Patents Represented by Attorney Robert C. Sims
  • Patent number: 4891782
    Abstract: A method for performing the addition of two N-bit binary numbers using palel neural networks. The value of a first register is converted and transferred into a second register in a mathematical fashion so as to add the numbers of the first register into the second register. When the first register contains all zeros then the desired sum is found in the second register.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 2, 1990
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: John L. Johnson
  • Patent number: 4804250
    Abstract: A multipurpose optical processor is described which functions as a multis dual scale adaptive pattern classifier. Normalization, enhancement, inhibitory convolutions, recurrent feedback, code stabilization, time sequences, reconstruction from partial data, and tracking systems are shown to be incorporated in the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1987
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1989
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: John L. Johnson
  • Patent number: 4743097
    Abstract: Incoherent optical processing techniques are shown which demonstrate image intensity normalization and contour enhancement. A new type of incoherent optical correlator which combines a model of the human neural system with an intensity image convolver. The processor's principal element is a Hughes liquid crystal light valve (LCLV). All components are commercially available and used without modification except for a liquid crystal television (LCLV). In operation the invention can be used as either a pre-processor to intensity normalize and edge enhance video scenes for use in pattern recognition applications or as a real-time pattern recognition device within itself, with the addition of an LCTV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 10, 1988
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: John L. Johnson, Don A. Gregory, James C. Kirsch
  • Patent number: 4740839
    Abstract: This invention provides a method of providing TV surveillance without the need for cumbersome pan and tilt mechanisms. The method involves underscanning a conventional TV camera and dynamically moving the resultant reduced size raster over the photo conductive surface. Movement of the raster over the photo conductive surface emulates the vertical and horizontal movement provided by the pan and tilt mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1987
    Date of Patent: April 26, 1988
    Inventor: William R. Phillips
  • Patent number: 4737028
    Abstract: The invention disclosed here is a sensor comprised of a laser designator, a and block filter and a two-dimensional sensor that can "see" the target in one band and the designator in another band, thereby giving a single sensor dual band system--something not offered by any sensor/designator operating in the wavelength band intrinsically inherent to this sensor technology. The sensor is a two-dimensional starring array constructed from Schottky Barrier Diodes utilizing a platinum silicide sensing layer. This construct normally exhibits a spectral response from around 1 micron to around 6 microns. The sensor has been proposed as a passive thermal imager in the 3-5 micron band because of its responsivity (Quantum Efficiency) is maximum in the 3-5 micron band. Typically, transmission windows for these sensors are designed to block off the solar radiation from the visible out to the 3 micron region to prevent saturation of the sensor in the daytime.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1986
    Date of Patent: April 12, 1988
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: Kenneth R. Smith
  • Patent number: 4737643
    Abstract: A wire resistor is mounted so that its position may be rotated continuously. The resistance of the wire (when subjected to the high energy laser beam) is measured as a function of position by use of a bridge circuit for determining the resistance and a potentiometer for determining the position. This device may also be used to analyze moderate power (greater than 1 watt) cw laser beams but here it is necessary to chop the beam in order to obtain the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 12, 1988
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Thomas G. Roberts, William F. Otto, William L. Gamble, Thomas E. Honeycutt
  • Patent number: 4732470
    Abstract: The Parallax Error Measurement Device (PEMED) is an instrument used to mere parallax error associated with military night sights and other sights containing reticles. The PEMED consists of the following components: aperture translation stage; camera lens positioning and translation stage; coherent fiber optic image transfer bundle; automated translation stage controller; low light level camera; video wave form monitor and storage oscilloscope. The measurement concept involves the principle of translating an aperture across a relatively large collecting optic instead of translating the collecting optic itself. This technique eliminates alignment and focus errors which might occur when the collecting optic is translated. The aperture translation stages are driven by servo motors under computer control where a positive verification signal is monitored by the computer after each specific translation distance is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1986
    Date of Patent: March 22, 1988
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: Randolph W. Priddy
  • Patent number: 4715683
