Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for determining the authenticity of reported positions of GNSS receivers, such as aircraft equipped with GPS positioning devices, and provides an in-band verification capability for GNSS positions by tasking one or more GNSS satellites as designated authentication support (DAS) satellites that transmit corrupted ephemeris data in a pseudo-random error corrupted C/A signal on the L1 band and GNSS receiver determine authentication ranges to the DAS satellites and transmit the DAS authentication ranges as part of their position report. The surveillance system can verify the authenticity by comparing the transmitted authentication ranges to true authentication ranges determined using actual ephemeris data and the known C/A code pseudo-random error for the DAS satellites.

Abstract: A conductive line radar comprising at least one signal surface wave launcher, which comprises a signal surface wave transceiver, which is physically attached to a power line. The signal surface wave transceiver transmits a wave signal along the power line with another signal radiating from the wave signal in a plurality of directions along the power line. The at least one signal surface wave transceiver receives reflected signals from a target within a distance of the power line. The at least one signal surface wave launcher includes at least one RF communications transceiver and can be inductively powered from the power line.

Abstract: A method using airport surveillance data to output a location of a delay and an amount of time a vehicle is subjected to the delay during a movement of the vehicle between two locations, the delays being observed in the surveillance data as a knot of several data points. A first method is used to identify proposed knots based on distances between individual data points within the data. A second method is used to identify proposed knots based on the speed of the vehicle. Another method can be used to separate proposed knots have been incorrectly joined together. This method performs the separation by arranging the data points into a two-dimensional grid to form clusters of grid cells having data points. The location of the individual cells is then analyzed to determine whether clusters should be separated. Each of the remaining clusters defines a hold where the vehicle is delayed.

Abstract: There is provided a heat dissipation device comprising at least one inlet plenum, at least one outlet plenum and chambers, in which the chambers communicate directly with the inlet plenum and with the outlet plenum. Also provided is a heat dissipation device comprising at least two inlet plenums, at least two outlet plenums and at least two chambers, the first chamber communicating directly with a first inlet plenum and a first outlet plenum, the second chamber communicating directly with a second inlet plenum and a second outlet plenum. Also provided are methods of dissipating heat, comprising passing fluid across and/or through such devices. Also provided are radar antennas comprising radar electronic components mounted on such devices.

Abstract: A dipole antenna array comprising a ground plane, at least one dipole antenna including an active antenna element and a grounded antenna element, at least one reflector and integrated electronics, wherein the active antenna element is isolated from the ground plane and extends substantially perpendicular to the ground plane and the grounded antenna element extends in a direction substantially opposite to the active antenna element, the ground plane is contained within the area bounded by the reflector; the integrated electronics include at least one of a signal down converter and a signal up-converter, and at least some of the integrated electronics are contained in a space defined by at least one of a portion of the ground plane and a portion of the reflector.

Abstract: A system and method of data correlation and analysis of past activities and prediction of future activity that includes establishing a database comprising structured metadata on at least one computer and a distributed system of networked computers having a plurality of access levels, configuring a database front-end to parse incoming data, the database front-end defining a plurality of entities and events, each having one or more attributes, and correlation IDs, which are user defined attribute relationships that correlate events and entities, collecting data, parsing the incoming data in the database front-end into structured metadata, the distributed analysis engine correlating the incoming structured metadata with structured metadata in the database and determining micro-patterns in the structured metadata, generating a graphical representation of a composite network of the determined micro-patterns as super-objects, and predicting future activity from the one or more super-objects representing the determi

Abstract: The present invention utilizes the existing DME transponder system infrastructure to augment existing ground surveillance multilateration (MLAT) capabilities by providing additional measurements for determining the position of an aircraft equipped with a DME transponder. DME listeners receive DME interrogation signals and DME reply signals, determine TDOA between the DME transponder and each DME listener, and transmit data to a central computer that clusters TDOAs between the DME transponder and the DME listeners and computes the aircraft position using the clustered TDOAs. The DME-aided MLAT can be used as a backup surveillance system when GNSS-based systems are unavailable. The DME-aided MLAT can be integrated with SSR receive units (RUs) performing multilateration (MLAT) calculations.

