Abstract: The system and method for enhancing and suppressing radio frequency (RF) emissions in a laser induced plasma system using a second laser. A first igniter laser is used at short pulse widths and a second heater laser is used at longer pulse widths. By varying the energy of the heater laser and/or the timing of the arrival of the heater laser with respect to the igniter laser suppression and/or enhancement of the radio frequency (RF) emission from the induced plasma system is possible.

Abstract: The system and method for forming an ignition sequencer comprising two inseparable portions (a body and an armature) where an armature is articulable with respect to a body to allow for the existence of no less than two distinct stages of the ignition sequence through the articulating motion of the additively-manufactured armature. The ignition sequencer assembly architecture allows for installation of an internal energetic compound while all components are assembled and interconnected. The ignition sequencer assembly architecture allows for installation into a next higher-level assembly using a single, uniaxial, force.

Abstract: An F-theta lens provides more than 88 degrees FFOV, F #2.8 or less, length not more than 200 mm, and/or 2.5 ?m or better resolution, with color correction from 450 nm to 650 nm. The lens includes three optical groups having positive, negative, and positive optical powers respectively, which can include four, four, and six elements, respectively. Embodiments include an aperture stop in the center of the second optical group. Refractive indices and ray heights are selected to correct for field curvature. Embodiments further include a CMOS detector having pixel pitch of 1.25 microns or less, density of 18 megapixels or more, focal plane diameter of 57.2 mm or more, Nyquist sampling of 400 lines per mm or more and wide pixel field of view of 30° or more. A plurality of CMOS detectors can be arrayed to create a mosaic image.

Abstract: Embodiments of power efficient radio mixers are provided. A generalized impedance matched low-voltage active mixer circuit technique, which utilizes a plurality of commutator cells and transformers, is disclosed. The low voltage active mixer function is coupled to an impedance matched amplifier allowing for insertion of image rejection filtering between the amplifier and the mixing function. The commutator cells can be driven in parallel by common local oscillator (LO) and intermediate frequency (IF) ports combined in parallel to yield highly linear mixers. A multi-channel receiver with a common impedance matched radio frequency (RF) amplifier driving a plurality of commutator cells with multiple LOs and IFs is also disclosed.

Abstract: A digital signal processor is designed to channelize an input signal, and includes a channelizer circuit and a plurality of tuning modules. The channelizer circuit is designed to receive an input signal having a first bandwidth and to channelize the input signal into a first set of channels each having a bandwidth smaller than the first bandwidth as a first output signal and to channelize the input signal into a second set of channels having a bandwidth smaller than the first bandwidth as a second output signal. The plurality of tuning modules are designed to receive one or more channels from the first output signal or the second output signal and to further downsample the one or more channels to a user-defined bandwidth at a user-defined center frequency. Each of the plurality of tuning modules include a plurality of FIR filter blocks and a memory having a plurality of FIR filter coefficients.

Abstract: A system for classifying objects detected in shearographic images identifying via a derivative peaks method, process, or algorithm is accomplished with a CNN (CNN). The system utilized training techniques of the CNN to classify objects as threats or non-threats. The system utilizes extracted clips from the shearographic image that contain the presence of an object so that the extracted clip containing the object is/are evaluated by the CNN to classify the object on or below a surface that has been insonified or otherwise stimulated to generate the shearographic image.

Abstract: The current disclosure is directed to an apparatus and method of a Laser Designator/Rangefinder (LDR) having two wavelengths of 1064 nm and 1572 nm. The 1064 nm wavelength laser is generated by a pump diode by exciting Nd:YAG medium (source). The 1572 nm wavelength laser is produced using an OPO-OPA converted which is located in a by-pass path. Because the 1572 nm wavelength uses near diffraction limited signal, it provides long range identification and tracking capability needed for advanced tactical platforms, while using the smallest transmit aperture, in a low Size, Weight and Power Consumption (SWaP) package.

