Patents Represented by Attorney Robert C. Sims
  • Patent number: 4574191
    Abstract: A laser spot tracker having a wider field-of-view by the use of a phase draction plate to cause the focusing of a square array of spots upon a focal plane having a plurality of detectors thereon. Using the detectors to find the spot of the greatest intensity so as to cause the tracker to point towards the target of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1982
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1986
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: Raymond W. Conrad
  • Patent number: 4560120
    Abstract: SSICM is a missile configuration which employs spin stabilization, nutatil motion, and impulsive thrusting, and a body mounted passive or semiactive sensor to achieve very small miss distances against a high speed moving target. SSICM does not contain an autopilot, control surfaces, a control actuation system, nor sensor stabilization gimbals. SSICM spins at a rate sufficient to provide frequency separation between body motions and inertial target motion. Its impulsive thrusters provide near instantaneous changes in lateral velocity whereas conventional missiles require a significant time delay to achieve lateral acceleration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1983
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1985
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: James I. Crawford, W. Max Howell
  • Patent number: 4546358
    Abstract: This disclosure sets forth a device which produces uniform electromagnetic ields in the medium frequency (MF) and high frequency (HF) regimes over significantly large test volumes. The device converts electromagnetic energy available from a standard radio-frequency transmitter into a vertically polarized uniform electromagnetic field which propagates through a large open region and is dissipated/radiated at the termination. A broadband (MF and HF) electromagnetic radiation over a large test volume is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1984
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1985
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: George R. Edlin, Thomas H. Shumpert, Brian R. Strickland
  • Patent number: 4542870
    Abstract: The guidance scheme utilizes wide beam width semi-active RF sensors, a prsion roll altitude reference, and a controlled grade pitch, yaw and roll rate gyros to deliver high quality homing guidance information to a spin stabilized controlled missile. A filtering system is utilized to eliminate errors caused by body roll signals generated due to the spin of the missiles. The nutational motion is used to calibrate the sensors. Impulsive maneuvers are utilized to intercept incoming ballistic targets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1983
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1985
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: W. Max Howell
  • Patent number: 4542954
    Abstract: This rotationally symmetric optical sensor consists of six lens elements e selectively of the alkali halide materials KBr, C I, and KI. It has a wide field-of-view coverage of 60 degrees and operates in the middle infrared through the far infrared bands and extends well into the extreme infrared band. The combination of optical materials selected to be used effectively corrects the chromatic and monochromatic aberrations of the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1983
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1985
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: David E. Stoltzmann
  • Patent number: 4517486
    Abstract: The device is made by growing thin-film layers of materials on a silicon strate. These layers are then removed selectively by photolitographic masking and etching, to produce a pattern which is a series of cantilever plates which are piezoelectrically coupled. An electrical signal connected to a first pattern of piezoelectric material will cause the associated plate to deflect. A second piezoelectric pattern on each plate will generate an electrical signal due to the strain caused by deflection of the plate, and this signal is transferred to a first piezoelectric pattern on the next plate, and so on down to the last plate where the signal is extracted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 14, 1985
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: Angus P. Andrews
  • Patent number: 4514684
    Abstract: The monitor system consists of a voltage controlled oscillator for produc an acoustic wave whose frequency is proportional to the voltage being measured. An acoustic waveguide is used for transmitting the wave to an electrically isolated acoustic to electrical transducer. The output of the transducer is amplified and then displayed on an appropriate readout calibrated in volts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1982
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1985
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Kenton L. Haynes, William P. Sherer, Hugh W. Greene, James D. Holder, Thomas G. Roberts
  • Patent number: 4514690
    Abstract: The discriminator consists of two major parts; a nonlinear filter for low vel rejection, and inhibiting logic for high level rejection, of ac magnetic fields. The nonlinear filter approximately halves the frequency characteristics of a particular class of signals, while at the same time doubling the frequency of normal interfering signals. The inhibiting logic uses the known in-phase relationship to sense and reject even very large time dependent interference. However, spatially variant signals observed from near field relative motion of two orthogonal magnetic sensors with respect to a ferro-magnetic object have a near quadrature relationship that permits signal recognition even when of less amplitude than the interference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1981
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1985
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Walter E. Miller, Jr., James W. McKelvy
  • Patent number: 4513288
    Abstract: A group-complementary codes provide sets of binary word groups which have the combined properties of optimized aperiodic autocorrelation and optimized cross-correlation between word sets. The optimized aperiodic autocorrelation property allows the implementation of pulse compression processing in sensor systems to achieve zero value temporal or range sidelobes within the principal interpulse period without resorting to weighting techniques for sidelobe reduction. The orthogonal nature of group-complementary codes, apparent from their absence of cross-correlation between sets, allows sensors to be deployed in close proximity, using the same carrier frequency without direct path mutual interference when synchronized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1982
    Date of Patent: April 23, 1985
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Glenn D. Weathers, Edward M. Holliday
  • Patent number: 4507746
    Abstract: A programmable digital device designed to perform a matched filtering opeion on arbitrary binary phase-coded signals. The technique is used in secure communication systems and for various radar and missile fuzing operations. The essential features minimize the component by the specific networks for the summing units containing unique combinations of digital components. The output is converted to sign-magnitude format.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1982
