Patents Represented by Attorney Donald J. Singer
  • Patent number: 5264855
    Abstract: The disclosure describes a method of measuring stationary CW radar targets in the presence of sizable clutter and leakage signals, and to eliminate the clutter and leakage by taking a first measurement when the target is in a first position, and taking a second measurement when the target is translated to a second position such that the target signal pathlength changes by 1/2 wavelength from the first position, and then subtracting the first and second measurement to eliminate the unwanted clutter and leakage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Uve H. W. Lammers, Richard A. Marr
  • Patent number: 5263193
    Abstract: High receiver sensitivity and narrowband coherent resolution can be achieved at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths through the process of heterodyning or intermediate frequency (IF) generation. The two frequencies, whose IF is being generated, need not be very stable in frequency or phase themselves. The requirement is only, that they fluctuate identically in frequency and phase, so that their fluctuations cancel at the IF. This can be achieved by deriving both from one and the same source. We have applied this process twice in a millimeter and submillimeter receiver of high sensitivity and resolution. At the same time the receiver is very simple, since the frequency and phase stability of the two sources involved does not affect sensitivity and resolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Uve H. W. Lammers, Richard A. Marr
  • Patent number: 5262610
    Abstract: A remote microwave plasma generator comprises the combination of two parts, a tunable microwave applicator, and a double wall, water cooled quartz/sapphire tube. The tunable waveguide applicator is a nonconducting adjustable waveguide short with a quartz/sapphire tube inserted through it. The adjustable end is one quarter of a guide wavelength from the center line of the tube, and the other side is 0.1 inches less in distance, thus permitting the applicator to be used with a triple stub tuner for optimum coupling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Air Force
    Inventors: Steve S. Huang, Cecil J. Davis, Rhett B. Jucha, Lee M. Loewenstein
  • Patent number: 5259454
    Abstract: Conventional bombs or commercially available explosives are selectively placed about well pipes and exploded to cause closure of the well pipe and thus resulting in substantial reduction in the flow of oil and gas to facilitate extinguishing the fire thereon. Explosive charges are selectively placed about the well pipes in slanting holes so to remove the cellar assembly, make a ramp to the well pipe, and to close the well pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secetary of the Air Force.
    Inventors: Thomas E. Bretz, Jr., Joseph D. Renick, George Y. Baladi, Wesley D. Tucker
  • Patent number: 5260962
    Abstract: A lightweight ring laser gyro (RLG) for vehicles including space vehicles is provided wherein the housing of such RLG, instead of being made of relatively heavy ULE glass, is made of low density silica aerogel having a density of from 600 to 1000 mg/cc. Further, where the prior art RLGs have three laser triangles, each mounted in one of three blocks, which blocks are mounted on separate orthogonal sides of a housing, the RLG of the present invention employs but one block with all three laser triangles orthogonally machined therein for a considerable size reduction or compactness and a further weight savings. The RLG of the invention can be attached to, e.g. space vehicles, including satellites for guidance and monitoring thereof. Also, the substrates of mirrors mounted on such RLG can also be made of LD aerogels for a further weight savings not seen in the prior art.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventor: Steven P. Hotaling
  • Patent number: 5258872
    Abstract: A high reflection optical filter is described which comprises a film of a dielectric, inorganic or organic or other suitable material deposited on a suitable optically transparent substrate, the film having between a surface thereof exposed to incident radiation and an interface with the substrate a sinusoidal refractive index profile with selected number of periods and selected phase at the exposed surface in single band configurations, and superimposed multiple sinusoidal refractive index profiles with selected phase alignment of the superimposed profiles at the exposed surface in multi-band configurations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Walter E. Johnson, Robert L. Crane
  • Patent number: 5257802
    Abstract: A method is disclosed wherein a flexible space craft may be slewed by the application of positive and negative acceleration forces applied about a slewing axis. The method is such that at the end of the application of the slewing forces there is no residual energy in the excited modes. By examination of the response of an undamped and then damped structural mode to a sequence of step forces--entirely within the premises of structural dynamics discipline--a minimum-time zero-residual-energy torque profile with unequal intervening pulses is arrived at heuristically. Rigorous yet simple relationships are then established among the maneuver angle of a rest-to-rest slew, slew time, widths of the intervening pulses, and natural frequency and damping of a critical mode whose energy at the end of slew must be zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventor: Hari B. Hablani
