Patents Assigned to HRL Laboratories, LLC
  • Patent number: 12223430
    Abstract: Described is a system for performing a simulated vehicle control task based on adversarial decision analysis. Empirical game theoretic analyses are performed between an evolving and an adversary population of neural network strategies. Each empirical game theoretic analysis includes using a neuroevolution procedure to perform a fitness-based selection of a strategy in the evolving population that out-performs the adversary population. Using an empirical game theory procedure, the neuroevolution procedure is iteratively run and the selected strategy is added to the adversary population with each iteration, resulting in monotonic strategy improvement with each iteration. Following the empirical game theoretic analyses, a final strategy is selected for the evolving population and the adversary population using a tournament selection procedure. The final strategy is used to train a neural network which is used to perform a simulated vehicle control task.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: HRL LABORATORIES, LLC
    Inventors: Sean Soleyman, Deepak Khosla, Fan H. Hung, Samuel D. Johnson
  • Patent number: 12223697
    Abstract: Described is a method for improved performance of agent-based machine learning. The method includes training a reinforcement learning (RL) agent on an image processing task. A dataset of states and corresponding actions is then extracted from the RL agent. A measure of attention is applied to an input space of the RL agent. During action selection by the RL agent, image patches of the input space are extracted based on the applied measure of attention. Portions of a set of inputs are clustered based on similarity to the image patches, generating a set of clusters having cluster centers. Non-semantic concept labels are provided as distances to the cluster centers for each state in the dataset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: HRL LABORATORIES, LLC
    Inventors: Praveen K. Pilly, Nicholas A. Ketz
  • Patent number: 12218067
    Abstract: An electronic assembly, comprising a carrier wafer of a first material, having a top wafer surface and a bottom wafer surface; said carrier wafer comprising a through-wafer cavity having walls that join said top wafer surface to said bottom wafer surface; and an insulator of a second material, different from the first material, having insulator top and bottom surfaces, joined by insulator side surfaces, and having a conducting via that passes through said insulator between said insulator top surface and said insulator bottom surface; wherein the insulator is held in said through-wafer cavity by direct contact of the insulator side surfaces with an attachment metal that fills said through-wafer cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: HRL LABORATORIES, LLC
    Inventor: Florian G. Herrault
  • Publication number: 20250030178
    Abstract: An exemplary receive antenna having a conductive surface. The conductive surface includes an aperture configured to operate as a slot antenna, and one or more amplifiers or buffer amplifiers is electrically connected across the aperture. At least one feed is connected between the one or more amplifiers and the aperture. An input impedance ZB of each of the one or more amplifiers at the at least one feed location is lower than 0.5× an impedance of the aperture ZA at a first resonance frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2023
    Publication date: January 23, 2025
    Applicant: HRL LABORATORIES, LLC
    Inventors: Carson White, Ryan Quarfoth, Amit Patel
  • Patent number: 12204348
    Abstract: Described is a system for optimizing controllers for micro-air vehicles. The system identifies binary rules that lead to a desired behavior of a micro-air vehicle. The binary rules are identified by sampling rule-sets from a probability distribution over a search space. A fitness value of each rule-set for the desired behavior is determined, and top-performing rule-sets are selected. The top-performing rule-sets are used to update the probability distribution over the search space until a convergence criterion is met, resulting in a fittest rule-set. A control signal based on the identified binary rules is transmitted to one or more actuators of the micro-air vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2025
    Assignee: HRL LABORATORIES, LLC
    Inventors: Charles E. Martin, Heiko Hoffmann
  • Patent number: 12194512
    Abstract: Some variations provide an atomic instrument configured with an optically transparent and electrochemically cleanable window, comprising: a transparent first electrode; a second electrode with an atom reservoir for first metal ions; an ion conductor interposed between the first electrode and a second electrode, wherein the ion conductor is capable of transporting second metal ions, wherein the ion conductor is in contact with the first electrode and with the second electrode, and wherein the ion conductor is optically transparent; and a transparent window support in contact with the ion conductor, wherein the electrochemically cleanable window is optically transparent, wherein the transparent window support, the ion conductor, and the first electrode collectively form a transparent and electrochemically cleanable window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2024
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventor: Christopher S. Roper
  • Patent number: 12199357
    Abstract: An apparatus and related method are disclosed for compensation of an antenna and/or an antenna array located at a surface that experiences environmental conditions. The apparatus can include: an embedded compensation and/or calibration structure configured to be interrogated by an electromagnetic wave, to dynamically compensate for surface erosion, thermal expansion, and/or dielectric constant changes of a surface scattering antenna; and a processor configured to: receive measurements of the compensation and/or calibration structure to determine beam pointing for dynamically varying surface conditions and perform sensing and/or seeking observation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: HRL LABORATORIES, LLC
