Patents Examined by Daniel L Murphy
  • Patent number: 11940563
    Abstract: A sensor is provided comprising at least one transmitter for transmitting a transmission signal; at least one receiver for generating a received signal from the transmitted signal reflected back by the objects; a base unit; a scanning unit movable about an axis of rotation with respect to the base unit for a periodic scanning of the monitored zone; and a control and evaluation unit for detecting information on the objects with reference to the received signal, wherein an inductive energy transmission unit is provided between the base unit and the scanning unit that comprises a first guide element of the base unit and a second guide element of the scanning unit for guiding the magnetic field of the inductive energy transmission; and wherein the guide elements have an L-shaped cross-section. In this respect, the guide elements are divided into at least two respective guide segments in the peripheral direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: SICK AG
    Inventors: Gregor Huber, August Baumgartner
  • Patent number: 11940573
    Abstract: A navigation-communication-integrated metamaterial sonar for underwater vehicles is provided, and belongs to the field of ocean detection and communication. The metamaterial sonar is a metamaterial composite structure including a group of disc array with the same diameters, a disc backboard and water gaps. By adjusting the period p of the disc array, a board thickness t1 of each disc, the thickness g of each water gap, the radius w1 of the disc array, the radius w2 and the thickness t2 of the backboard, the working states of underwater navigation and underwater acoustic communication may be flexibly switched by changing working frequencies, and the navigation-communication-integrated sonar may be realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignees: QINGDAO INNOVATION AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER OF HARBIN ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY, HARBIN ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Yongyao Chen, Xin Wang, Junjie Li, Liang Zhang, Zedong Ma
  • Patent number: 11933893
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an ultrasonic radar array, an obstacle detection method and system. The method includes: obtaining obstacle information collected by ultrasonic radars in an ultrasonic radar array in an obstacle scenario; judging false detection and missed detection for the obstacle information collected by ultrasonic radars according a preset rule; processing the obstacle information collected by the ultrasonic radars according to the judgement result; determining a position of the obstacle according to the processed obstacle information collected by the ultrasonic radars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Beijing Baidu Netcom Science and Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Xiaoxing Zhu, Xiang Liu, Fan Yang
  • Patent number: 11933632
    Abstract: A surveying device with a targeting unit carried by a support, the targeting unit being arranged rotatable relative to a vertical axis and a tilt axis as a first and a second axis of rotation, for emitting a distance measurement beam in an emission direction into free space, the emission direction being variable with respect to the vertical axis and the tilt axis. The device further comprises a beam deflection element such as a partially transparent rotatable mirror, situated in the targeting unit and being rotatable about a deflection axis as a third axis of rotation. The deflection axis is congruent to the tilt axis and the beam deflection element is arranged in such a way in the distance measurement beam path that the emission direction can be varied with respect to the deflection axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: HEXAGON TECHNOLOGY CENTER GMBH
    Inventor: Jürg Hinderling
  • Patent number: 11929789
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to systems and methods for communicating data with a tone-emitting device. A system for communicating an inaudible tone includes a tone-emitting device. The tone-emitting device includes a tone-emitting speaker for emitting an inaudible tone and a tone-determining computing device communicatively coupled to the tone-emitting speaker. The tone-determining computing device includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores logic that, when executed by the tone-determining computing device, causes the tone-determining computing device to receive data related to a characteristic of an object, encode an inaudible tone that represents at least a portion of the data and send instructions to the tone-emitting speaker for outputting the inaudible tone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: THE TONE KNOWS, INC.
