of the at least one solar sensor, when a first phase of visibility of the sun is detected, and a step of attitude control using a second control law.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignees: AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE SAS, AIRBUS ONEWEB SATELLITES SAS
    Inventors: Yannick Neubrand, Alexandre Jullien, Marie Sachot
  • Patent number: 11561539
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a method of operating an aircraft includes operating the aircraft in a first mode including determining an attitude based on a pilot stick signal, where a translational speed or an attitude of the aircraft is proportional to an amplitude of the pilot stick signal in the first mode; transitioning from the first mode to a second mode when a velocity of the aircraft exceeds a first velocity threshold; and operating the aircraft in the second mode where the output of the rate controller is proportional to the amplitude of the pilot stick signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.
    Inventor: Sung Kyun Kim
  • Patent number: 11554881
    Abstract: This patent presents an attitude determination and control system based on a Quaternion Kalman Filter (QKF) with an extendable number of sensors and actuators. Furthermore, it is compatible with the spherical motor as its attitude actuator. The system includes a processor with a QKF, at least one direct attitude actuator, and at least two environmental sensors. Firstly, system dynamics calculates a first propagation attitude determination result. Next, update the first propagation with the attitude sensor measurements. Then, control the satellite's attitude via the attitude actuator closer to the attitude command provided by the user. The proposed system dynamic model could adjust the number of actuators and sensors freely without reprogramming the algorithms for new missions with new configurations on the actuators and sensors. Moreover, if some components fail, the algorithm can automatically remove those related sequences to avoid the overall failure of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: TENSOR TECH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Po-Hsun Yen, Shang-Jung Lee, Yung-Cheng Chang, Sung-Liang Hou
  • Patent number: 11514334
    Abstract: Techniques for maintaining a knowledge database system based on user interactions with the database system are described herein. An aspect includes generating a user interface based on a knowledge database comprising a plurality of entities, wherein the user interface comprises a plurality of user interface elements, each user interface element of the plurality of user interface elements corresponding to one or more of the plurality of entities of the knowledge database. Another aspect includes receiving a user interaction corresponding to the user interface. Another aspect includes updating the knowledge database based on the received user interaction, wherein updating the knowledge database based on the received user interaction includes determining a user interface element associated with the received user interaction, mapping the determined user interface element to a first entity of the plurality of entities of the knowledge database, and performing a weight update corresponding to the first entity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Vagner Figueredo de Santana, Bernardo Goncalves, Alecio Pedro Delazari Binotto, Ana Paula Appel, Renato Luiz de Freitas Cunha
  • Patent number: 11506505
    Abstract: A method for generation of a vehicle path for a vehicle. The method includes, using an excursion planning processor to perform generating a grid of attitude constraint masks, wherein each attitude constraint mask corresponds to a respective possible attitude of the vehicle. The method also includes defining a distance function between two points on a vehicle path, such that the vehicle path defines a change in orientation of the vehicle, determining a vehicle path component, of the vehicle path, between the two points having a selected cost, selecting a vehicle path in the grid of attitude constraint masks from the vehicle path component, and generating an excursion plan so that the vehicle travels along the vehicle path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Brian K. Pheiffer, Neal Carlson
  • Patent number: 11199585