Abstract: Poor BSE estimation accuracy resulting from conventional Extended Kalman Filtering (EKF) approaches using RF OI sensors mounted on the ground as a remote bullet tracking sensor motivated the design and development of the present disclosure. The observer based BSE removes EKF process noise (state noise) and measurement noise (OI sensor noise) covariance matrices selection and tuning which have been long recognized by the estimation community as a time consuming process during the design stage; requires no consideration of interactions when having the control input signal as part of the state propagation equation; and provides a significant improvement in velocity estimation accuracy, in some cases to less than 1 m/s errors in all axes, thereby meeting the miss distance requirement with amble margin.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a search and protect device for airborne targets including projectiles. The disclosure is directed to a search and protect device for airborne threats of interest within a 360-degree field of view via a spinning device with range finders. The disclosure relates to a search and protect device that can autonomously determine threats and engage said threats with appropriate counter-measures by determining its future location through the use of range finders within an at least three sensor array with a rotating path of a given speed to protect a target. The location of the projectile may be determined using a distance formula and further trigonometry.

Abstract: A multi-chip module hybrid integrated circuit (MCM-HIC) provides cold spare support to an apparatus comprising a plurality of ICs and/or other circuits that are not cold spare compliant. At least one core IC and at least one cold spare chiplet are installed on an interconnecting substrate having a plurality of power zones to which power can be applied and withdrawn as needed. When powered, the cold spare chiplets serve as mediators and interfaces between the non cold spare compliant circuits. When the cold spare chiplets are at least partly unpowered, they protect all interconnected circuits, and ensure that interconnected circuits that remain powered are not hindered by unpowered interconnected circuits. Cold spare chiplets can extend across boundaries between power zones. External circuits can be exclusively interfaced to a subset of the power zones. Separate power circuits within a power zone can be sequenced during application and withdrawal of power.

Abstract: A ground shield is connected to a princted circuit board or antenna card in an antenna unit cell to cover a balun to prevent or inhibit the ability of a differential signal flowing towards or through the balun from coupling with a similar differential signal flowing through an adjacent antenna card in the antenna unit cell. This ground shield may be one of a pair of ground shields on the antenna card. Two ground shield can be positioned on opposing sides of the balun to enhance isolation thereof by shielding the differential signals flowing towards and through the balun from coupling with adjacent differential signals to thereby increase bandwidth performance of the antenna unit cell. The ground shields may be generally or substantially or totally planar so as to be conformal with a substrate or dielectric layer of the antenna card or printed circuit board.

Abstract: A fuze setter interface for substantially simultaneously and wirelessly transferring power and data between a fuze setter and fuze. The fuze setter interface includes separate power and communications interfaces. In the power interface, an induction coil is provided in each of the fuze setter and fuze. Power is transferred by magnetic field coupling between the induction coils. In the communications interface, a communications member is provided in each of the fuze setter and fuze, along with appropriate functions to generate alternating-current (AC) waveforms, and condition, modulate or demodulate signals. In one example, both communications members are induction coils that transfer data by magnetic field coupling. In another example, both communications members are radio-frequency (RF) transceivers that transfer data by radio signal. The RF transceiver in the fuze may be a Height of Burst (HoB) sensor.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for determining the presence of pulse jams in an identification friend or foe (IFF) system. In an embodiment, a plurality of jamming pulse rates are determined. Each of the plurality of jamming pulse rates is a count of jamming pulses entering the IFF system during a corresponding integration period. Each of the plurality of jamming pulse rates is a count of jamming pulses associated with non-valid signals entering the IFF system. An average jamming pulse rate is computed based on the plurality of jamming pulse rates. The average jamming pulse rate is then compared against a pulse jam threshold to determine whether a pulse jam is present (or not present) in the IFF system.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for providing information sharing with enhanced security. In an embodiment, a secure information sharing engine provides secure sharing of data by applying one or more validation rules to the data. When applied to a given portion of the data, the validation rule verifies that the data of the given portion is, in fact, the data that is supposed to be in the given portion. At least one of the validation rules includes a check that a portion of the data contained in multiple fields maintain a relationship between the multiple fields. If the data passes the applied one or more validation rules, the secure information sharing engine allows the sharing of the data. Otherwise, if the data does not pass the one or more applied validation rules, the secure information sharing engine disallows the sharing of the data.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for geolocation of an airborne radar emitting source. A methodology implementing the techniques according to an embodiment includes initializing a search grid with hypothesized emitter geolocations boxes of the grid. The method further includes refining geolocations based on calculated pulse repetition intervals of de-Dopplerized times of arrival (TOAs) of emitter pulses received at multiple collection platforms within a dwell period. A residue metric is employed to qualify candidate target geolocations based on differences between the measured TOAs and hypothesized TOAs associated with the refined geolocations. A candidate history tracks the geolocations of the candidates with the smallest residue over subsequent dwells, identifying such candidates that match locations in the history and updating counts of times the candidate has been matched. Candidates with lagging match counts are dropped from the history.

