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.

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: Techniques and architecture are disclosed for a fuze setter adapter that operationally engages an incompatible fuze and fuze setter with each other so that fuze setting may be undertaken. The fuze and fuze setter each include at least one wireless or direct connect interface for electrical power transfer and/or data communications. The fuze setter adapter provides complementary interfaces configured to couple with the interfaces of the fuze and fuze setter. A processor control in the fuze setter adapter links the fuze setter adapter interfaces. The processor control is programmed to receive data communications from the fuze setter, convert those signals to fuze-compatible signals, and transfer the fuze-compatible signals to the fuze, and vice versa. The processor control is further programmed to receive electrical power from the fuze setter, convert that electrical power to fuze-compatible power, and transfer the fuze-compatible power to the fuze.

Abstract: A light sensing apparatus includes: an arrangement of light sensing pixels, one or more pixels each associated with a noise floor and able to detect a triggering level of incoming light above the noise floor from a corresponding portion of a scene; readout circuitry to process and reset the triggering pixels; and an automatic gain control (AGC) to raise the noise floor of one or more pixels. Sometimes, the light sensing apparatus is part of a seeker that includes control circuitry to dynamically control the AGC to raise the noise floor of one or more pixels by an adjustable amount that varies in relation to the distance between the seeker and an intended target. Sometimes, the control circuitry dynamically controls the AGC in response to a concurrent triggering of two or more triggering pixels. or in response to a gain schedule corresponding to guiding the seeker to the intended target.

Abstract: A hybrid frame-based and event driven pixel, the pixel comprising a frame-based capture circuit, an event-driven capture circuit, and a photodiode in electrical communication with both the frame-based and event-driven capture circuits, wherein the frame based capture circuit is a buffered direct injection circuit, and wherein the event-driven capture circuit is a dynamic vision system circuit.

Abstract: An aperture feed network includes a substrate having a first surface and a parallel second surface, first and second conductive traces on the first surface of the substrate, a third conductive trace on the second surface of the substrate, a conductive via extending through a thickness of the substrate, and one or more ground plane structures on the second surface of the substrate. The substrate comprises a dielectric material. The first and second conductive traces together form a differential signal line. The third conductive trace comprises a first branch and a second branch. The conductive via contacts the first branch of the third conductive trace on the second surface of the substrate and the second conductive trace on the first surface of the substrate. The one or more ground plane structures have irregular shapes.

Abstract: An assembly comprising a horizontal GPS patch antenna element and a vertical IFF antenna element provides simultaneous high performance IFF communication and GPS reception with minimal IFF to GPS interference. The IFF element can be a monopole element. A second monopole co-linear with the IFF element can provide simultaneous UHF communication. In embodiments, the assembly is a blade that can replace an existing IFF blade on an aircraft or other asset. Separate IFF and GPS connectors can be provided, or a single connecter can be shared using an integral diplexer. Embodiments include a GPS preamplifier integral with the blade. In other embodiments, the IFF element is an annular slot transponder that is centered on the GPS patch element. Some of these embodiments are fully conformal to an underlying surface. System embodiments include bandpass filters and/or GPS blanking to further protect the GPS receiver from IFF transmissions.

Abstract: A guided projectile including a precision guidance munition assembly utilizes angular rate sensors to sample a first angular velocity of the precision guidance munition assembly from the first angular rate sensor at a first time, sample a second angular velocity of the precision guidance munition assembly from the second angular rate sensor at the first time, generate a coning command based, at least in part, on the first angular velocity and the second angular velocity, and apply the coning command to the canard assembly. The range may be decreased or increased based on the coning commands.

Abstract: A spectrum sharing system includes an advanced beacon (e.g. a low latency RF link) as part of an information sharing subsystem. The advanced beacon signal carries radar spectrum transmission schedule in an obfuscated way such as not to reveal the geolocation of the radar. The information sharing subsystem directs nodes, such as cell phones, to share spectrum based on spectrum sharing instructions contained in the advanced beacon. The spectrum sharing system permits out-of-band sharing of spectrum white space, as well as sharing of in-band spectrum gray space.

Abstract: Techniques and architecture are disclosed for harnessing magnetostatic wave (MSW) and spin wave (SW) propagation dynamics under the influence of a strain-induced magnetocrystalline anisotropy field in yttrium iron garnet (YIG) thin-films and exploiting a strain-induced magnetocrystalline anisotropy field that can be piezoelectrically transduced to tune the MSW/SW, enabling the creation of multi-octave-tunable magnetostatic/spin-wave microwave passive components with zero-quiescent-power and high-Q in chip-scale.