    Inventor: Thomas Webster
  • Patent number: 11927697
    Abstract: A computing system may operate a LIDAR device to emit and detect light pulses in accordance with a time sequence including standard detection period(s) that establish a nominal detection range for the LIDAR device and extended detection period(s) having durations longer than those of the standard detection period(s). The system may then make a determination that the LIDAR detected return light pulse(s) during extended detection period(s) that correspond to particular emitted light pulse(s). Responsively, the computing system may determine that the detected return light pulse(s) have detection times relative to corresponding emission times of particular emitted light pulse(s) that are indicative of one or more ranges. Given this, the computing system may make a further determination of whether or not the one or more ranges indicate that an object is positioned outside of the nominal detection range, and may then engage in object detection in accordance with the further determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventor: Mark Alexander Shand
  • Patent number: 11922136
    Abstract: An integrated photonics computing system implements a residue number system (RNS) to achieve orders of magnitude improvements in computational speed per watt over the current state-of-the-art. RNS and nanophotonics have a natural affinity where most operations can be achieved as spatial routing using electrically controlled directional coupler switches, thereby giving rise to an innovative processing-in-network (PIN) paradigm. The system provides a path for attojoule-per-bit efficient and fast electro-optic switching devices, and uses them to develop optical compute engines based on residue arithmetic leading to multi-purpose nanophotonic computing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: The George Washington University
    Inventors: Jiaxin Peng, Tarek El-Ghazawi, Volker J. Sorger, Shuai Sun
  • Patent number: 11923085
    Abstract: Systems, computer-implemented methods, and tangible non-transitory computer-readable media are provided for performing contact tracing using acoustic communications. For example, a computer-implemented method may include allocating an acoustic token for broadcasting via an audio communication channel, obtaining information associated with the acoustic token received from a first device of a first user based on the broadcasting of the acoustic token where the first user is associated with a disease, determining whether the information associated with the acoustic token from the first device relates to information associated with the acoustic token received from a second device of a second user, and providing information that indicates whether the second user was exposed to the disease based on whether the information associated with the acoustic token from the first device relates to the information associated with the acoustic token from the second device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Inventor: Michael A. Ramalho
  • Patent number: 11921254
    Abstract: An optical seismic surveying system including, a multibeam laser source including a plurality of laser-sources, a Diffractive-Optical-Element (DOE), an imager and a processor. The laser-sources direct respective laser-beams toward a single common focal point. The DOE is located at a single common focal point and configured to split each laser-beam into a plurality of laser-beams, toward an instantaneous area of interest. The laser-beams impinging on the instantaneous area of interest produce a laser spot assemblage including a plurality of laser spots. The imager acquires a plurality of defocused images of speckle patterns produced by diffused reflections of the laser spots. The speckle pattern correspond to a respective laser spot and thus to a respective sensing point in the instantaneous area of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignees: ELBIT SYSTEMS LAND AND C4I LTD., SOREQ NUCLEAR RESEARCH CENTER
    Inventors: Aner Lev, Shai Mordechai Butzin, Barak Alfassi, Alon Refael Heimer
  • Patent number: 11921200
    Abstract: A sonar system is provided for generating live sonar images having an expanded coverage angle. The sonar system includes a first sonar transducer assembly defining a first facing direction and having array(s) of sonar transducer elements and a second sonar transducer assembly defining a second facing direction and having array(s) of sonar transducer elements. The sonar system includes processor(s) and a memory including computer program code configured to, when executed, cause the processor(s) to receive first and second sonar return data from the first and second plurality of sonar transducer assemblies, receive first and second facing direction data for the first and second sonar transducer assemblies, position first and second sonar return data based on the first and second facing direction data to form positioned first and second sonar return data, and generate a live sonar image of the underwater environment using the positioned first and second sonar return data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: NAVICO, INC.
