Patents Assigned to The Government of the United States of America, as represented the Secretary of the Navy
  • Floating base vector sensor
    Patent number: 11287508
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for sensing acoustic signals using a floating base vector sensor. A vector sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can be used to detect and characterize low frequency sound wave(s) in a viscous medium (e.g., air, water, etc.) by detecting a periodic motion of the media particles associated with the sound wave(s). The orientation of the particle velocity deduced from such measurements can provide information regarding the wave vector of the sound wave(s), can define the direction of arrival (DOA) for the acoustic signal, and can assist locating the source of the sound of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Maxim K. Zalalutdinov, Douglas M. Photiadis, Joseph A. Bucaro, Brian H. Houston
  • System and method for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based foreign object debris (FOD) detection
    Patent number: 11281905
    Abstract: A computer-based system and method allows a user to automatically aerially inspect a selected runway/taxiway/tarmac surface for foreign object debris (FOD) using a plurality of UAVs equipped with electro-optical (EO) sensors. Live images of the runway surface captured by the EO sensors are transmitted from the UAVs during an inspection sweep of the runway surface and are compared with FOD-free reference images of the runway surface to determine whether candidate FOD are detected on the runway surface. Information about and images of candidate FOD are displayed to the user allowing the user to determine whether to send a team to remove the FOD from the runway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Oleg A. Yakimenko
  • Direct electrical detection of current-induced spin polarization due to spin-momentum locking in topological insulators
    Patent number: 11280856
    Abstract: A device for directly electrically generating and detecting the current-generated spin polarization in topological insulators, comprising a first and fourth contact on a layer of Bi2Se3 and a second contact comprising a ferromagnet/oxide tunnel barrier contact as a detector, and a third contact comprising nonmagnetic metal as a reference contact, a current to the first and fourth contact to produce a net spin polarization, and the spin polarization manifesting as a voltage between the second (magnetic) and third (reference) contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Connie H. Li, Olaf M. J. van 't Erve, Jeremy T. Robinson, Ying Liu, Lian Li, Berend T. Jonker
  • PHOTOCHROMIC LIQUID CRYSTAL ELECTROSPUN COAXIAL POLYMER FIBERS
    Publication number: 20220081804
    Abstract: A fiber having a polymer sheath and a core. The core has a liquid crystal and a compound capable of photoisomerization, such as that shown below. A method of: providing a first solution of a polymer, providing a second solution of a liquid crystal and compound capable of photoisomerization, and electrospinning the first solution and the second solution to form the fiber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2021
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Applicant: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Jeffrey G. Lundin, Matthew D. Thum, Riccardo Casalini, Daniel Ratchford
  • Morphological components analysis for maritime target detection
    Patent number: 11275168
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for morphological components analysis (MCA) techniques for efficient maritime target detection. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems, methods, and devices for determining the free parameter ? for MCA analysis. Embodiments of the present disclosure using MCA utilize effective pre-processing step(s) that separate target signals from clutter, thereby improving the overall performance of subsequent target detection processing. Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure can optimize the value of the parameter ?, significantly affecting MCA performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Mark A. Sletten, Hatim Alqadah
  • Method for fabrication of copper-indium gallium oxide and chalcogenide thin films
    Patent number: 11271124
    Abstract: A composition of matter having a coated silicon substrate with multiple alternating layers of polydopamine and polyallylamine bound copper-indium-gallium oxide (CIGO) nanoparticles on the substrate. A related composition of matter having polyallylamine bound to CIGO nanoparticles to form PAH-coated CIGO nanoparticles. A related CIGO thin film made via conversion of layer-by-layer assembled CIGO nanoparticles and polyelectrolytes. CIGO nanoparticles are created via a flame-spray pyrolysis method using metal nitrate precursors, subsequently coated with polyallylamine (PAH), and dispersed in aqueous solution. Multilayer films are assembled by alternately dipping a substrate into a solution of either polydopamine or polystyrenesulfonate and then in the CIGO-PAH dispersion to fabricate CIGO films as thick as 1-2 microns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Walter J. Dressick, Jasbinder S. Sanghera, Woohong Kim, Colin C. Baker, Jason D. Myers, Jesse A. Frantz
  • Alkali metal doped molybdenum carbide supported on gamma-alumina for selective COhydrogenation into CO
    Patent number: 11266980
    Abstract: A method for CO2 hydrogenation via the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction using alkali metal-doped molybdenum carbide, supported on gamma alumina (A-Mo2C/?-Al2O3, A=K, Na, Li). The A-Mo2C/?-Al2O3 catalyst is synthesized by co-impregnation of molybdemun and alkali metal precursors onto a ?-Al2O3 support. It is then carburized to form the A-Mo2C/?-Al2O3. Also disclosed is the related catalyst material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Marc Porosoff, Heather D. Willauer
