Patents Assigned to NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS
  • Publication number: 20180347986
    Abstract: An interface for a hollow core fiber is provided that facilitates the direct pigtailing of the hollow core fiber to a port on an electro-optic device. The interface includes an angled face that attaches to the electronic device at an angle that minimizes optical power loss as light propagates from the electronic device to the hollow core fiber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2017
    Publication date: December 6, 2018
    Applicant: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: STEVEN KIM, RICARDO A. ROSETE, RAGINI SAXENA
  • Publication number: 20180342663
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for a ZZZ coupler. A first tunable coupler is coupled to the first qubit and tunable via a first control signal. A second tunable coupler is coupled to the first tunable coupler to direct a flux of the first qubit into a tuning loop of the second tunable coupler, such that when a first coupling strength associated with the first tunable coupler is non-zero, a second coupling strength, associated with the second tunable coupler, is a function of a second control signal applied to the second tunable coupler and a state of the first qubit. The second qubit and the third qubit are coupled to one another through the second tunable coupler, such that, when the second coupling strength is non-zero it is energetically favorable for the states of the first and second qubits to assume a specific relationship with respect to the Z-axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2018
    Publication date: November 29, 2018
    Applicant: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: DAVID GEORGE FERGUSON, ANTHONY JOSEPH PRZYBYSZ, JOEL D. STRAND
  • Patent number: 10142609
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an image collection module that monitors at least one parameter to dynamically regulate an amount of data and resolution to be allocated to at least one object in a scene collected from an image data set. A situational awareness interface (SAI) renders a 3-D video of the scene to an operator based on the amount of data and resolution allocated from the image data set by the image collection module and receives operator commands for an unmanned vehicle (UV) that interacts with the scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Jerome H. Wei
  • Publication number: 20180336153
    Abstract: A tunable bus-mediated coupling system is provided that includes a first input port coupled to a first end of a variable inductance coupling element through a first resonator and a second input port coupled to a second end of the variable inductance coupling element through a second resonator. The first input port is configured to be coupled to a first qubit, and the second output port is configured to be coupled to a second qubit. A controller is configured to control the inductance of the variable inductance coupling element between a low inductance state to provide strong coupling between the first qubit and the second qubit and a high inductance state to provide isolation between the first qubit and the second qubit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2018
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Applicant: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: OFER NAAMAN, ZACHARY KYLE KEANE, MICAH JOHN ATMAN STOUTIMORE, DAVID GEORGE FERGUSON
  • Publication number: 20180337138
    Abstract: A method is provided of forming a superconductor interconnect structure. The method comprises forming a dielectric layer overlying a substrate, forming an interconnect opening in the dielectric layer, and moving the substrate to a deposition chamber. The method further comprises performing a cleaning process on the top surface of the dielectric layer and in the interconnect opening while in the deposition chamber, and depositing a superconducting metal in the interconnect opening while in the deposition chamber to form a superconducting element in the superconductor interconnect structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2017
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Applicant: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: VIVIEN LUU, CHRISTOPHER F. KIRBY, BRIAN WAGNER, MICHAEL RENNIE
  • Patent number: 10132712
    Abstract: A sensor assembly for determining whether a hermetically sealed cavity between opposing substrate wafers in a wafer level packaged (WLP) chip is leaking. The sensor assembly includes a thermal insulating layer provided within the cavity, and a heater and temperature sensor deposited on the insulation layer. The thermal insulating layer is made of a suitable dielectric that is compatible with WLP and MMIC fabrication processes and can be, for example, benzocyclobutene (BCB) or polyimide. The sensor is responsive to a current that heats the thermal insulation layer so that heat dissipated by the thermal insulation layer is drawn away by gas between the layer and the substrate that determines the temperature of the sensor, which is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Chunbo Zhang, Phuong Nguyen, Xianglin Zeng, Maria L. Tenorio
  • Patent number: 10131452
    Abstract: A telescopic boom and reflector assembly for a spacecraft that includes a telescopic boom having a plurality of boom sections that are nested together within a prime batten or where the prime batten is attached to an outermost section of the boom when the boom is in a stowed position, where an innermost and smallest diameter section of the boom is secured to the spacecraft to facilitate testing and integration of the boom and reflector as a unitized assembly. The assembly also includes a reflector having a truss structure configured to allow the reflector to be collapsed into a stowed configuration, where the reflector is mounted to the prime batten. The assembly is configured to be deployed from the spacecraft by releasing the boom in a telescopic manner where the boom sections increase in diameter from the spacecraft outward when the boom is deployed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: David J. Rohweller, Geoffrey W. Marks