Abstract: The Surface Hold Advisor Using Critical Sections is a system and method for providing hold advisories to surface controllers to prevent gridlock and resolve crossing and merging conflicts among vehicles traversing a vertex-edge graph representing a surface traffic network on an airport surface. The Advisor performs pair-wise comparisons of current position and projected path of each vehicle with other surface vehicles to detect conflicts, determine critical sections, and provide hold advisories to traffic controllers recommending vehicles stop at entry points to protected zones around identified critical sections. A critical section defines a segment of the vertex-edge graph where vehicles are in crossing or merging or opposite direction gridlock contention.

Abstract: A system and method for a single site beacon transceiver including an omni-directional transceiver, a plurality of directional receiving antennas for receiving a signal, and a digital receiver for processing the signal to determine an azimuth to the source of the received signal. The digital receiver includes a plurality of receiver channels that are calibrated periodically and at least one processor that estimates a coarse signal azimuth for the signal by calculating an amplitude monopulse ratio for the signal using the two directional receiving antennas receiving the highest amplitude signal, and estimates a final signal azimuth for the signal using an interferometer baseline between the two directional receiving antennas or, alternately, subtracts the complex ratio of the measurements from the complex ratio of the antenna array RF model to determine the angle corresponding to the minimum of the absolute value of the difference.

Abstract: A system and method of data correlation and analysis of past activities and prediction of future activity that includes establishing a database comprising structured metadata on at least one computer and a distributed system of networked computers having a plurality of access levels, configuring a database front-end to parse incoming data, the database front-end defining a plurality of entities and events, each having one or more attributes, and correlation IDs, which are user defined attribute relationships that correlate events and entities, collecting data, parsing the incoming data in the database front-end into structured metadata, the distributed analysis engine correlating the incoming structured metadata with structured metadata in the database and determining micro-patterns in the structured metadata, generating a graphical representation of a composite network of the determined micro-patterns as super-objects, and predicting future activity from the one or more super-objects representing the determi

Abstract: A conductive line radar comprising at least one signal surface wave launcher, which comprises a signal surface wave transceiver, which is physically attached to a power line. The signal surface wave transceiver transmits a wave signal along the power line with another signal radiating from the wave signal in a plurality of directions along the power line. The at least one signal surface wave transceiver receives reflected signals from a target within a distance of the power line. The at least one signal surface wave launcher includes at least one RF communications transceiver and can be inductively powered from the power line.

Abstract: The present invention utilizes the existing DME transponder system infrastructure to augment existing ground surveillance multilateration (MLAT) capabilities by providing additional measurements for determining the position of an aircraft equipped with a DME transponder. DME listeners receive DME interrogation signals and DME reply signals, determine TDOA between the DME transponder and each DME listener, and transmit data to a central computer that clusters TDOAs between the DME transponder and the DME listeners and computes the aircraft position using the clustered TDOAs. The DME-aided MLAT can be used as a backup surveillance system when GNSS-based systems are unavailable. The DME-aided MLAT can be integrated with SSR receive units (RUs) performing multilateration (MLAT) calculations.

Abstract: The present invention is an acoustic traveling wave tube system for propagating a directional acoustic wave comprising an acoustic traveling wave tube having a cylindrical shape with a load on one end of the tube, a plurality of excitation rings positioned around a circumference of the tube and spaced at predetermined intervals along a length of the tube and a microprocessor having a database containing a plurality of waveforms representative of acoustic signals. The microprocessor energizes one of the plurality of excitation rings to form an acoustic wave, sequentially energizes one or more of the remaining excitation rings along the length of the tube to amplify the acoustic wave as the acoustic wave travels along the length of the tube, and propagates the acoustic wave from an end of the tube opposite the load as a shaped directional acoustic wave.