  • Laser speckle reduction and photo-thermal speckle spectroscopy
    Patent number: 11262241
    Abstract: A photo-thermal speckle spectroscopy device having an infrared laser, a visible laser, a foam, and a camera. The infrared and visible lasers are focused on the foam, which causes the visible laser to scatter. A camera records the speckle pattern, which shifts when the IR laser is turned on. The related method of photo-thermal speckle spectroscopy is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Robert Furstenberg, Chris Kendziora, R. Andrew McGill
  • GaN Devices With Ion Implanted Ohmic Contacts and Method of Fabricating Devices Incorporating the Same
    Publication number: 20220059353
    Abstract: A method for activating implanted dopants and repairing damage to dopant-implanted GaN to form n-type or p-type GaN. A GaN substrate is implanted with n- or p-type ions and is subjected to a high-temperature anneal to activate the implanted dopants and to produce planar n- or p-type doped areas within the GaN having an activated dopant concentration of about 1018-1022 cm?3. An initial annealing at a temperature at which the GaN is stable at a predetermined process temperature for a predetermined time can be conducted before the high-temperature anneal. A thermally stable cap can be applied to the GaN substrate to suppress nitrogen evolution from the GaN surface during the high-temperature annealing step. The high-temperature annealing can be conducted under N2 pressure to increase the stability of the GaN. The annealing can be conducted using laser annealing or rapid thermal annealing (RTA).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2021
    Publication date: February 24, 2022
    Applicant: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Travis J. Anderson, James C. Gallagher, Marko J. Tadjer, Alan G. Jacobs, Boris N. Feigelson
  • GaN Devices With Ion Implanted Ohmic Contacts and Method of Fabricating Devices Incorporating the Same
    Publication number: 20220059352
    Abstract: A method for activating implanted dopants and repairing damage to dopant-implanted GaN to form n-type or p-type GaN. A GaN substrate is implanted with n- or p-type ions and is subjected to a high-temperature anneal to activate the implanted dopants and to produce planar n- or p-type doped areas within the GaN having an activated dopant concentration of about 1018-1022 cm?3. An initial annealing at a temperature at which the GaN is stable at a predetermined process temperature for a predetermined time can be conducted before the high-temperature anneal. A thermally stable cap can be applied to the GaN substrate to suppress nitrogen evolution from the GaN surface during the high-temperature annealing step. The high-temperature annealing can be conducted under N2 pressure to increase the stability of the GaN. The annealing can be conducted using laser annealing or rapid thermal annealing (RTA).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2021
    Publication date: February 24, 2022
    Applicant: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Travis J. Anderson, James C. Gallagher, Marko J. Tadjer, Alan G. Jacobs, Boris N. Feigelson
  • Detection of enzyme activity with DNA loops
    Patent number: 11255786
    Abstract: The stiffness and topology of ultra-small circular DNAs and DNA/peptide hybrids are exploited to create a transducer of enzyme activity with low error rates. The modularity and flexibility of the concept are illustrated by demonstrating various transducers that respond to either specific restriction endonucleases or to specific proteases. In all cases the output is a DNA oligo signal that, as we show, can readily be converted directly to an optical readout, or can serve as input for further processing, for example, using DNA logic or amplification. By exploiting the DNA hairpin (or stem-loop) structure and the phenomenon of strand displacement, an enzyme signal is converted into a DNA signal, in the manner of a transducer. This is valuable because a DNA signal can be readily amplified, combined, and processed as information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Mario Ancona, Hieu Bui
  • Real-time detection of high-impedance faults
    Patent number: 11255922
    Abstract: Real-time detection of high-impedance faults in a distribution circuit is described. The real-time detection of high-impedance faults includes two steps. First, adaptive soft denoising is employed to perform a filtering process on a healthy dataset, and to determine a threshold. This reduces the rate of false alarms. Second, faulty datasets are prefiltered via adaptive soft denoising, then the denoised signals are processed via discrete wavelet transform to perform high-impedance fault detection using the threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Hen-Geul Yeh
  • Molecularly doped nanodiamond
    Publication number: 20220048002
    Abstract: A method of making molecularly doped nanodiamond. A versatile method for doping diamond by adding dopants into a carbon precursor and producing diamond at high pressure, high temperature conditions. Molecularly doped nanodiamonds that have direct incorporation of dopants and therefore without the need for ion implantation. Molecularly-doped diamonds that have fewer lattice defects than those made with ion implantation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2021
    Publication date: February 17, 2022
    Applicant: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Rhonda M. Stroud, Matthew J. Crane, Peter J. Pauzauskie
  • Utilizing 2D Monolayer WSe2 Nanosheets as the Planar-Alignment Agent in an electro-optical liquid crystal device to improve its optical transmission
    Publication number: 20220043311