    Inventors: Ryan Quarfoth, Christopher Roper, Jacob Hundley
  • Patent number: 12200851
    Abstract: An atomic-beam source device is configured to provide a collimated beam of atoms, wherein solid-state electrochemistry is employed to recirculate atoms that are caught on collimation channel walls. The use of solid-state electrochemistry to recirculate atoms enables a chip-scale, dark-wall, high-quality collimated beam source that does not clog over time. Some variations provide an atomic-beam source device comprising: a first electrode; a second electrode that is electrically isolated from the first electrode; a first ion conductor interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the first ion conductor is capable of transporting metal ions, and wherein the first ion conductor is in contact with the first electrode and with the second electrode; and one or more collimation channels disposed outwardly from the first ion conductor. Methods of using the atomic-beam source device are disclosed, including methods to recirculate and reuse metal atoms adsorbed on collimation channel walls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventor: Christopher S. Roper
  • Patent number: 12191867
    Abstract: A phononic frequency comb enhanced clock, including a nonlinear resonator configured to generate a phononic frequency comb in response to a drive signal and an AM-to-PM noise correction circuit. The AM-to-PM noise correction circuit includes a transfer function circuit which includes a two-channel PLL and a DSP. The two-channel PLL has one channel input with the phononic frequency comb and another channel input with at least a portion of the drive signal. The DSP is configured to periodically divide a PM noise of a predetermined tooth of the phononic frequency comb by an AM noise of the portion of the drive signal to generate periodically updated noise correction signals. The clock further includes a phase shifter having an input coupled to an output of the digital signal processor and another input connected to a frequency signal of a preselected tooth of the phononic frequency comb.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: HRL LABORATORIES, LLC
    Inventors: Randall L. Kubena, Walter S. Wall
  • Patent number: 12183592
    Abstract: A ceramic article. In some embodiments, the ceramic article includes a ceramic body composed of a ceramic material; and a first conductive trace, the first conductive trace having a first portion entirely within the ceramic material, the first portion having a length of 0.5 mm and transverse dimensions less than 500 microns, the ceramic material including a plurality of ceramic particles in a ceramic matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2024
    Assignee: HRL LABORATORIES, LLC
    Inventors: Tobias Schaedler, Kayleigh Porter, Phuong Bui
  • Patent number: 12183838
    Abstract: An infrared detector and a method for manufacturing it are disclosed. The infrared detector contains an absorber layer responsive to infrared light, a barrier layer disposed on the absorber layer, a plurality of contact structures disposed on the barrier layer; and an oxide layer disposed above the barrier layer and between the plurality of the contact structures, wherein the oxide layer reduces the dark current in the infrared detector. The method disclosed teaches how to manufacture the infrared detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2024
    Assignee: HRL LABORATORIES, LLC
    Inventor: Pierre-Yves Delaunay
  • Patent number: 12169012
    Abstract: An isolation system and method are disclosed. The isolation system includes a beam that includes a first end and a second end. The isolation system may include at least one clamping block comprising first elastomeric material, and the first end may be coupled with the first elastomeric material by the at least one clamping block. An end condition of the buckling beam may be varied based on compression stiffening of the first elastomeric material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2024
    Assignee: HRL LABORATORIES, LLC
    Inventors: David W. Shahan, Geoffrey P. McKnight, Sloan P. Smith, Christopher P. Henry, Christopher B. Churchill, Andrew C. Keefe
  • Publication number: 20240410987
    Abstract: A switched pixel array LiDAR includes a transmit optical switching network and a receive optical switching network. The transmit optical switching network is connected to a transmit antenna in each pixel of the switched pixel array, and a receive optical switching network is coupled to receive antennas in each pixel. The transmit antenna length is at least 100 times greater than the transmit antenna width. The transmit optical switching network steers a transmit beam from a laser system to the transmit antenna in a selected pixel, and emits the transmit beam through a cylindrical lens towards a target. The transmit beam is reflected off the target as a receive beam passing through the cylindrical lens towards the receive antennas in the selected pixel. The receive optical switching network transmits the receive beam to an optical receiver system which generates a receive signal configured for extraction of sensor data associated with the target.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2022
    Publication date: December 12, 2024
    Applicant: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventor: Keyvan SAYYAH
  • Patent number: 12166471