  • Patent number: 10136126
    Abstract: A seine net calibration target for an image sensor can include a given set of seine nets connected to form a polygon and another set of seine nets. Each seine net of the other set of seine nets is coupled to a vertex of the polygon at a given end and coupled to a respective one of a plurality of boats at another end. The seine net calibration target can also include a plurality of light sources arranged along a top edge of the given set of seine nets and the other set of seine nets. The plurality of light sources emits light at a predetermined wavelength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Patricia D. Pratt
  • Patent number: 10135137
    Abstract: A phased array antenna system including a front-end circuit having a plurality of antenna channels, each including a front antenna element and a rear antenna element, that provides a spatially combined beam. Each antenna channel includes a beam scan phase shifter and a true time delay phase shifter through which the receive signals or the transmit signals propagate. The system further includes a back-end circuit spaced from the front-end circuit and including an antenna receiving the receive signals from the rear elements or transmitting the transmit signals to the rear elements. The back-end circuit further includes an ortho-mode transducer that separates the transmit signal or the receive signal into orthogonally polarized signals, and a pair of couplers and a pair of polarization phase shifters that combine to adjust the polarization of the transmit signal or the receive signal. The spatially combined beam is reconfigurable in beam shape and its location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Sudhakar K. Rao, Arun K. Bhattacharyya
  • Patent number: 10135853
    Abstract: A system and method for detecting anomalous activity, the method includes collecting data from a plurality of data sources, wherein each data source generates a data stream; harmonizing each data stream using a computer processor so that the harmonized data is in a common format; generating behavior models based on the harmonized data using the computer processor; analyzing the harmonized data at a first level using the behavior models and the computer processor to generate meta-events, wherein the meta-events represent anomalous behavior; analyzing the meta-events at a second level using the computer processor to determine if an alert should be issued; and when an alert should be issued, displaying the alert is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Brock D. Bose, Bhargav R. Avasarala, Donald D. Steiner
  • Patent number: 10133299
    Abstract: One embodiment includes a clock distribution system. The system includes at least one resonator spine that propagates a sinusoidal clock signal and at least one resonator rib conductively coupled to the at least one resonator spine and arranged as a standing wave resonator. The system also includes at least one transformer-coupling line. Each of the at least one transformer-coupling line is conductively coupled to an associated circuit and has a plurality of inductive couplings to the at least one resonator rib to inductively generate a clock current corresponding to the sinusoidal clock signal via each of the plurality of inductive couplings in an additive manner to provide functions for the associated circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Joshua A. Strong, Max Earl Nielsen
  • Publication number: 20180329432
    Abstract: One example embodiment includes a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The VTOL UAV includes a flight control system configured to provide avionic control of the VTOL UAV in a hover mode and in a level-flight mode. The VTOL UAV also includes a body encapsulating an engine and the flight control system. The VTOL UAV further includes a propeller disk coupled to the engine and configured to provide vertical thrust in the hover mode and to provide horizontal thrust for flight during the level-flight mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2018
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Applicant: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventor: SON F. CREASMAN
  • Publication number: 20180331443
    Abstract: One example includes a device that is comprised of a plurality of printed circuit boards, a plurality of vias, and a plurality of castellations. The plurality of printed circuit boards are laminated together, at least some of the plurality of printed circuit boards including a dielectric panel and a plurality of conductor pads. The plurality of vias, through the plurality of conductor pads, include a conductive material to respectively electrically couple the plurality of conductor pads with each other. The plurality of castellations, on at least one side of the plurality of printed circuit boards, to electrically couple each of a plurality of contact pins of an integrated circuit socket with respective contact pads of the plurality of conductor pads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2017
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Applicant: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: AARON ASHLEY HATHAWAY, ROBERT MILLER, ERICA ANNE SANKER
  • Publication number: 20180328736
