Patents Assigned to Rockwell Collins
  • Patent number: 11094282
    Abstract: A method for reducing touch latency within a user interface of an aircraft display, the method including receiving, by a latency reduction unit, data from the aircraft display, where the data is of one or more data types, entering into one or more queues, by the latency reduction unit, the data based on the one or more data types, and sending, via a bus, the data asynchronously to a display processor of an aircraft display, where sending the data asynchronously includes transmitting the data by packets of data bits at an irregular rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan M. Kuefler, Amir Beganovic, Thomas B. Campbell, Brian T. Grunewaldt, Nicolas F. Parilo
  • Patent number: 11092693
    Abstract: A system and method provide automatic RF path gain calibration independent of RF interference levels to preserve solution trust capabilities. After a system is powered ON, or a new antenna is attached (hot swap), a smart antenna assembly combined with a jammer power estimator within an RF receiver functions to autonomously measure internal gains within the RF path, calibrate the new antenna installation, and thereby measure a level of interference associated with the external environment from that point forward. A controller commands the antenna calibration retrieving antenna details and RF path gain calibration while measuring local jamming at the receiver input. Should the controller determine a level of jamming effectiveness is present, it offers a user a display of the local jamming levels enabling the user accurate theater decision making regarding the accuracy and availability of desirable signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Karl W. Ulmer, Troy V. Mundt, Gary L. Bachman
  • Patent number: 11094211
    Abstract: A system and method for display of judgmental oversteering taxi data receives a plurality of parameters from aircraft, environmental, position and path sources and determines and displays accurate oversteering data to a pilot. The system enables the pilot to make a variety of taxi turns confident that all aircraft wheels remain on a prepared surface. Aircraft sources include data associated with the aircraft including whether the aircraft has steerable body gear. The environmental parameters include weather, surface friction, and additional data applicable to a turning radius of an aircraft. Position data includes GNSS data to accurately position the aircraft aligned with the taxiways. Path data includes an assigned ATC clearance as well as taxiway data associated with the assigned taxi route. The method compares each of these received variables with stored database information to ensure the aircraft maintains a safe position on the prepared surface during a turn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Felix B. Turcios, Hannah C. Lehman
  • Patent number: 11092669
    Abstract: A method using a radar system includes providing a radar pulse using an antenna, receiving radar returns using the antenna, and detecting target data using the radar returns. The target data is processed using ground data associated with transportation routes. Correlation of a transportation route of the transportation routes and a location of a first target associated with the target data is an indication of ground clutter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventor: Brian R. Wolford
  • Patent number: 11095563
    Abstract: A system includes a first and at least one second processing circuit, a configuration engine, and a switch. The configuration engine stores a virtual link configuration for a plurality of virtual links, which indicates a priority and a predetermined network pathway for communicating data packets from the first processing circuit to the at least one second processing circuit. The configuration engine automatically assigns priority to a first virtual link of the plurality of virtual links based on at least one of latency or jitter. The switch receives a first data packet from the first processing circuit. A first virtual link identifier is extracted from the first data packet. A first priority and a first predetermined network pathway corresponding to the first virtual link identifier from the virtual link configuration are retrieved. The first data packet is transmitted along the first predetermined network pathway based on the first priority.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Brent J. Nelson, David A. Miller, James M. Zaehring
  • Patent number: 11086024
    Abstract: A receiver device to receive an incoming radio frequency (RF) satellite signal from a satellite vehicle includes a processor and computer-readable storage media. The computer-readable storage media is communicably connected to the processor and has instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to track the incoming RF satellite signal in code phase and carrier frequency, the incoming RF satellite signal having a primary pseudorandom (PRN) code and a secondary PRN code modulated thereon, generate an encoded sequence of dot product values of adjacent integrated in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) components of the incoming RF satellite signal, compare the encoded sequence with expected secondary code chip transitions, determine a secondary code phase for the secondary PRN code based on the comparison, and coherently integrate the secondary code phase with the incoming RF satellite signal to increase an integration interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Huan T. Phan, Bernard A. Schnaufer
  • Patent number: 11086023
    Abstract: A global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver can include a code generator, a signal correlator circuit, and a processor. The code generator can generate samples of a plurality of ranging codes associated with corresponding GNSS transmitters. The signal correlator circuit can receive, according to a first clock rate, samples of a signal from a GNSS transmitter, and update, according to a second clock rate and a time division multiplexing scheme, cross-correlation values indicative of cross-correlations between the signal and a subset of the plurality of ranging codes. The second clock rate can be equal to at least multiple times the first clock rate. The signal correlator circuit can determine final results of the cross-correlation values based on the updating of the cross-correlation values, and a processor can identify the GNSS transmitter among the plurality of GNSS transmitters based on the final results of the cross correlation values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Acheson, Thomas V. Dewulf
