Patents Examined by Bernarr E. Gregory
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Patent number: 7427943Abstract: A method of displaying real-time, three-dimensional weather information is disclosed. A first representation of a weather event along a first plane is generated from data obtained from a first radar scan. A second representation of the weather event along a second plane is generated from data obtained from a second radar scan. The first and second planes are non-coplanar. The first and second representations are combined to form a three-dimensional model of the weather event. A three-dimensional shape of the three-dimensional model is constructed. The three-dimensional shape is displayed on an avionics display.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2003Date of Patent: September 23, 2008Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.Inventors: Kevin M. Kronfeld, Mathew S. Chackalackal
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Patent number: 7417579Abstract: A weather radar system includes processing electronics. The processing electronics sense weather and determine significant weather based upon the altitude of the weather. The altitude of the weather can be compared to a flight path to determine its significance. A display can provide visual indicia of the significant weather in response to the processing electronics.Type: GrantFiled: September 12, 2006Date of Patent: August 26, 2008Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.Inventor: Daniel L. Woodell
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Patent number: 7385553Abstract: Described herein are frequency-domain back-projection processes for forming spotlight synthetic aperture radar (“SAR”) images that are not corrupted by the effects of multiple-bounce ghosting artifacts. These processes give an approximately exact reconstruction of the multiple bounce reflectivity function (MBRF) ƒ(x,y,?). Specifically, the evaluation of ƒ(x,y,?) in the ?=0 plane gives an approximately exact reconstruction of the true object scattering centers which is uncorrupted by multiple-bounce contributions to the phase history data G(?,?). In addition, the non-zero dependence of ƒ(x,y,?) upon the MB coordinate ? can be used to facilitate the identification of features-interest within the imaged region.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2006Date of Patent: June 10, 2008Assignee: Science Applications International CorporationInventor: David Alan Garren
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Patent number: 7379017Abstract: A pulsed radar system uses phase noise compensation to reduce phase noise due to drift of the reference oscillator to enable detection of micro movements and particularly human motion such as walking, breathing or heartbeat. The noise level due to A/D sampling must be sufficiently low for the phase noise compensation to be effective. As this is currently beyond state-of-the-art for high bandwidth A/D converters used in traditional receiver design, the receiver is suitably reconfigured to use analog range gates and narrowband A/D sampling having sufficiently low noise level. As technology continues to improve, the phase compensation techniques may be directly applicable to the high bandwidth A/D samples in traditional receiver designs.Type: GrantFiled: January 24, 2006Date of Patent: May 27, 2008Assignee: Raytheon CompanyInventors: Wesley H. Dwelly, Vinh N. Adams
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Patent number: 7378626Abstract: An agile, high-power, reliable DIRCM system that is easily extended to address sophisticated UV or UV-visible capable multi-band threats includes a missile warner having missile warning receivers (MWRs), one or two-color suitably in the mid-IR range, that detect likely missile launch and pass the threat coordinates to a pointer-tracker having a Roll/Nod gimbal on which the IR laser transmitter is mounted. The pointer-tracker slews the gimbal to initiate tracking based on the threat coordinates and then uses its detector to continue to track and verify the threat. If the threat is verified, the pointer-tracker engages the laser to fire and jam the missile's IR seeker. By slewing the gimbal based on unverified threat coordinates to initiate tracking the system is highly agile and can respond to short and near simultaneous MANPADS shots.Type: GrantFiled: October 4, 2005Date of Patent: May 27, 2008Assignee: Raytheon CompanyInventor: Donald R. Fetterly
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Patent number: 7372398Abstract: An apparatus for use in controlling a simulated target position in a millimeter wave, hardware-in-the-loop system includes a pair of horns and a conditioning circuit. The conditioning circuit is capable of generating a pair of output millimeter wave signals, each to be broadcast from a respective one of the horns, the output millimeter wave signals being out of phase by a predetermined amount, and capable of attenuating at least one of the output millimeter wave signals to control the position of the simulated target in a first and a second region. A method for use in controlling a simulated target position in a millimeter wave, hardware-in-the-loop system includes generating a pair of output millimeter wave signals that are out of phase by a predetermined amount; attenuating at least one of the output millimeter wave signals to control the position of the simulated target in a first and a second region; and broadcasting the millimeter wave signals.Type: GrantFiled: January 17, 2006Date of Patent: May 13, 2008Assignee: Lockheed Martin CorporationInventor: Cole A. Chandler