Abstract: A laser communication architecture provides precise optical alignment between terminals without requiring dedicated beacon lasers or dedicated beacon wavelength optics. Instead, the same lasers and optics are used for both alignment and communication. A beacon modulation is applied to alignment beacons transmitted at or near communication wavelengths so as to differentiate them from communication beams. The beacon modulation can include phase and/or amplitude variation of a high frequency modulation, and/or “ping-pong” toggling of the beacon wavelength. In some full duplex red/blue embodiments, ping-pong modulation is implemented by alternated red/blue tuning of the transmit laser or by switching between separate red and blue transmit lasers, for example using a 2×1 laser switch, while maintaining constant beacon amplitude, thereby avoiding optical amplifier dynamic response issues.

Abstract: A clock alignment system includes a first clock generator generating a first clock signal in a first clock domain and a second clock generator generating a second clock signal in a second clock domain slower than the first clock domain. A coarse delay-locked loop (DLL) generates third clock signals having corresponding phase offsets from the first clock signal, and a fine DLL generates a fourth clock signal by adjusting the phase of a selected one of the third clock signals. The second clock generator generates the second clock signal from the fourth clock signal. A phase detector compares phases of the first and second clock signals. A control circuit aligns the first and second clock signals by using the compared phases to select the third clock signal output by the coarse DLL, and control the phase adjustment by the fine DLL of this third clock signal.

Abstract: An analog to digital converter is disclosed that is designed to receive a differential analog signal and includes a signal chopping circuit and a successive approximation register (SAR) coupled to the signal chopping circuit. The signal chopping circuit is designed to invert a polarity of the differential analog signal and includes a first switching circuit having a first transistor and a second switching circuit having a second transistor. A gate of the first transistor and a gate of the second transistor is each coupled to a same bootstrap capacitor. Coupling both switching circuits to the same bootstrap capacitor (as opposed to separate bootstrap capacitors) greatly frees up space on the die or chip.

Abstract: A cone antenna has at least one resistor electrically coupled to the radiating structure of the cone antenna. The capacitor may be part of a resistor network that is electrically connected to the cone. One or more patches may be coupled to the resistor network which act as a capacitor. A feed card may be embedded within a ground plane to enable the exterior of an antenna assembly to be conformal with an outer surface of a platform carrying the cone antenna.

Abstract: An indicator assembly and method for detecting and indicating a Global Positioning System (GPS) signal error during testing or monitoring of a GPS enabled device. The assembly includes an azimuth-elevation servo system; a GPS receiver; and a microprocessor engaged with the GPS receiver and servo system. The microprocessor executes programming that compares an expected self-position solution of the indicator assembly with a reported-position solution of the indicator assembly provided by the GPS receiver. The microprocessor activates the servo system to move a visually-observable indicator device to a position that reflects results of the comparison between the expected and reported position solutions. An operator noting unexpected behavior in the GPS enabled device checks the position of the indicator device and determines that a GPS signal error has occurred when the indicator device is oriented at any angle other than ninety degrees relative to a surface upon which the indicator assembly rests.