    Abstract: The spatial light modulator utilizes a modified liquid crystal television for modulating a laser beam so as to produce a transformed hologram image on a film plate which is identical with the video information being fed into the liquid crystal TV. Once a image film has been produced the film is developed and placed back in the system so that the system will now act as a comparator and tracking device. With the reference beam blocked and a new video input fed into the liquid crystal TV the system now will have an output only when the scene on the TV is identical to the scene recorded on the film. Indicator means give a signal output from this comparison that is identical.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1987
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Don A. Gregory, Bob D. Guenther
  • Patent number: 4696441
    Abstract: In accordance with this invention, a missile referenced beamrider guidance ink is provided in which a continuous wave or pulsed laser output is formed into a gaussian cross section or similarly shaped beam and projected to one offset sensor, or to two sensors located on opposite sides and as far from the missile's roll axis as possible. The rolling missile motion amplitude modulates the received signal and the amplitude of the modulation is a measure of the missile's distance from beam axis. The phase of the modulation provides the direction to beam center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1986
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1987
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Michael M. Jones, Walter E. Miller, Jr., Robert R. Mitchell
  • Patent number: 4695120
    Abstract: Signal/data enters the IC in optic form via an optically-efficient method om either fiber optic or circuit-trace optic waveguides. The optic signal/data is transformed to electrical signal/data via the photo-sensing cells that are illuminated by each channel's photon beam. This electrical signal then is transmitted via a connection to an IC chip which performs the required processing. This IC chip is supplied with electric power by means of a photo-voltaic cell array mounted internal to the IC package. The illumination source of the photo-voltaic array is provided by an optic waveguide that transmits a high intensity photon beam of proper wavelength to yield efficient photon-to-electric current conversion. A portion of this high intensity photon beam is captured by an optic waveguide mounted internal to the IC This optic waveguide conducts the photons to a region where photo-intensity modular cells are located.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1985
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1987
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: James D. Holder
  • Patent number: 4692623
    Abstract: The meter consists of wire resistors arranged so as to sample the energy in a laser beam at different locations in the beam. Each resistor is part of a bridge which includes three other resistors, a power source, a detector (volt meter) and a display unit which may be a recorder. One of the three additional resistors may be an additional set of wires which are made nearly identical to the set being used to sense the laser beam's position or to determine its intensity distribution. When the wire resistors are exposed to the laser beam the wires are heated, their resistance changes, and the various bridges become unbalanced. The magnitude of the voltage produced in each bridge is proportional to the energy in the laser pulse at the location of each wire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 1986
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1987
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Thomas G. Roberts, Raymond W. Conrad, William F. Otto, Thomas E. Honeycutt
  • Patent number: 4673940
    Abstract: This radar system can be used as an independent entity or as an addition to n operating radar system for acquiring additional data from a radar target's returned signal that is not currently being utilized. The system is to separate the amplitude modulation and frequency modulation sidebands created by the target's surface motion or vibration into independently useable entities. The system measures near carrier AM and FM noises, together with techniques for integrating these elements into a working radar system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1982
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1987
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Thomas A. Barley, Tony D. Hodgens, Gustaf J. Rast, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4673870
    Abstract: A small field probe is calibrated by selectively varying the field intens and frequency and recording the data in arrays with each incremental step. The arrays are built by selectively varying one parameter while maintaining another constant. In this way coefficients of the equation for the calibration of the probe is arrived.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 1985
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1987
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Brian R. Strickland, George R. Edlin
  • Patent number: H376
    Abstract: Refractive elements typically have ground glass edges in areas where the perly-transmitted laser beam does not impinge. Defects on either incident optical surface or the exit optical will produce wide-angle scattering. Some of this scattered radiation will impinge directly upon the ground glass; other scattered radiation will reach it after one or more internal reflections in the optical element: An optical fiber abutted to an edge transfers scattered light to a detector. If a threshold is exceeded, a visual or auditory signal may be generated to alert the operator and/or an interlock may be activated to disable the laser. One photodetector is used to detect returns from several elements. Fibers of different lengths are used to couple the different components into the detector. In this way, a pulsed laser with a pulse length short compared with the delay difference between fibers may be used to identify the individual element which contains the defect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1985