  • Patent number: 11081011
    Abstract: A system may include a display and a processor. The display may be configured to present images to a user, the display in an ownship. The processor may be communicatively coupled to the display and in the ownship. The processor may be configured to: receive aircraft traffic data and ownship data; at least one of determine or adjust a threshold range based at least on the aircraft traffic data and the ownship data, the threshold range representing a time or distance threshold to designated traffic; generate and update a graphical threshold indicator, the threshold indicator representing a time or distance from the threshold range to the designated traffic; and output the graphical threshold indicator as graphical data to the display. The display may be configured to display the graphical threshold indicator to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric N. Anderson, Keith A. Stover, Timothy R. Fannin
  • Publication number: 20210233444
    Abstract: A light-modulated photodiode-based monitor for detecting a control signal of a display is disclosed. The monitor includes an emitter configured to emit a control signal, a polarizer configured to linearly polarize the pulsed signal, one or more fold mirrors configured to reflect the pulsed signal from the emitter onto a test portion and/or reflect the pulsed signal that has reflected off of the test portion. The monitor further includes an analyzer configured to block or transmit the polarized pulse signal reflected from at least one of the fold mirror or the test portion, and a detector configured to receive the pulsed signal transmitted from the analyzer and convert the pulsed signal into an electrical signal. The monitor further includes a controller that includes one or more processors and is configured to receive the electrical signal, filter and rectify the electrical signal, and determine a functional state of the display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2021
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Applicant: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua Gerdes, Eric P. Stratton, Jefferey R. Bader
  • Publication number: 20210230765
    Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) package incorporating controlled induced warping is disclosed. The IC package includes an electronic substrate having an active side upon which semiconducting dies and functional circuits have been lithographed or otherwise fabricated, leading to an inherent warping in the direction of the active side. One or more corrective layers may be deposited to the opposing, or inactive, side of the semiconducting die via electroplating in order to induce corrective warping of the electronic substrate back toward the horizontal (e.g., in the direction of the inactive side) to a desired degree.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2020
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Applicants: Rockwell Collins, Inc., Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Korneisel, Nathaniel P. Wyckoff, Brandon C. Hamilton, Jacob R. Mauermann, Carlen R. Welty
  • Patent number: 11075902
    Abstract: A network authorization system includes an authorization interface, an authorizer, and a network interface. The authorization interface receives a network connection request to access an external network and generates a characteristic of a portable component. The authorizer compares the characteristic to a predetermined characteristic, generates an authorization token responsive to the characteristic matching the predetermined characteristic, uses the authorization token to authenticate the network connection request, and transmits a first notification to the authorization interface that the characteristic matched the predetermined characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Reginald D. Bean, Gregory W. Rice
  • Patent number: 11061066
    Abstract: A predictive maintenance system for an aircraft-based power converter subsystem (PCS) continuously measures primary system parameters such as input and output currents and voltages, ambient and PCS component temperatures, and hold-up capacitance voltage. The predictive maintenance system updates the likely failure rate of the PCS based on the primary parameters and secondary parameters (e.g., power consumption, power efficiency, thermal resistance, hold-up storage capacitance) derived therefrom. Sensed primary parameters and derived secondary parameters, as well as the updated failure rate, are stored to memory in order to monitor their time derivatives and regression over the PCS lifespan. Should the updated failure rate ever reach or exceed an acceptable failure rate threshold, the predictive maintenance system alerts the aircraft control system, end user, or provider to service the PCS in advance of an unanticipated field failure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel J. Kaplan, Christopher A. Hohensee
  • Patent number: 11061563
    Abstract: A system and method for activation of chart data via touchscreen enables a pilot to touch a system generated hotspot within the flight chart displayed on the touchscreen and thereby affecting a change in an aircraft system. The system overlays a hotspot over chart data within the flight chart and associates the hotspot and hotspot data with the chart data. Upon reception of a pilot command of selection of the hotspot, the system verifies the pilot command and interfaces with the aircraft systems to make the change in frequency, navigation, and path of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael J. Nielsen, Brian Rockwell
  • Patent number: 11064602