    Abstract: An electro-optical liquid crystal cell comprising a first substrate, a first layer of indium tin oxide (ITO) on the first substrate, a first layer of WSe2 on the first layer of ITO on the first substrate, and a layer of liquid crystal on the first layer of WSe2 on the first layer of ITO on the first substrate. Furthermore, the electro-optical liquid crystal cell can comprise a second layer of WSe2, a second layer of ITO, and a second substrate. This WSe2 cell exhibits the required electro-optic effect needed for a liquid crystal display. This WSe2 cell exhibits high optical transmission.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2021
    Publication date: February 10, 2022
    Applicant: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Rajratan Basu
  • Incoherent Fourier Ptychographic Super-Resolution Imaging System with Priors
    Publication number: 20220046169
    Abstract: An Incoherent Fourier ptychographic imaging system. Multiple known light patterns are projected sequentially onto a target and images of the combined pattern and target are recorded by a camera, with the images being processed using an optical transfer function (OTF). The camera and projection system are aligned along the same optical axis. The known illumination patterns and the optical transfer function (OTF) are combined in an iterative algorithm to generate an image with resolution greater than would be achieved by uniform illumination of the target and imaging with the camera.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2021
    Publication date: February 10, 2022
    Applicant: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Shawn Divitt, Samuel Park
  • Linear electromagnetic actuator
    Patent number: 11239736
    Abstract: An electromagnetic inertial force generator provides a linear output with improved compactness and reliability because it has no radial gaps and only one pair of axial gaps. Radial permanent magnet rings are directly in contact with inner and outer flux cylinders to provide magnetic bias. The magnetic bias flux flows across two axial air gaps to a supporting flux return structure. A current conducting coil drives magnetic flux across the same axial air gaps. The magnetic bias flux is in opposite directions across the two air gaps, while the coil flux across the two gaps is in the same direction. The combination of bias flux and coil flux cancels in one gap and adds in the other gap, producing a net force on an inertial mass and an equal and opposite force on the supporting structure. The resulting force is linear with current through the drive coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: John E Miesner
  • Seed layer for fabrication of antireflective surface structures on optical elements
    Patent number: 11231525
    Abstract: The invention relates to methods for fabricating antireflective surface structures (ARSS) on an optical element using a seed layer of material deposited on the surface of the optical element. The seed layer is removed during or after the etching, and serves to control etching time as well as the transmission region of the optical element having ARSS. Optical elements having ARSS on at least one surface are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Lynda E. Busse, Jesse A. Frantz, Leslie Brandon Shaw, Jasbinder S. Sanghera, Ishwar D. Aggarwal, Menelaos K. Poutous
  • Enhanced Infrared Photodiodes Based on PbS/PbClx Core/Shell Nanocrystals
    Publication number: 20220020942
    Abstract: Photodiodes configured to convert incident photons in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) to electric current, where the photodiodes have a PbS/PbClx core/shell nanocrystal absorber layer. The PbClx shell in the PbS/PbClx nanocrystals provide native passivation in the (100) crystal facets and enable removal of native ligands and ligand exchange on the (111) crystal facets of the PbS/PbClx nanocrystals such that the photodiode exhibits reduced current densities under reverse bias and greater infrared photoresponse, providing improved device performance as compared to photodiodes having absorber layers formed from PbS core nanocrystals alone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Publication date: January 20, 2022
    Applicant: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Adam E. Colbert, Diogenes Placencia, Janice E. Boercker, Edward E. Aifer, Joseph G. Tischler, Erin L. Ratcliff
  • ELECTROSPUN COAXIAL POLYMER FIBERS FOR CONTROLLED INSECT REPELLENT RELEASE
    Publication number: 20220018045
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are fibers having a polymer, such as a textile polymer, and an insect repellant, such as picaridin. The fiber may have a core of the polymer and repellant surrounded by a sheath of the polymer. The fiber may be made by electrospinning a solution of the polymer and the repellant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2021
    Publication date: January 20, 2022
    Applicants: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Jeffrey G. Lundin, Justin Ryan, III, Riccardo Casalini, Joshua Alan Orlicki
  • TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED ELECTROSPINNING SUBSTRATE
    Publication number: 20220022287
    Abstract: A device having: an article having a flat surface and a lower surface opposed to the flat surface; a cavity formed in the lower surface forming a complete loop surrounding a central portion of the article; a heating element having the same shape as the complete loop in the cavity and positioned to warm a portion of the flat surface adjacent to the heating element when the heating element is activated; a cooling device positioned to cool a portion of the flat surface in the central portion; and a release layer on the flat surface. A device having: an article having an upper surface; a heating element on the upper surface forming a complete loop surrounding a central portion of the article; and an electrically insulating material on the upper surface within the central portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2021
    Publication date: January 20, 2022
    Applicant: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Russell Kirk Pirlo, Joel D. Gaston