Patents Assigned to Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
  • Patent number: 11285673
    Abstract: Systems and methods for machine-learning-based additive manufacturing use a machine-learning model to process an input vector describing a new part transaction, thereby providing part optimization outputs and command initiation outputs to configure additive manufacturing of a new part. The machine-learning model is trained based on entries in a user experience database, each entry in the user experience database including data defining requirements for an additively manufactured part previously fabricated or attempted to be fabricated, specifications describing an additive manufacturing fabrication device, a selection of a raw material type fed to the fabrication device for fabrication of the additively manufactured part, a fabrication spatial orientation of the additively manufactured part within the fabrication device, a fabrication slicing resolution of the additively manufactured part, and a toolpath taken by the fabrication device in fabricating the additively manufactured part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Padmanabhan Nilakantan
  • Patent number: 11283178
    Abstract: An aerial vehicle includes a body and an antenna assembly mounted to the body. The antenna assembly includes a fairing component comprising a hollow body, a conductive coating formed on at least an inner surface of the fairing component, a plurality of antenna elements formed in the conductive coating, each antenna element including a first slot line defining a first transmission line and a second slot line defining a second transmission line, an insulator sleeve disposed within the fairing component, wherein an outer surface of the insulator sleeve at least substantially matches an inner surface of the fairing component, and a plurality of cable assemblies operably coupled to the plurality of antenna elements, wherein each cable assembly is coupled to a respective antenna element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Mark Russell Goldberg, Harold Kregg Hunsberger, Helen J. Mills
  • Patent number: 11282976
    Abstract: A solar panel module has a flexible circuit board, a matrix of solar cells surface mounted thereto, a coverglass extending over the matrix of solar cells and the flexible circuit board bonded to a rigid support panel. The circuitry including electrical connection pads in an arrangement on the first side surface for electrical connection of the circuitry to each of the matrix of solar cells, flat bypass diodes may be disposed on the first side surface under the cells and connecting to the circuitry. Conductive adhesives adhering each of the solar cells to the flex circuit at the electrical connection pads that correlate to electrical connection points on underside of each solar cells. The first side having a plurality of standoffs for receiving each of the matrix of solar cells providing raised levels for the solar cells, the landing portions projecting outwardly from a base level surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Eric J. Emerson
  • Patent number: 11275712
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a method for processing data in a single instruction multiple data (SIMD) computer architecture is provided. A processing element (PE) may determine based on a masking instruction, a predication state indicative of one of a conditional predication mode and an absolute predication mode. The PE may receive a predicated instruction and, based on a value of a head bit of the bits of a predication mask and on the value indicative of the predication state whether to commit a computation corresponding to execution of the predicated instruction. In another embodiment, a SIMD controller stores loops and sections of a program as a separate instruction stream record for generating the memory address of the next instruction. For data streams, the SIMD controller records information for each data memory access that references the same register files that are used by the instruction streams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Paul Kenton Tschirhart, Brian Konigsburg
  • Publication number: 20220074725
    Abstract: An ammunition cartridge including a case, an ignitable material within the case and an optical primer for igniting the ignitable material. The optical primer includes a conductive cylindrical cup electrically coupled to the case and a circular conductive button including a top button portion positioned in the cup and a bottom button portion extending through an opening in the cup, where the button and the cup are electrically isolated. The optical primer further includes a first bracket electrically coupled to the button, a second bracket electrically coupled to the cup, and a pair of laser diodes electrically coupled in a reverse parallel direction and being electrically coupled to the first and second brackets, where one of the laser diodes generates a laser beam that ignites the ignition material in response to a current flow in either direction through the case, the cup and the button.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2021
    Publication date: March 10, 2022
    Applicant: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: KEVIN L. CALLAN, ANDREW M. SINGLETON, RYAN M. CRITTENDEN, MICHAEL L. FISHER, WADE COLLINS, FRANCIS L. STRUEMPH, EDWARD F. STEPHENS, IV
  • Patent number: 11270153
    Abstract: The disclosed invention provides system and method for whole word conversion of text in an image. The system and method may convert the text in the image into Unicode strings. The system and method utilizes comparable features of word segments that are extracted from the text in the image. The comparable features of the word segments are created by mirroring comparable features of word templates stored in a conversion database. Word templates in the database are filtered by comparing the comparable features of the word segments with comparable features of the word templates in the database. The word segments are correlated to matching word candidates. Word confusion networks are constructed with the matching word candidates, and the word confusion networks are evaluated to output matching words for the word segments. This system and method reduce the search space in the database improving search efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Michael D. Ladwig