    Abstract: An antenna system includes a first printed circuit board having an array of printed circuit board antenna elements, a second circuit board having a signal distribution network for the antenna elements, and at least one first interconnect structure coupled between a bottom surface of the first printed circuit board and a top surface of the second circuit board. The first interconnect structure can include first vias having an aspect ratio of greater than 10 to 1. The vias electrically connect to respective first contacts on the bottom surface of the first circuit board and to respective second contacts on the top surface of the second circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeremiah D. Wolf, Matilda G. Livadaru
  • Patent number: 11057818
    Abstract: A multi-node communication network may include a plurality of nodes, which may include normal value nodes, a clusterhead node, and a high value node. Each of the plurality of nodes may include a communication interface and a controller. The high value node may be defined as high value relative to the normal value nodes during mission data fill. The high value node may be configured to locate the clusterhead node, register the high value node's membership to the clusterhead node, and send position-location information (PLI) to the clusterhead node during registration. Upon receipt of a PLI request, each of the normal value nodes may be configured to send current PLI to the clusterhead node. Upon receipt of the PLI request, the high value node may remain silent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua Breitbach, Justin W. Ehm, TJ T. Kwon
  • Patent number: 11048548
    Abstract: A multi-core processing environment (MCPE) capable of quantifying shared system resource (SSR) access includes several processing cores, each core having several applications running thereon and accessing SSRs via virtual machines (VM). Each core includes core-specific shared memory and a guest operating system (GOS) for writing timestamped VM data entries to a core-specific data queue, each entry identifying an activated VM and its activation time. Hypervisor-accessible memory stores performance monitor registers (PMR) for monitoring specific MCPE features as well as PMR data queues for each core, the PMR data including timestamped values of the monitored features. The hypervisor writes the VM/PMR data to the corresponding queues and frequently samples PMR data. A correlation module correlates the queued VM/PMR data to determine execution times of each activated VM and (for each execution time) counts of PMR changes, each PMR change corresponding to an SSR access by a core of the MCPE.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan W. Polley, David J. Radack, John L. Hagen, Ramon C. Redondo, Carl J. Henning
  • Patent number: 11046450
    Abstract: A system may include a non-avionics computing device, a data network switch, and avionics computing devices. The non-avionics computing device may be configured to execute a situation awareness program. Each of the avionics computing devices may be communicatively coupled to the data network switch. The avionics computing devices may include a first avionics computing device communicatively coupled to the non-avionics computing device. The first avionics computing device may be configured to: receive avionics data from other of the avionics computing devices; filter the avionics data from the other of the avionics computing devices based on a predetermined relevance to the situation awareness program; and output the filtered avionics data to the non-avionics computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventor: Sarah Barber
  • Patent number: 11048289
    Abstract: A system and a method. The system may include a computing device configured for monitoring delay across clock domains using a constant phase shift. The computing device may be further configured to: use a counter value, a known clock period of a primary clock domain, and a known clock period of a secondary clock domain to calculate a current offset between a last rising edge of a primary clock and a current rising edge of a secondary clock; monitor a calibration signal to verify alignment such that a zero state occurs when expected; and adjust a counter to maintain the alignment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventor: Anthony Szymanski
  • Patent number: 11050447
    Abstract: A system may include a receiver, an input digitized data buffer, and a processor. The input digitized data buffer may be configured to accumulate samples of a time domain signal, s(t), from the receiver. The processor may be configured to: remove a confirmed peak from a frequency domain signal, S(f), to produce a corrected frequency domain signal, S?(f); perform an inverse fast Fourier transform to transform the corrected frequency domain signal, S?(f), to a corrected time domain signal, s?(t); perform an inverse window operation on the corrected time domain signal, s?(t), to recover original signal magnitudes; and output digitized data of the corrected time domain signal, s?(t), for signal processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen A. Ganje, Nathan Larsen, Yongtao Guo, Jeffrey L. Box
  • Patent number: 11050954
    Abstract: A passive thermal imaging system includes multiple detector arrays, imaging optics, and processing electronics. Each of the detector arrays include pixels and detect thermal electromagnetic radiation (EMR) within a band around a desired EMR wavelength. The imaging optics receive thermal EMR within the band from an object and image the received thermal EMR from a same region of the object onto pixels of each of the detector arrays. The processing electronics receive a detected signal from each of the pixels of the detector arrays, calculate a correlation value based on a multi-correlation of the received detected signals of corresponding pixels of different detector arrays, and compare the correlation value with a threshold correlation value to determine that a detection event has occurred in response to the correlation value exceeding the threshold correlation value, the threshold correlation value being equal to or between 0.8 and 0.85.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert G. Brown