  • Patent number: 5258626
    Abstract: A superconducting network which, through the use of optical illumination, can form a selectable array of superconducting microstrip transmission lines or other electrical elements. The invention uses optical illumination to produce quasiparticles which cause selected physical parts of the network to be electrically nonconductive and thereby define the nonilluminated conductor's shape, physical size, and electrical characteristics. Network reconfigurability to produce several different devices and functions from a single high or low temperature superconductive chip is a disclosed utilization of the invention. The employed optical illumination produces phase change within the superconducting material to provide specific chip architectures. Reconfiguring of the device characteristics is achieved by changing the optical input intensity, spatial orientation, wavelength or combinations of these factors. A plurality of delay line configurations are disclosed as examples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Andrew H. Suzuki, Joseph E. Brandelik
  • Patent number: 5256015
    Abstract: Torque limiting bolt employs a number pins which shear upon the application of a predetermined torque to the bolt head. The bolt configuration insures that sheared portions of the pins are held within the bolt head to prevent undesirable scattering of the pin portions on an airstrip. A removal hex head is thinner than a driving hex head positioned over the removal hex to discourage the application of a wrench directly to the removal head. The outermost portions of the hex heads are also angularly displaced from each other for this purpose.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventor: Kenneth A. St. Clair
  • Patent number: 5255850
    Abstract: In a nozzle reverser assembly for a gas turbine engine, a swinging vane pack reverser is provided in place of the prior art array of cascade vanes in reverser ports of such engines. The present invention includes a door flap that is hinged on the aft side of a reverser port, which door flap has sidewalls attached thereto that extend into such port. The reverser assembly of the invention also includes a vane pack that is hinged at the forward end of such reverser port and has a roller attached its aft end, which roller engages a track within the door flap for sliding engagement therewith. Forward of the vane pack hinge, a boundary layer trip fence is hinged to the engine housing. In operation, air flow directed into the reverser cavity, e.g. by a convergent flap, is guided further by the above door flap and its sidewalls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventor: Jefre H. Cockerham
  • Patent number: 5257211
    Abstract: An adjustable bandwidth signal energy detector apparatus utilizing a detector processor to process serial frequency data to determine which of N frequency bins contain signal energy. The serial frequency data is processed through a series of low pass filters, each of which include a series of point delay. The data from each point delay series is summed and outputted to a detection combiner wherein a sequence of N binary number is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventor: Andrew J. Noga
  • Patent number: 5255608
    Abstract: Intelligent hard-target weapons provide a real-time estimation of a medium as the weapon is penetrating through it. Input signals are provided by an accelerometer used as a primary sensor. On-line concurrent processing of the data of a specific length facilitates a few different modes of feature extraction. The processor provides a robust, real-time decision making for the fuze utilizing sensor signals (accelerometer data). The feature sets utilized include (1) amplitude profiles of the signals, (2) their derivative profiles, and (3), the measure of their abrupt changes. The purpose is to provide for detonation at the proper point as the high-speed penetrator passes through various layers such as concrete, steel, dirt, sand, etc. on its way to a valuable buried target. Real-time decision making is provided for the fuze utilizing accelerometer data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Kwang S. Min, Hisook L. Min
  • Patent number: 5252366
    Abstract: An actively cooled effuser for a vapor deposition reactor is placed in very close proximity to a substrate. The actively cooled effuser has combinations of gas directing plates, cooling plates and isolation plates attached together. Reactants and coolant are input into the stack of plates so formed. Selective heating of the substrate surface may occur through the use of heating lamps. Multiple units of the actively cooled effuser and heating lamps may be used in the reactor to form multiple layers on the substrate. The cooling plate has a cooling channel within a few thousandths of an inch of the output side of the stack. The presence of the cooling plates allows the effuser to be placed in very close proximity to the selectively heated substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Brian S. Ahern, David W. Weyburne
  • Patent number: 5252175