    Abstract: Diagnosing whether controllers of internal vehicle systems are the source of failures detected by a system control managing a vehicle such as a spacecraft. Highspeed data is received via at a field programmable gate array (FPGA) embedded in an assembly of the vehicle. The FPGA includes a controller and a digital diagnostic interface. In one embodiment, the diagnostic interface utilizes Very Highspeed Integrated Circuit (VHSIC) Hardware Description Language (VHDL) for performance modeling of a controller configured to control at least one internal system within the vehicle. The VHDL performance models the controller. Upon receiving an indication of a failure, the performance modeling of the controller is used to ascertain whether or not the controller is the source of the failure. Disassembly of the assembly housing the internal system is not required in order to ascertain whether or not the controller is the source of the failure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Robert P. Wichowski, Timothy A. Roberts, Darren Woodman, Nicholas Van Derzee
  • Patent number: 11155368
    Abstract: A spacecraft includes a propulsion subsystem including at least two electric thrusters, an electrical interface assembly that couples electrical conductors from the thrusters to a spacecraft harness, a pneumatic interface assembly that controls flow rate of propellant to the thrusters and a thruster support module (TSM) including a pointing arrangement and a mounting arrangement. A proximal portion of the mounting arrangement is coupled with a distal portion of the pointing arrangement; the at least two electric thrusters are disposed on a distal portion of the mounting arrangement; the electrical interface assembly and the pneumatic interface assembly are disposed on the proximal portion of the mounting arrangement. The mounting arrangement is configured to limit heat transfer between the thrusters and (b) one or more of the proximal portion of the mounting arrangement, the electrical interface assembly and the pneumatic interface assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Space Systems/Loral, LLC
    Inventors: Lenny Low, Jorge Delgado, Gordon Wu, Maria Eugenia Torres
  • Patent number: 11155356
    Abstract: Thrust values for motors in an aircraft are generated where each flight controller in a plurality of flight controllers generates a thrust value for each motor in a plurality of motors using an optimization problem with a single solution. Each flight controller in the plurality of flight controllers passes one of the generated thrust values to a corresponding motor in the plurality of motors, where other generated thrust values for that flight controller terminate at that flight controller. The plurality of motors perform the passed thrust values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Kitty Hawk Corporation
    Inventor: Tim Allan Wheeler
  • Patent number: 11036900
    Abstract: Provided is a simulation device of a satellite, which updates a set value of a simulator, using a command signal transmitted to the satellite, operational data received from the satellite, and flight information. The simulation device of the satellite may comprise: a communication unit for receiving operational data from the satellite, and transmitting a command signal to the satellite; a flight control unit for calculating flight information of the satellite, using the received operational data; and an updating unit for updating a set value used for simulating an operation of the satellite, using at least one of the operational data, the command signal, and the flight information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Inventors: Hoonhee Lee, Dawoon Jung
  • Patent number: 11021248
    Abstract: A controller system of an aerial vehicle may receive environmental data from one or more sensors of the aerial vehicle and adjusts limits of the aerial vehicle given the environmental conditions. When the aerial vehicle receives an input, such as a flight input from a remote controller or an environmental input such as a gust of wind, the controller system calculates appropriate motor inputs that are provided to the thrust motors of the aerial vehicle such that the adjusted limits of the aerial vehicle are not exceeded. In calculating the appropriate input to the thrust motors, the controller system performs an iterative process. For example, for a given maximum torque that can be applied to the thrust motors, the controller system iteratively allocates the torque such that torque components that are important for the stability of the aerial are first fulfilled, whereas subsequent torque components may be fulfilled or scaled back.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Anthony Enke, Benjamin Tankersley, Jean-Bernard Berteaux, Axel Murguet, Garance Bruneau
  • Patent number: 10934026
    Abstract: A propulsion system includes at least one group of electric thrusters that are spatially distributed in a multi-axis system. A controller is in communication with each of the electric thrusters. The controller is configured to differentially throttle the thrusts of the electric thrusters with respect to propulsion force about two axes of the multi-axis system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc.