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Patent number: 7367525Abstract: A munition is presented which includes an integrity verification system that measures the integrity of the munition. When an integrity threshold is not met, engagement of the munition with a predetermined target is aborted. Also presented is a methodology for gating the engagement of the munition with the target. The methodology includes performing an integrity check of the munition after it is deployed. The method further includes aborting the engagement of the target when the integrity check of the munition fails.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2005Date of Patent: May 6, 2008Assignee: Raytheon CompanyInventors: Thomas L. McKendree, John D. Britigan, Hans L. Habereder
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Patent number: 7365676Abstract: The invention relates to a sensor comprising a housing, inside of which a transmitting antenna array that transmits electromagnetic transmission signals in a radiation area and a receiving antenna array that receives received signals reflected by at least one object located within the radiation area are provided. The inventive sensor is designed in such a manner that the transmitting antenna array is provided for transmitting transmission signals in a main radiation area (3) and in a secondary radiation area (4) situated at an angle, thereto, and in that the receiving antenna array (TX) is provided for receiving received signals reflected in both radiation areas (3, 4). This makes it possible, for example when used in a monitor vehicle (5), to monitor the area behind and next to the motor vehicle (5) with a single transmitting antenna (1).Type: GrantFiled: July 18, 2003Date of Patent: April 29, 2008Assignee: s.m.s smart microwave sensors GmbHInventor: Ralph Mende
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Patent number: 7362259Abstract: For suppressing secondary lobes in pulsed radar systems, the antenna characteristics of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna are designed so that the dominant secondary lobes appear mutually offset and their maximums and minimums are mutually suppressed. This increases the safety against detection of false targets.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 2004Date of Patent: April 22, 2008Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbHInventor: Frank Gottwald
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Patent number: 7358887Abstract: A system and method is provided for detecting emitter signals and for determining a scan strategy for a receiver system that receives such emitter signals. When detecting emitter signals of a particular emitter, the receiver may periodically revisit the portion of the frequency spectrum in which that emitter operates. The revisit time that the receiver uses for a particular emitter may dependent on certain characteristics of the emitter. One of these characteristics is the illumination time of the emitter. Some emitters may present more than one illumination time to a detecting receiver. This may occur, for example, if the emitter sweeps azimuth and changes its elevation angle. Thus, a system and method are provided for computing revisit times for emitters with multi-valued illumination times.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2003Date of Patent: April 15, 2008Assignee: Lockheed Martin CorporationInventor: Anthony J. Gounalis
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Patent number: 7358890Abstract: An illumination source of predominantly non-directional and incoherent millimeter-wave radiation for illuminating an area for passive millimeter-wave imaging comprises a container with at least a partly reflective internal surface and a plurality of exit apertures and a primary source of millimeter-wave radiation for emitting millimeter-wave radiation into the container. The primary source and the container are arranged so that a proportion of the millimeter-wave radiation emitted by the source undergoes reflection within the container before being emitted through the apertures, such that the different paths lengths are at least equal to the coherence length of the radiation. This is facilitated if the bandwidth of the radiation is preferably at least 1 GHz. The container may be a box in which a waveguide is used to couple radiation from the primary source into the box. Alternatively, the container may be formed from a mesh and the plurality of holes is provided by the holes in the mesh.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 2003Date of Patent: April 15, 2008Assignee: Qinetiq LimitedInventors: Sean Price, Peter Russell Coward, Neil Anthony Salmon
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Patent number: 7358892Abstract: Systems and techniques for coherent combining radars include generating a phase and range calibration and initialization values for adjusting a time delay and a phase of a transmitted pulse from one of the radars, resulting in received composite target echoes at each of the radars having contributions from monostatic and bistatic echoes. The method further includes predicting phase and range correction values for further adjusting the time delay and the phase of subsequent radar pulses transmitted by one of the radars to continue to result in received composite target echoes at each of the radars. The method further includes coherently summing the composite target echoes.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2006Date of Patent: April 15, 2008Assignee: Raytheon CompanyInventors: George D. Thome, Robert P. Enzmann, Fritz Steudel
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Patent number: 7354017Abstract: Trajectory is controlled by a control system having fins that de-spin a section of the control system relative to a projectile or missile. The control system also includes aero-surfaces that produce a lift when brought to rotation speed of about 0 Hz relative to a reference frame and a brake that couples the guidance package to the rotational inertia of the projectile or missile. In one example, no electric motor is used in the trajectory control system, saving weight and increasing reliability.Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 2006Date of Patent: April 8, 2008Inventors: Joseph P. Morris, Douglas L. Smith