Abstract: A method and computer program using airport surveillance data to define common paths taken by vehicles on the airport surface is presented. Position data points for a group of vehicles create separate paths for each of the vehicles in the group. A matrix is created including areas measured between the path of each vehicle in the group and each of the remaining vehicles in the group. A column-wise average for each of the columns in the matrix is calculated, the column having a lowest mean average of all of the columns is determined, and a vector A(J) including the areas and vehicle identifications is created from that column. A difference vector ?A(J) is created having the difference between successive entries in the vector A(J), and subgroups with the group are recursively identified using the values in the difference vector.

Abstract: A method of multilaterating the position of a target, including the steps of deploying a plurality of time synchronized receiving units in a network that allows the receiving units to communicate with a central processor; receiving a target signal from the target at each receiving unit; determining a time of arrival for the target signal at each receiving unit; determining position data for each receiving unit at the time when the target signal is received at each respective receiving unit; and using the time of arrival and position data for each receiving unit to determine the position of the target by multilateration. A system for carrying out the method is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method of multilaterating the position of a target, including the steps of deploying a plurality of time synchronized receiving units in a network that allows the receiving units to communicate with a central processor; receiving a target signal from the target at each receiving unit; determining a time of arrival for the target signal at each receiving unit; determining position data for each receiving unit at the time when the target signal is received at each respective receiving unit; and using the time of arrival and position data for each receiving unit to determine the position of the target by multilateration. A system for carrying out the method is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method and system for tracking the position of objects, such as aircraft and ground vehicles around an airport. A transmission from the object is received at a non-imaging surveillance device of known location, the transmission being used to determine the coordinate position of the object within a given time period. Image data for the object is captured by an imaging surveillance device of known location to provide an image of the object within the same given time period. The coordinate position is correlated with the image to provide composite data about the object within the same given time period. The composite data is displayed to a viewer as a visual depiction of the object.

Abstract: A dipole antenna array comprising a ground plane, at least one dipole antenna including an active antenna element and a grounded antenna element, at least one reflector and integrated electronics, wherein the active antenna element is isolated from the ground plane and extends substantially perpendicular to the ground plane and the grounded antenna element extends in a direction substantially opposite to the active antenna element, the ground plane is contained within the area bounded by the reflector; the integrated electronics include at least one of a signal down converter and a signal up-converter, and at least some of the integrated electronics are contained in a space defined by at least one of a portion of the ground plane and a portion of the reflector.

Abstract: A secure system for authenticating the identity of ADS-B systems, including: an authenticator, including a unique id generator and a transmitter transmitting the unique id to one or more ADS-B transmitters; one or more ADS-B transmitters, including a receiver receiving the unique id, one or more secure processing stages merging the unique id with the ADS-B transmitter's identification, data and secret key and generating a secure code identification and a transmitter transmitting a response containing the secure code and ADSB transmitter's data to the authenticator; the authenticator including means for independently determining each ADS-B transmitter's secret key, a receiver receiving each ADS-B transmitter's response, one or more secure processing stages merging the unique id, ADS-B transmitter's identification and data and generating a secure code, and comparison processing comparing the authenticator-generated secure code and the ADS-B transmitter-generated secure code and providing an authentication signa

Abstract: A method of evaluating a water sample for the presence or possible future presence of nitrification comprises obtaining data values of a number of parameters, processing the data values to determine correlation coefficients, to identify any linear dependencies, to standardize the scales, evaluating the data values over a plurality of proliferation time periods and neuron numbers, calculating MSEs and R2's from the evaluations, and estimating a valid likelihood of nitrification of the water sample. A method of evaluating a water sample for the presence or possible future presence of nitrification, comprises obtaining data values of a number of parameters, statistically pre-processing the data values and supplying the pre-processed data values to a neural network. Apparatus, media and processors which are used in performing such methods.