    Inventor: Ronald Corey
  • Patent number: 10921126
    Abstract: Pulsating radio star (PULSAR) navigation systems and methods can include a plurality of PULSARs that can emit PULSAR radiation pulses in the millisecond range, and a plurality of Josephson Junctions (JJs) that can be arranged as an array of microantennas. The systems and methods can include a cryogenic cooling system for cooling the JJs to an operating temperature based on the JJ materials, and a thermal management system for maintaining the operating temperature. An oscillator can determine times of arrival (TOAs) of magnetic field components of the PULSAR pulses. A processor can compute the terrestrial position of the navigation system using the TOAs and the known celestial position of the PULSARs. A GPS sub-system can be included for navigation using GPS signals. The processor can be configured to compute terrestrial location using the PULSAR magnetic field components when GPS signal strength falls below a predetermined level or is lost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Ayax D. Ramirez, Stephen D. Russell, Marcio C. de Andrade, Lee C. Lemay
  • Patent number: 10884138
    Abstract: A satellite Automatic Identification System (AIS) for tracking maritime vessels includes a constellation of Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. Each LEO satellite includes an AIS payload for receiving AIS messages from the maritime vessels and determining therefrom reported vessel position data and satellite-based observation data. The system also includes an AIS reporting system configured to obtain the reported maritime vessel position data and satellite-based observation data from the LEO satellites over time. In addition, the AIS reporting system is configured to filter the reported maritime vessel position data and satellite-based observation data to recursively produce estimated maritime vessel positions and update the estimated maritime vessel positions for the maritime vessels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: EAGLE TECHNOLOGY, LLC
    Inventors: Kenneth Joseph Ernandes, Sean Kevin Freeman
  • Patent number: 10877161
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a positioning method. In those embodiments, the positioning method includes: receiving, by the first base station, an RTK measurement value for an RTK reference source; determining, by the first base station, first correction information according to the RTK measurement value, where the first correction information is correction information for positioning information obtained by the RTK reference source from a positioning system; sending, by the first base station, the first correction information to a first mobile terminal, so that the first mobile terminal determines a location of the first mobile terminal according to the first correction information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yi Zhang, Hui Li
  • Patent number: 10870501
    Abstract: A flight vehicle attitude control system design device includes: a gain calculator calculating a proportional gain and a derivative gain from a system natural frequency and a system damping coefficient; a margin calculator calculating a gain margin and a phase margin from the proportional gain and the derivative gain; a grid generator generating a gain-phase margin grid from a relationship between the proportional gain and the derivative gain and a relationship between the gain margin and the phase margin; and a display unit outputting the gain-phase margin grid on a control gain design region having a gain margin as one of a horizontal coordinate axis and a vertical coordinate axis and a phase margin as the other one of the horizontal coordinate axis and the vertical coordinate axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: KOREA AEROSPACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Yong-Kyu Park, Byung-Chan Sun
  • Patent number: 10761182
    Abstract: Multiple mode star tracker methods and systems in which attitude information and image information is generated are provided. The multiple mode star tracker includes a detector having a plurality of pixels arranged in a focal plane array. The detector is operated to obtain multiple image frames from within a field of view containing a plurality of stars. For each of the image frames, the attitude of the detector and in turn the attitude of each pixel is determined. Based on the attitude quaternion of the individual pixels within a plurality of frames, image data from the plurality of frames is co-added or stacked to form a composite image. The co-addition of multiple frames of image data enables or facilitates the detection of dim objects by the multiple mode star tracker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
    Inventor: Emil Tchilian
  • Patent number: 10752385
    Abstract: A dipole cancellation system and method may include a plurality of magnetometers for measuring a device magnetic field associated with a plurality of device coils generating a device magnetic field having a primary magnetic dipole moment. A compensating coil carrying a compensating current running a first direction that generates a compensating magnetic field having a compensating magnetic dipole moment. The compensating coil may be positioned and the first current may be selected so that the compensating magnetic dipole moment completely cancels the primary magnetic dipole moment. A method may use the system to stabilize a spacecraft by calculating an estimated torque of the spacecraft, receiving a value for an external magnetic field, receiving a value for a device magnetic field, and calculating and applying a compensating current may be then applied to the compensating coil to cancel the primary magnetic dipole moment, wherein the spacecraft is stabilized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: PRINCETON SATELLITE SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Stephanie Thomas, Michael A. Paluszek
  • Patent number: 10728707
    Abstract: A system for managing communication with a movable object includes one or more processors configured to receive a request for movable object data from a requester in a movable object environment, determine whether movable object data corresponding to the request is available in a cache associated with a movable object manager, and, in response to determining that the movable object data is available in the cache, provide the movable object data in the cache to the requester.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: SZ DJI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Zhiyuan Zhang, Guohao Zhan, Chuyue Ai, Dhanushram Balachandran, Xietong Lu, Arnaud Thiercelin, Changjian Xu