Abstract: A phase-frequency detector has two latches, two logic gates, and two delay sources. Operation includes inputting a reference clock signal to a first of two latches; inputting a feedback clock signal to a second of two latches; outputting simultaneously a first signal and a second signal. The first signal having a pulse width directly proportional to a phase difference between said reference clock signal and the feedback clock signal; the second signal having a pulse width inversely proportional to the phase difference between the reference clock signal and the feedback clock signal. The outputs of the latches indicate a differential phase difference of signals, thereby increasing the signal-to noise ratio of the phase-frequency detector.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a circuit and method of operation thereof for linearized time amplifier architecture for sub-picosecond resolution. More particularly, the disclosure is directed to an asymmetric edge manipulator whose output is fed to four series of transistors and is operatively coupled to a reset. The disclosure relates to outputting a pair of signals that correspond to a first input and second input of a known and measured clock that may be adjustable with gain to be perceptible to an external device that can then correct for the gain to allow measurement of sub-picosecond resolution.

Abstract: A secure wireless transceiver, such as a link 16 transceiver, receives signals using an antenna array having an SOC associated with each antenna element in the array. The SOC's digitize and channelize received data for transmission to a message nulling system that mitigates jamming. The antenna array can be conformal, and can replace an existing Link 16 blade. The disclosed transceiver can be a modified CMN-4 transceiver with digitizing and channelizing moved to the SoC's, and replaced by the nulling system. The transceiver uses applicable TRANSEC information to assign received data to the logical Link 16 channels before nulling, and embodiments apply nulling only to channels of interest, thereby improving the nulling and reducing side lobes. Embodiments distinguish between desired and unwanted signals based on known Link 16 signal features and/or situational awareness, rather than signal amplitudes, thereby enabling nulling of even weak jamming signals.

Abstract: A method of processing times-of-arrival (TOAs), some representing emitted pulses by an emitter and generated from a pulse pattern having a fixed greatest common divisor pulse repetition interval (GPRI), the method including: creating pulse trains each including an initial TOA and a vector of added TOAs, and a corresponding pulse index vector mapping the TOA vector into the pulse pattern consistent with a known TOA tolerance and viable with a known GPRI range of the emitter type; and walking, for each pulse train, each next TOA after the added TOAs, and each next index mapping the next TOA into the pulse pattern, including checking if the pulse train extended by the next TOA and next index is consistent with the TOA tolerance, checking if the extended pulse train is viable with the GPRI range, and if both checks pass, adding the next TOA and next index to the pulse train.

Abstract: The system and method of calibrating a receiver array using a quaternionic scattering model. The calibration method is model based, quick, and suitable for sparse sampling of the array. The calibration scheme can be cheaply and rapidly deployed, either from operational test data or from rapid ground calibration experiments. The model allows for closed loop calibration repair during actual geolocation or line of bearing collects.

Abstract: A system and method for detecting or identifying substances based on spectral response signatures is provided. The system utilizes IR imagery, singularly or stored in a database, in operative communication with a database or library of known spectral response signatures. The system correlates the spectral response signature detected, or inherent, in an image or image library, with the set of known signatures in the spectral database. The system generates a report of the substances or chemical compounds present in at least a portion of the image. The system can also query a database of IR products for an area of interest, and return results in a report or via an interactive tool, for IR products containing specific IR spectral results.

Abstract: A system for finding up in a projectile flight relative to earth. The system having a transmitter which transmits polarized reference signals to a guidance sub-system on the projectile. The guidance sub-system includes a magnetometer and polarized and non-polarized receivers. Measurements from the magnetometer are used to determine a general up direction. The polarized and non-polarized receivers are arranged such that, during rotation of the projectile, reference signals received by the polarized receiver modulate whereas reference signals received by the non-polarized receivers are unaffected. A ratio of the strengths of the signals received by the polarized and non-polarized receivers determines alignment of a vertical axis. From the general up direction and alignment of the vertical axis, a precise up direction of the projectile in flight relative to the earth can be determined.

Abstract: An object detection system uses a change in a linear polarization statistic between a first image at a first time and a second image at a second time to determine the presence or the likelihood of an object beneath a surface. The presence of the object may be determined by regions of anomalously high changes in the polarization statistic. The system may use a polarization change detection detector which may simultaneously capture images in multiple polarization channels. Further, the polarization change detection detector may be coupled with a laser interferometry system. Further, the polarization change detection detector may be used to capture a time series of images to determine the polarization decorrelation time for each pixel in the field of view to provide additional detail regarding an object detected beneath the surface.

Abstract: The system and method non-linear optical mapping of a detector array to expand the field of view. Outer edges of the sensor array having lower resolution spatial resolution in exchange for an expanded field of view. A lens is used to distort incoming signals to provide the expanded field of view and a processor is used to remove the distortion to provide the actual spatial angles for the incoming signals suing a look up table or an algorithm. The lens may create radial or linear distortion.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for calculating and accounting for non-uniformity of pixels within an infrared (IR) focal plane sensor utilizing an infrared light emitting diode (IR LED) to wash out environmental infrared light is provided. The IR LED may back propagate through an optical path of an IR sensor to illuminate pixels on a focal plane array, thereby providing data by which the non-uniformity offsets may be calculated and removed for normal operation of the IR sensor.