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Patent number: 7350744Abstract: A system for increasing a warhead's chance of hitting a target comprises a system for causing the warhead to deviate from its projected trajectory so that it will have an increased chance of avoiding intercepting force such as a kill vehicle a missile, an airplane, an explosive gun, a laser gun, an electron gun, radiation gun, a particles gun, a fire gun, a jet air gun, and/or a remote control guided explosive. The warhead has one or more thrusters, which cause it to deviate from its projected trajectory. An on-board computer controls the thrusters' ignition and burning time in a closed loop with an on-board Global Positioning System (GPS) unit. The GPS data is used for predicting the warhead's trajectory and to assure that the thrusters provide motion displacements of the warhead. In the event the GPS unit fails, the warhead computer and controller can be overridden by an off-board remote control.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2006Date of Patent: April 1, 2008Inventors: Nira Schwartz, Richard Woods
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Patent number: 7348918Abstract: The present invention is directed towards a ballistic missile detection and defense system. The system of the present invention comprises a ship based interceptor or antiballistic missile, a missile launch detection and tracking system, and a signal processing system capable of receiving said tracking signal calculating an intercept trajectory for an antiballistic missile to intercept a ballistic missile, and further capable of outputting an intercept trajectory program to an antiballistic missile.Type: GrantFiled: May 24, 2004Date of Patent: March 25, 2008Assignee: Lockheed Martin CorporationInventor: Richard T. Redano
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Patent number: 7345617Abstract: The present invention concerns an apparatus for collecting ground radar data with polarization information comprising a main body exhibiting structure for moving the apparatus along the ground, a part that rotates in relation to the main body supporting a pair of antennas of transmitter and receiver type, a power source with connected control unit for controlling and governing the ground radar, a transmitter unit electrically connected to one of the pair of antennas for generating and transmitting radar pulses and a sampler unit electrically connected to the other antenna for receiving the reflected radar pulses.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2003Date of Patent: March 18, 2008Assignee: Mala Geoscience Forvaltnings ABInventors: Johan Friborg, Bernt Johansson, Tommy Leijon
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Patent number: 7345624Abstract: To achieve a purpose of the present invention, a pulse wave radar device related to the present invention modulates a first transmitting pulse and a second transmitting pulse which are separated from each other by a predetermined lapse of time and transmits a transmitting pulse wave and, if a lapse of time from transmission of the transmitting pulse wave corresponding to the first transmitting pulse to outputting of a pulse by the receiving circuit is equal to a lapse of time from transmission of the transmitting pulse wave corresponding to the second transmitting pulse to outputting of a pulse by the receiving circuit, decides that the pulses are a receiving pulse reflected from a target.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2006Date of Patent: March 18, 2008Assignee: TDK CorporationInventors: Tomohiro Honya, Hiroshi Ikeda
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Patent number: 7345265Abstract: Embodiments of the invention, therefore, provide improved systems and methods for tracking targets in a simulation environment. Merely by way of example, an exemplary embodiment provides a reflected laser target tracking system that tracks a target with a video camera and associated computational logic. In certain embodiments, a closed loop algorithm may be used to predict future positions of targets based on formulas derived from prior tracking points. Hence, the target's next position may be predicted. In some cases, targets may be filtered and/or sorted based on predicted positions. In certain embodiments, equations (including without limitation, first order equations and second order equations) may be derived from one or more video frames. Such equations may also be applied to one or more successive frames of video received and/or produced by the system.Type: GrantFiled: July 15, 2005Date of Patent: March 18, 2008Assignee: Cubic CorporationInventor: David Wayne Page
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Patent number: 7345616Abstract: A radar-absorbing panel (9) includes a honeycomb core (11) and a lower skin (13), where the lower skin (13) is attached to the bottom of the honeycomb core (11). The honeycomb core (11) is made up of individual cells (15), which may be filled with aerogel. The individual cells (15) are approximately ½ of an inch in size with polygonal shape.Type: GrantFiled: April 21, 2005Date of Patent: March 18, 2008Assignee: Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.Inventor: Randy B. Williams
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Patent number: RE40468Abstract: A video data communication system and method are disclosed which provides for the secure transmission of video data among devices connected to a video data bus. The video data is transmitted with address information corresponding to a particular device or, alternatively, video data is encrypted and transmitted on the data bus without address information.Type: GrantFiled: November 28, 2005Date of Patent: August 26, 2008Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Junichi Tsukamoto, Koichi Goto, Shinichi Fukushima