    Date of Patent: March 26, 1985
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: Robert H. Fletcher, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4501399
    Abstract: The method uses a combination monopulse and sequential lobing system to guide a vehicle, such as a missile, aircraft, auto, etc., toward a target. The target is tracked with conventional monopulse techniques while at the same time the vehicle is provided with coded data forming a cluster so as to provide spatial resolution information. The vehicle sequentially receives this information, stores the information until the sequence is complete and processes the information for guidance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1981
    Date of Patent: February 26, 1985
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: Jester M. Loomis, III
  • Patent number: 4495850
    Abstract: The system for aiming of a missile strapdown Inertial Measurement Unit for ases in which the IMU does not possess the capability of self-aiming involves no mechanical link between northfinder and IMU which would require uncoupling prior to launch to avoid expending the northfinder. The technique maintains an automatic, hands-off capability by use of a laser link for azimuth transfer rather than a manual, optical link. The northfinder and laser system are launcher mounted and are therefore not expended with the missile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1982
    Date of Patent: January 29, 1985
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: Harold V. White
  • Patent number: 4494826
    Abstract: A device capable of spatially modulating a collimated read-out light beam with an input image is described. The most essential elements of the key unit in this device include a photoconducting layer, charged grille-structure, an elastomer, and a thin metal anode. Real-time and storage operation is possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 1979
    Date of Patent: January 22, 1985
    Inventor: James L. Smith
  • Patent number: 4494079
    Abstract: A digital counter is phased locked to a reference frequency by a voltage trolled oscillator which causes the counter to increase its count rate or decrease its count rate in accordance to the presence of a one or a zero on the most significant bit of the counter at the halfway point of one cycle of the reference frequency. The counter is reset at the end of the cycle of the reference frequency. A single microprocessor which can assess this most significant bit (MSB) and vary the oscillator output, can in this manner control any number of independent phase lock loop circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1981
    Date of Patent: January 15, 1985
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: David O. Light, Jr., Frank Hayes, III, Joseph R. McGinty
  • Patent number: 4472717
    Abstract: This concept makes use of intrapulse polarization agility to achieve pulse ompression and correlation with the result that discrimination is accomplished between man-made-like objects and natural objects. A power divider allows the two power components to be simultaneously applied to a dual polarized antenna feed system and a phase detector provides bipolar video signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1982
    Date of Patent: September 18, 1984
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Jerry L. Eaves, Bobby C. Appling
  • Patent number: 4457173
    Abstract: A multifunction sensor provides two axes of angular rate and two axes of ear acceleration information from a single instrument. The multifunction sensor utilizes an air bearing rotor to support the spinning transducers. Angular rate measurements are made by utilizing two thin film transistors mounted on the rotor and oriented to sense strain about axes in a first plane orthogonal to the rotor spin axis. The two transducers output signals are summed to provide common mode rejection. A second set of thin film transistors are mounted on the rotor in a second plane orthogonal to that of the first set of transistors and oriented to sense strain along the axes orthogonal to the rotor spin axis. Two axes of acceleration can be measured by integrating this output signal at the proper time using a clock frequency. Angular rate and linear acceleration signals may be extracted from the rotating member via slip ring contacts or inductive pickoffs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 1982
    Date of Patent: July 3, 1984
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: Joe S. Hunter
  • Patent number: 4458350
    Abstract: An output coupler, for laser cavities with totally reflecting mirrors, hag a beam splitter and a mirror mounted so that the direction of the output beam of the laser is invariant to changes in the output coupling coefficients. The percentage of the laser's energy which is coupled out into an external beam can be continuously varied or varied to obtain the optimum output coupling coefficient and then left set on this value. This device can also be used as a variable beam splitter with an invariant direction for the reflected beam when used external to the cavity of any laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1979
    Date of Patent: July 3, 1984
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Herbert B. Holl, Thomas G. Roberts, Thomas A. Barr, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4443800
    Abstract: Each antenna of the phased array is supplied a lineal polarized wave which has been shifted in phase and rotated in polarization in accordance with a cascade connection of a NRCP, Faraday rotator and a RNRCP. The control windings of the Faraday rotator and the rotating polarizer determine the amount of phase shift and rotation of the polarization of the propagating wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1982
    Date of Patent: April 17, 1984
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: Stanley Gaglione
  • Patent number: 4434426
    Abstract: The device consist of a latching, nonreciprocal ferrite phase shifter, a ching Faraday rotator, a radiating element and the required matching transformers combined into a single unit used as a phased array element. The phase shift is provided by a toroid type non-reciprocal ferrite phase shifter. The polarization rotation is provided by an axially magnetized ferrite filled waveguide. The impedance matching between the sections is achieved with ceramic transformers. This device provides full polarization control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1982
    Date of Patent: February 28, 1984
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Stanley Gaglione, James A. O'Hare
  • Patent number: 4433333
    Abstract: A technique using sector antennas on a plurality of decoy transmitters such hat each antenna only has to cover a portion of the required azimuth coverage but the total azimuth is covered at all times by all the decoy transmitters. Switching between sectors of the various decoy transmitters is done to provide pseudo-blinking decoy field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1981
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1984
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: David V. Manoogian, Bernard H. Labitt, Joseph R. Wood