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1987
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: James C. Bremer
  • Patent number: H393
    Abstract: An Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM) is coupled to two count which are driven by a crystal clock oscillator. The EPROM has selectable outputs which are multiplexed, converted and fed to video equipment, whereby test patterns can be generated for adjustment of their analog circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1987
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: Carolyn S. Burt
  • Patent number: H400
    Abstract: This device is a modification to the basic auto-tracker function in missile uidance systems, and consist of three new auto-tracker functions. First the gunner has control of an extra set of crosshairs in the tracker output imagery. The gunner will position this crosshair on the desired impact point of the target while the auto-tracker is tracking the target and issuing guidance commands to the missile. The second part is a discrete command issued by the gunner to the auto-tracker. If the gunner decides his impact point selection is better than the auto-trackers impact point selection he simply commands the auto-tracker to enter the aimpoint bias mode. At this time the auto-tracker will stop tracking the old track point and start tracking the part of the image defined by the gunner controlled crosshair. The third part is the filtered transition of the auto-tracker error signal from the old track point to the new track point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1988
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Ricky K. Hammon, Monte K. Helton, Ray H. Farmer, James F. Meadows, Jr.
  • Patent number: H412
    Abstract: A linear detector array is positioned a fixed distance behind a narrow slot n an opaque mask. The array is oriented perpendicular to the slot as viewed from the "front", or direction of laser energy arrival. Light from the laser source, limited by the mask and slot, falls on only a few adjacent elements of the detector array, depending on the direction of arrival of the light. Further, since such crossed linear elements (slots and array) provide this measure of angle of arrival in the single direction perpendicular to the slot, two such systems of mask, detector linear array, and processing electronics may be employed (one rotated 90 degrees with respect to the other) to provide `vertical` and `horizontal` measurements of direction to the laser source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1988
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Walter E. Miller, Jr., Robert R. Mitchell, Michael M. Jones
  • Patent number: H484
    Abstract: This concept makes use of the orthogonal nature of Group-Complementary Co to achieve improved polarization isolation between the vertical and horizontal radiation in a circularly polarized or dual linearly polarized antenna system while achieving zero time-sidelobe responses in pulse compression. Two channels of a radar system are established with each being encoded using an orthogonal Group-Complementary Code. One channel is associated with the vertical polarization of radiation while the second is devoted to the horizontal polarization. With a leading or lagging 90 degree phase relationship between the two channels, right hand or left hand circular polarization can be established according to the code of each channel which controls the relative phase. Such a technique of pulse compression and group complementary coding offers improved polarization isolation between channels while achieving zero-time sidelobes in pulse compression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 1987
    Date of Patent: June 7, 1988
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: Edward M. Holliday
  • Patent number: H548
    Abstract: Sets of group-complementary code arrays which have the property of being ually orthogonal over a subinterval of their total cross-correlation function have been identified. These group-orthogonal arrays are generated by a multiplication operation upon a given group-complementary array using a matrix which has diagonal elements from vectors which are orthogonal. Composite code arrays are synthesized by interleaving rows from the group-orthogonal set of arrays, and applying the resulting rows of codes to bi-phase modulate pulses in bursts. The resulting composite waveform has the desirable property of temporal (zero-Doppler) sidelobe cancellation in the maximum unambiguous range interval and response cancellation over one or more multiple-time-around range intervals of an equivalent uncoded pulse sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1988
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Edward Holliday, Glenn D. Weathers
  • Patent number: H632
    Abstract: Optical solutions for self regulating neural networks are carried out by ee processors. Two use the nonlinearity of devices such as a phosphor screen and nonlinear cladding of optical fibers whereby the nonlinear regulating process is carried out. The third is accomplished by a ring cavity having a damped inhibitory loop where the signals are combined 180.degree. out of phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 2, 1989
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: John L. Johnson