  • Patent number: 10521295
    Abstract: A radiation hardened single board computer (SBC) includes a processor; synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM); non-volatile memory; a field programmable gate array (FPGA); and board-level physical layer interfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: TRIAD NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC
    Inventors: Robert Bernard Merl, Paul Stanley Graham
  • Patent number: 10427806
    Abstract: A control algorithm that determines one or more deviations in an orbit of a companion satellite, and control the companion satellite to minimize effects of perturbing forces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: The Aerospace Corporation
    Inventors: Chia-Chun Chao, Victor Shiaw-Jong Lin, Siegfried W. Janson
  • Patent number: 10389458
    Abstract: A method of testing a design of a satellite payload transponder with modules of radio frequency (RF) communications circuitry includes executing a modeling application for establishing a modeling environment for generating a virtual satellite payload transponder and virtual test equipment. The virtual satellite payload transponder has virtual modules of RF communications circuitry, with functionality equivalent to that of the satellite payload transponder with modules of RF communications circuitry. The virtual test equipment has functionality equivalent to that of physical test equipment in conjunction with modular test system software. The modeling environment establishes an executable block diagram for performing a simulation of executed satellite payload transponder command, RF signal performance and telemetry response testing, utilizing a given version of the modular test system software corresponding to the modules of RF communications circuitry of the design of the satellite payload transponder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Jonathan N. Hotra, Villy Angelico, Timothy J. Dale, Rachel Ertl, Kevin Grider, John L. Henroid, Steve A. Kern, William Krekeler, Randall J. Krohn, Kenn R. Luecke, Roland Mah, Jill McLean, Paul Murray, Stephen L. Oliver, Jr., Albert Portillo, E. Manow Seapoe, Jr., Craig Sowadski, Bradley J. Trapp
  • Patent number: 10384809
    Abstract: Provided is a method of comparing satellite attitude control performances, the method including generating, by a controller, a satellite task execution command, receiving, by an input and output (I/O) unit, a result of a simulation performed on a satellite attitude control by a satellite attitude control simulator based on the satellite task execution command, and transmitting, by the I/O unit, the satellite task execution command to a satellite based on the result of the simulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: KOREA AEROSPACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventor: Woo Yong Kang
  • Patent number: 10367576
    Abstract: A system includes a computing device configured to implement a central user ground module that enables a user to emulate a plurality of central user ground nodes having fixed locations and that transmit and receive messages from at least one nanosatellite (nanosat), a second computing device configured to implement a remote user ground module that enables a user to emulate a plurality of remote user ground nodes that do not have fixed locations and that transmit and receive messages from at least one nanosat, and at least one additional computing device configured to implement a nanosat space module that emulates a nanosat, which transmits and receives messages from the ground nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Alonzo E Jenkins, Peter J Yoo, Cherry Y Wakayama
  • Patent number: 10264973
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) device includes: a light source; a mirror to reflect a light from the light source; a light receiver to output the light from the light source to skin and receive a light reflected from the skin; a detector to detect an interference signal between the light reflected from the mirror and the light received by the light receiver; an image sensor to convert the detected interference signal into an image signal; a processor to output a second signal by filtering a first signal based on the image signal, calculate an error by using the first signal and the second signal, and output an error-compensated image by compensating for the calculated error; and a display to display the error-compensated image. In this configuration, the OCT device may reduce noise caused by the image sensor, to display a skin image with improved quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Jun Lee, Jungho Chung, Hoseong Song, Yujin Oh
  • Patent number: 10262403
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for geometrically correcting an image from a geostationary remote sensing satellite, the apparatus being configured to perform the image navigation and registration on image data from a geostationary remote sensing satellite. The apparatus includes the landmark determination part configured to acquire landmark information associated with a first image and the navigation filter configured to calculate a state vector for correcting at least one of the attitude error, the orbit error, and the payload misalignment error with respect to the first image based on the landmark information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Korea Aerospace Research Institute
    Inventors: Handol Kim, Ahmed Kamel, Dochul Yang, Chulmin Park, Jin Woo
  • Patent number: 10173772
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are an automatic flight control system and method for an unmanned drone, in which a guidance system installed on a moving object transmits a guide signal, and the unmanned drone automatically flies based on the guide signal, thus allowing the unmanned drone to maintain a uniform distance from the moving object. The presented automatic flight control system for an unmanned drone is configured such that a guidance system transmits a guide signal based on a guidance request signal received from the unmanned drone, and the unmanned drone automatically flies depending on an automatic flight control value that is set based on an automatic flight guide signal when the guide signal is the automatic flight guide signal, and flies to the automatic control location set in response to an automatic location guide signal when the guide signal is the automatic location guide signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: Namsung Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yong-Moo Lee