    Abstract: In the liquid encapsulated Kyropoulos process, the crystal is allowed to grow to the limits of the crucible and remain under the encapsulant fluid. In order to relieve the melt pressure between the growing crystal and the crucible, at least one capillary pressure relief hole is placed in the crucible which allows some of the melt to leak therefrom to relieve pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Steven Bachowski, Brian S. Ahern, Robert M. Hilton, Joseph A. Adamski
  • Patent number: 5252980
    Abstract: A tristatic radar tracking system is disclosed in which two remote transmitters and a radar receiver use a method for combining measurements of the Doppler frequency shift and angle of arrival of two signals scattered by a moving target to derive parameters of the target's trajectory through space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Clifford M. Gray, James L. Johnson
  • Patent number: 5249877
    Abstract: First and second annular clamping elements are coupled together by an annular clamping ring and a Belleville spring coupled to the clamping ring urges the clamping elements toward each other so that they grip the annular ceramic piece without the need to utilize fasteners which would call for the machining of the annular ceramic piece to weaken it. The clamping elements thus support the ceramic piece and can couple it to an annular gas turbine machine frame or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventor: Donald M. Corsmeier
  • Patent number: 5249419
    Abstract: The improved liner comprises a base plate that mounts to the wall of the nozzle, at least one inner tube having a plurality of leg supports thereon for mounting to the base plate, a cylindrical seal attached to the bottom of the inner tube, and an outer tube loosely mounted about the inner tube and seal with the leg supports extending therethrough. The outer tube is not fixedly attached to the inner tube or seal or leg supports and thus can move in response to pressure and temperature changes. Both the inner and outer tubes have holes therein to allow for the flow of cooling air from the inner tube to the outer tube to the hot area of gas flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventor: Kevin Landhuis
  • Patent number: 5249241
    Abstract: A histogram projection system which automatically optimizes, tracks changes in luminance and adjusts in real time the display of wide dynamic range imagery from IR cameras. It is computationally simpler than and offers markedly superior results to the standard available technique for this purpose, histogram equalization. The new technique assigns display dynamic range equally to each occupied intensity level in the raw data in contrast to the old procedure which assigns dynamic range in proportion to the number of pixels at given levels. Less shot noise and greater resolution of image detail for smaller objects or targets are the main improvements from the new algorithm. By the expedient of undersampling the image pixels in carrying out the histogram processing, one can in effect gradually increase the degree of dynamic range assigned to majority or background pixel levels, thereby enhancing the contrast in background regions when desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Jerry Silverman, Jonathan Mooney, William Ewing, Darryl Sato
  • Patent number: 5246729
    Abstract: The composite insulation coating consists of a mixture of glass and ceramic oxide(s), coated onto a wire by conventional wire enameling techniques followed by heat treatment at 600.degree.-850.degree. C. The enamel when initially applied, the "green" coat slurry, consists of four components: (1) the glass, (2) an inorganic filler (ceramic oxide powder, (3) an organic binder and (4) an organic solvent. The glasses can be selected from several commercial glasses (Corning 7570 and 7050) as well as Westinghouse glasses A-508, M 3072 and M 3073. None of these glasses contain lead or boron, allowing for nuclear applications. Suitable ceramic fillers are alumina, and the CeramPhysics, Inc. ceramics SC1C and SC1A. Organic binder materials and solvents are used. It is preferable that a copper wire to be coated with Ni, Inconel or Cr prior to coating with the subject insulation. For superconductors, the brittle nature of Nb.sub.3 Sn wire and the high reaction temperature (.about.700.degree. C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1988
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1993
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Tapan K. Gupta, George J. Bich, William N. Lawless
  • Patent number: 5241447
    Abstract: An electrical switch structure which employs superconductive material. A magnetizable core is encompassed by a body of superconductive material. The body of superconductive material has a superconductive state and a normal resistive state and can be placed in either state. The magnetizable core is also encompassed by at least one electrically conductive winding through which electrical current flows to create a magnetic flux within the magnetizable core. When the body of superconductive material is in its superconductive state current is induced therein by the magnetic flux in the magnetizable core. Current flow in the body of superconductive creates a magnetic flux in the magnetizable core which cancels the magnetic flux which is created by current flow in the electrically conductive winding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: John P. Barber, Neal D. Clements, Russell L. Spyker