  • Patent number: 11271325
    Abstract: A dipole antenna comprises N dipole elements spaced along a dimension of the antenna, each dipole element including a pair of electrically conductive structures and 2N electronic networks each coupled to a corresponding electrically conductive structure of an associated dipole element to form N pairs of electronic networks wherein each electronic network includes a port. The electrically conductive structures are electrically isolated from one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Edward V. Koretzky, Michael Herndon, Jackson Ng
  • Patent number: 11269136
    Abstract: A beam combiner array assembly including an array block having a back wall and a front surface and a plurality of aligned and sealed channels extending from the back wall to the front surface. A lens array including a plurality of lenses is secured to the front surface of the block so that one of the lenses is aligned with each channel, and a plurality of fiber flanges are secured to the back wall of the block so that a separate one of the flanges is aligned with each channel. A hollow core fiber extends through each flange and the back wall so that an end of the fiber is positioned within one of the channels. A beam that propagates down each fiber is emitted into the channel, focused by the lens and emitted from the assembly as a collimated beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: James G. Ho, Joseph M. Harkenrider, Dustin Guenther, Gregory D. Goodno
  • Publication number: 20220067542
    Abstract: Systems and methods for machine-learning-based aircraft icing prediction use supervised and unsupervised learning to process real-time environmental data, such as onboard measurements of outside air temperature and dew point, to predict a risk of icing and determine whether to issue an icing risk alert to an onboard crewmember or a remote operator, and/or to recommend an icing avoidance maneuver. The systems and methods can use reinforcement learning to generate a confidence metric in the predicted risk of icing, to determine a time or distance to predicting icing, and/or to not issue an alert or recommend a maneuver in consideration of historical data in a “library of learning” and/or other flight data such as airspeed, altitude, time of year, and weather conditions. The predictive systems and methods are low-cost and low-power, do not require onboard weather radar, and can be effective for use in smaller aircraft that are completely icing-intolerant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2020
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Applicant: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: NATHAN D. PLAWECKI, DANIEL W. PLAWECKI
  • Patent number: 11264960
    Abstract: A current source circuit can include a first amplifier circuit and a second amplifier circuit. Each of the first and second amplifier circuits can be configured to generate respective amplifier output voltages based on a corresponding input voltage and respective feedback voltage. The current source circuit can further include a cross-coupling circuit that can include a first set of resistors and a second set of resistors. The first set of resistors can be configured to establish a first cross-coupling voltage based on the first amplifier output voltage and the second set of resistors can be configured to establish a second cross-coupling voltage based on the second amplifier output voltage. The first and second amplifier circuits can be configured to maintain the first and second cross-coupling voltage at a given voltage amplitude to provide a constant current at an output node of the current source circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sunny Bagga, Brian J. Cadwell, Shaun Mark Goodwin, Scott F. Allwine
  • Patent number: 11262142
    Abstract: Heat exchangers include a first heat exchange section joined to a second heat exchange section. In some embodiments, channels of one or more of the heat exchange sections may be positioned such that adjacent channels are collinear in at least one direction. In some embodiments, sidewalls of one or more of the heat exchange sections may exhibit a substantially constant thickness along a section of the heat exchanger that includes the channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Michael J. Touma, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11262749
    Abstract: A vehicle control system includes at least one control inceptor to provide pilot control of an associated vehicle and a communications interface to process external entity SA data associated with an external entity that is received at a communications system associated with the associated vehicle. An SA video screen displays video data to a pilot of the associated vehicle. The video data includes pilot-perspective visual data corresponding to a real-time dynamic virtual representation of surroundings of the associated vehicle that simulates a real-world visual perspective of the pilot to the surroundings of the associated vehicle and is responsive to the pilot control. A visual indicator of the external entity is superimposed onto the pilot-perspective visual data at an approximate location corresponding to an actual location of the external entity relative to the associated vehicle and beyond a visual range of the pilot based on the external entity SA data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Garrick F. Talavera, Robert A. Garland, Jr., Douglas M. DeVore
  • Patent number: 11264299
    Abstract: An integrated circuit assembly including an integrated circuit formed on one side of a substrate and a thermal spreading layer composed of a silver ink directly printed on an opposite side of the substrate from the integrated circuit, where the thermal spreading layer removes heat generated by the integrated circuit. The assembly also includes a heat sink thermally attached to the thermal spreading layer opposite to the substrate, where the heat sink is attached to the thermal spreading layer by printing the same material on the heat sink as the thermal spreading layer and pressing the spreading layer to the heat sink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jesse Tice, Steven J. Mass, Michael T. Barako