    Abstract: A RF antenna having a magnetostrictive film may be made by patterning selected portions of a top surface of the quartz wafer for deposition of electrode metal and deposition of the magnetostrictive film and depositing the electrode metal and the magnetostrictive film; temporarily bonding the quartz wafer to a handle wafer; thinning the quartz wafer to a desired thickness; etching the quartz wafer to define the outlines of at least one quartz resonator bearing the electrode metal and the magnetostrictive film; patterning selected portions of a bottom surface the at least one quartz resonator for deposition of electrode metal and at least one bond pad and depositing the electrode metal and the at least one bond pad; bonding the at least one quartz resonator to a substrate wafer; and releasing the at least one quartz resonator from the handle wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: HRL LABORATORIES, LLC
    Inventors: Randall L. Kubena, Walter S. Wall
  • Patent number: 12160240
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for coupling two nonlinear resonators via a nonlinear element to generate phononic frequency combs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2024
    Assignee: HRL LABORATORIES, LLC
    Inventors: Walter S. Wall, Randall L Kubena
  • Patent number: 12160242
    Abstract: A low-power, chip-scale atomic beam clock is provided that maintains high precision for at least one week at any practical temperature. In some variations, the invention provides a chip-scale atomic beam clock comprising: a micro-optical bench; an atom collimator configured to generate a collimated atomic beam via differential pumping through microchannels; a VCSEL configured to emit laser photons horizontally in the plane of the micro-optical bench; an in-plane lithographically defined diffraction grating configured to split the laser photons into a first photon beam and a second photon beam; in-plane lithographically defined mirrors configured to retroflect the photon beams; in-plane photodetectors configured to detect the photon beams after being retroflected, wherein the first photon beam and the second photon beam interrogate the collimated atomic beam in-plane with the micro-optical bench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2024
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventors: Travis Autry, Raviv Perahia
  • Patent number: 12136902
    Abstract: A drive circuit with predistortion. In some embodiments, a system includes a signal input, a predistortion circuit, and an amplifier circuit. The predistortion circuit may be operatively coupled to the signal input and to the amplifier circuit and configured to modify a radio frequency (RF) signal received at the signal input to cause the amplifier circuit to drive, into a load connected to the amplifier circuit, a current that is substantially a replica of the input signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventors: Carson White, Evan Schlomann
  • Patent number: 12130507
    Abstract: A reconfigurable optical frequency selective structure having embedded therein: (a) an array of optical antennas for picking up propagating radiation in a visible or infrared frequency region and achieving preferential absorption of electromagnetic energy at a target wavelength k within the region, (b) an array of optical mesa structures of sub-wavelength scale including a phase-change material, the array of optical antennas being disposed atop the array of optical mesa structures respectively; (c) a metal ground plane disposed beneath the array of optical mesa structures, the array of optical mesa structures standing above the ground plane or an interfacial layer and being separated from one another to inhibit parasitic capacitance coupling therebetween; and (d) a plurality of heaters for selectively heating any one of the array of optical mesa structures to cause the phase change material in the selected optical mesa structure to change from an amorphous state, wherein the antenna atop the selected mesa
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: HRL LABORATORIES, LLC
    Inventors: David Chow, Joseph Jensen, Jeong-Sun Moon, Kyung-Ah Son, Ryan Quarfoth
  • Publication number: 20240356216
    Abstract: An N-bit reflectarray unit cell is disclosed comprising a first part of a first dipole and a second part of the first dipole, and a first switch for connecting and disconnecting the first part of the first dipole to and from the second part of the first dipole. The unit cell further comprises a first part of a second dipole and a second part of the second dipole, and a second switch for connecting and disconnecting the first part of the second dipole to and from the second part of the second dipole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2023
    Publication date: October 24, 2024
    Applicant: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventors: Timothy J. BROCKETT, Hanseung LEE, Ryan G. QUARFOTH, Hyok J. SONG
  • Patent number: 12116662
    Abstract: A process enables growing thick stoichiometric crystalline and preferably IR-transparent optical PCMO material on Si and other substrates. Sputter deposition is carried out in oxygen-free inert gas (e.g., Ar) environment, which helps to prevent decomposition of the PCMO material over the substrate. In the disclosed process, there is no need to add a seed layer prior to PCMO deposition. Moreover, no post-deposition annealing is needed in a high-temperature and high-pressure oxygen furnace, but an anneal provides certain additional benefits in terms of improved transparency at IR wavelengths. Over a long deposition time for a thick PCMO film on the high temperature (?450° C.) substrates, the PCMO deposition is made repeated cycles of deposition of the PCMO material at the high temperature, each deposition cycle being followed by cooling the PCMO-deposited substrate to a substantially lower temperature (<50° C.).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignee: HRL LABORATORIES, LLC
    Inventors: Kyung-Ah Son, Jeong-Sun Moon, Hwa Chang Seo, Richard M. Kremer, Ryan G. Quarfoth, Jack A. Crowell, Mariano J. Taboada, Joshua M. Doria, Terry B. Welch