    Abstract: An aerial vehicle is navigated using hierarchical vision-aided navigation that classifies regions of acquired still image frames as featureless or feature-rich, and thereby avoids expending time and computational resources attempting to extract and match false features from the featureless regions. Pattern recognition registers an acquired image to a general area of a map database before performing feature matching to a finer map region. This hierarchical position determination is more efficient than attempting to ascertain a fine-resolution position without knowledge of coarse-resolution position. Resultant matched feature observations can be data-fused with other sensor data to correct a navigation solution based on GPS and/or IMU data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2018
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Applicant: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventor: YUNQIAN MA
  • Patent number: 10128592
    Abstract: One example includes a device that is comprised of a plurality of printed circuit boards, a plurality of vias, and a plurality of castellations. The plurality of printed circuit boards are laminated together, at least some of the plurality of printed circuit boards including a dielectric panel and a plurality of conductor pads. The plurality of vias, through the plurality of conductor pads, include a conductive material to respectively electrically couple the plurality of conductor pads with each other. The plurality of castellations, on at least one side of the plurality of printed circuit boards, to electrically couple each of a plurality of contact pins of an integrated circuit socket with respective contact pads of the plurality of conductor pads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Aaron Ashley Hathaway, Robert Miller, Erica Anne Sanker
  • Patent number: 10129976
    Abstract: An electronic component, such as a circuit board, fabricated by coextruding an Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) filament, such as a Dyneema® filament, and a conductive material, such as an Indalloy wire, using only a three-dimensional printer, such as an FDM machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel J. Braley, Eric G. Barnes, Pedro Gonzalez
  • Patent number: 10128022
    Abstract: A carbon nanotube (CNT) cable includes a pair of plated twisted wires, wherein each wire includes one or more sub-cores, wherein at least one sub-core includes CNT yarn; a dielectric surrounding the plated twisted wires; and an electrical layer surrounding the dielectric, wherein the electrical layer is configured to shield the CNT cable. A method for making a CNT cable includes the steps of controlling a deposition rate, depositing plating so as to surround a pair of wires, wherein each wire includes one or more sub-cores, wherein at least one sub-core includes CNT yarn, twisting the plated wires together, and surrounding the plated twisted wires with an electrical layer configured to shield the plated twisted wires, thereby creating the CNT cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Bradley J. Lyon, Nana Kim, Hsiao-Hu Peng, John A. Starkovich, Edward M. Silverman
  • Patent number: 10126324
    Abstract: One embodiment includes a method for dynamic self-calibration of an accelerometer system. The method includes forcing a proof-mass associated with a sensor of the accelerometer system in a first direction to a first predetermined position and obtaining a first measurement associated with the sensor in the first predetermined position via at least one force/detection element of the sensor. The method also includes forcing the proof-mass to a second predetermined position and obtaining a second measurement associated with the sensor in the second predetermined position via the at least one force/detection element of the sensor. The method further includes calibrating the accelerometer system based on the first and second measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Robert E. Stewart, Michael D. Bulatowicz
  • Publication number: 20180323870
    Abstract: An optical communications system includes a modulator/demodulator (modem) to transmit outgoing communications data and to receive incoming communications data in a transceiver. A main detector is coupled to the modem to convert an optical signal representing the incoming communications data to an electrical signal for the modem. An adaptive data rate processor monitors the electrical signal from the main detector to determine a current power level for the optical signal. The adaptive data rate processor dynamically adjusts a data rate of the modem based on the determined current power level of the optical signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Publication date: November 8, 2018
    Applicant: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: JOHN FEATHERSTON, CHRISTOPHER A. ARCHER, JAMES M. CICCHIELLO
  • Patent number: 10122352
    Abstract: One example includes a current driver system. The system includes a current source configured to provide a source current to a transition node. The system also includes a Josephson latch comprising at least one Josephson junction stage. The at least one Josephson junction stage can be configured to conduct the source current from the transition node as a current-clamped bias current in a deactivated state of the Josephson latch. The Josephson latch can be configured to activate in response to the bias current and a trigger pulse to switch the at least one Josephson junction stage to a voltage state to conduct at least a portion of the source current from the transition node as an output current to a load in response to activation of the Josephson latch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Donald L. Miller, Quentin P. Herr