  • Patent number: 11254046
    Abstract: An FDM printer that provides five degree-of-freedom printing capabilities. In one embodiment, the FDM printer includes three transitional drive devices that allow a printer print head to be translationally moved in the X, Y and Z axes planes and a pair of rotationally drive devices that allow a workpiece platform to be rotated in the Y-axis plane and the combined X-axis and Z-axis planes. In this manner, the relative position between the print head and the workpiece platform allows the printer to print complex workpieces in a single continuous print, such as workpieces including large closed, hollow geometries, and without the need for providing support structures for overhangs and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenneth F. McKinney, Andrew Simmons
  • Patent number: 11257184
    Abstract: In the described examples, a compiled image scaler includes a set of machine executable instructions that generate a scaled image that is a scaled version of a source image with integer and bitwise operations. The compiled image scaler employs filtering to blend colors of adjacent pixels in the source image to generate the scaled image, and each filtering operation concurrently scales three color channels of a pixel in the source image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventor: John F. Rehling
  • Patent number: 11251524
    Abstract: A phased-array antenna system includes antenna elements of an RF front-end that each propagate a wireless beam portion. A digital beamforming system generates a digital beam corresponding to the wireless beam that is transmitted or received from the phased-array antenna system. Digital beamforming processors are each associated with a proper subset of the antenna elements. The digital beamforming processors can be collectively configured to iteratively process digital beam portions of the digital beam in a plurality of iteration levels comprising a lowest iteration level associated with lowest-level digital beam portions corresponding to the respective wireless beam portions at each of the respective antenna elements and a highest iteration level associated with the digital beam. Each digital beam portion associated with a given iteration level includes a sum of lesser digital beam portions from a next lower iteration level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Ronald P. Smith
  • Patent number: 11249879
    Abstract: A digital software recorder (DSR) leverages the functionality of a container management software platform, such as Docker, to permit time-travel debugging of a containerized software application, including pausing, playing, rewinding, and fast-forwarding execution of the application, by using snapshots taken by a snapshot manager service as the basis for setting the application state at points in the application's execution, thus saving debugging time that would otherwise be incurred by restarting an application. Snapshots can be triggered manually or automatically based on time or resource utilization threshold criteria. If source code is available to the DSR, the DSR can also enable hot code replacement, wherein modifications to the source code of the application do not require application restart, but instead the application state can be restored to just prior to the execution of the source code modifications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Wilson Burgos
  • Patent number: 11237336
    Abstract: An optical rotary joint includes first and second hollow tubular members. At least one of the first and second hollow tubular members is rotatable about a common longitudinal axis. A ring shaped optical waveguide between the first and second hollow tubular members includes first and second axial faces oriented perpendicular to the common longitudinal axis, an inner circumferential edge facing the outer circumference of the first hollow tubular member, an outer circumferential edge facing the inner circumference of the second hollow tubular member, and a circular light scattering channel formed in the first and/or second axial faces. First optical emitters are arranged to face the outer or inner circumferential edge. Second optical emitters are arranged to face the channel. A first optical receiver is arranged to face the outer or inner circumferential edge. A second optical receiver is arranged to face the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Christopher B. Svec
  • Patent number: 11231742
    Abstract: One example includes a clock distribution resonator system. The system includes a clock source configured to generate a clock signal having a predefined wavelength. The system also includes a plurality of transmission line branches each coupled to the clock source to propagate the clock signal. The system also includes a plurality of clock distribution networks coupled to the respective plurality of transmission line branches and being configured to provide the clock signal to each of a plurality of circuits. The system further includes at least one damping resonator. Each of the at least one damping resonator can be coupled to a respective at least one of the transmission line branches and configured to propagate the clock signal. The at least one damping resonator can have at least one resonator characteristic that is different relative to a respective resonator characteristic(s) associated with the transmission line branches and/or the clock distribution networks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bouchaib Cherif, Max E. Nielsen
  • Patent number: 11231377
    Abstract: An inspection device for inspecting explosive environments. The inspection device may include a camera and an intrinsic safety barrier. The intrinsic safety barrier may be configured to receive camera power and control signals and transmit intrinsically safe camera power and control signals to the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman System Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan G. Melton, Mark R. Eggett