    Inventor: Jeremiah D. Clark
  • Patent number: 11924606
    Abstract: Systems and methods for determining the incident angle of an acoustic wave are presented herein. One embodiment receives an acoustic wave at N transducers, where N is a natural number greater than or equal to 2; solves a set of N coupled differential equations modeling a set of N virtual coupled acoustic resonators using N coupled analog circuits, wherein each of the N coupled analog circuits receives an output signal from a unique one of the N transducers and outputs a voltage signal; and analyzes the N voltage signals output by the N coupled analog circuits to produce an estimate of the incident angle of the acoustic wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Ziqi Yu, Xiaopeng Li, Taehwa Lee
  • Patent number: 11921206
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to limitation of noise on light detectors using an aperture. One example embodiment includes a system. The system includes a lens disposed relative to a scene and configured to focus light from the scene onto a focal plane. The system also includes an aperture defined within an opaque material disposed at the focal plane of the lens. The aperture has a cross-sectional area. In addition, the system includes an array of light detectors disposed on a side of the focal plane opposite the lens and configured to intercept and detect diverging light focused by the lens and transmitted through the aperture. A cross-sectional area of the array of light detectors that intercepts the diverging light is greater than the cross-sectional area of the aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Pierre-Yves Droz, Blaise Gassend, Caner Onal, David Hutchison
  • Patent number: 11914045
    Abstract: This application discloses a LiDAR, where the LiDAR includes: an emission apparatus, configured to emit a detection laser beam; a scanning apparatus, configured to receive the detection laser beam and emit the detection laser beam to a detection field of view, and to receive an echo laser beam and deflect the echo laser beam to the receiving apparatus; and a receiving apparatus, configured to receive the echo laser beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: SUTENG INNOVATION TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Huazhou Chen
  • Patent number: 11914082
    Abstract: A ranging device includes transducers, a transmission circuit, a reception circuit, a transfer data generation circuit, and a transfer circuit. The transmission circuit causes the transducers to transmit transmission waves. The reception circuit outputs a received signal obtained by digitizing a reflected wave of the transmission wave with a sampling frequency equal to or more than a frequency of the transmission wave. The generation circuit separates, into a target period and a non-target period, time-series received signals. The target period is a period in which a wave height is equal to or more than a threshold. The non-target period is a period in which a wave height is less than the threshold. The generation circuit performs thinning-out processing on received signals in the non-target period and generates waveform information indicating a waveform received by the transducer. The transfer circuit outputs the waveform information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuya Iwamoto, Tadashi Morita
  • Patent number: 11913972
    Abstract: Disclosed is a LADCP and USBL combined observation device and a use method thereof. The device includes a cable winch system, a mounting frame, a LADCP system, a USBL beacon and a correction system. The LADCP system, the USBL beacon and the correction system can be mounted to the mounting frame by adopting a hardware support platform. The cable winch system can drive the LADCP system to deploy or recover along a vertical section. The LADCP system is used to obtain the current velocity of a single small profile, and the USBL beacon can locate the underwater position information, and the correction system can obtain data information in the seawater where the mounting frame is located, so as to calculate an absolute current velocity according to the velocity obtained by the LADCP system and the current data obtained by the correction system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources
    Inventors: Jingsong Guo, Xin Zhou, Zhixin Zhang, Dapeng Qu
  • Patent number: 11913829
    Abstract: Systems and methods directed toward acoustic analysis can include an acoustic sensor array comprising a plurality of acoustic sensor elements, an electromagnetic imaging tool, and a processor in communication with the acoustic sensor array and the electromagnetic imaging tool. The processor can be configured to analyze acoustic data to extract one or more acoustic parameters representative of acoustic signals at one or more locations in an acoustic scene and generate a display image that includes electromagnetic image data and acoustic image data. The display image can further include information indicative of the one or more acoustic parameters at one or more locations in the acoustic scene, such as including acoustic image data in the display image at locations in the scene at which the one or more acoustic parameters satisfies a predetermined condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Fluke Corporation
    Inventors: Michael D. Stuart, Dileepa Prabhakar
  • Patent number: 11906682
    Abstract: A wellbore system includes a logging unit having a retrievable logging cable coupled to a downhole tool within a wellbore and a depth correlation unit in the downhole tool that provides current depth data for the wellbore through the retrievable logging cable for recording of a current depth by the logging unit. The wellbore system also includes a distributed acoustic sensing unit that includes a seismic processing unit and a seismic profiling unit connected to a separate optical cable of the retrievable logging cable having distributed acoustic sensing channels, wherein an assignment of the distributed acoustic sensing channels along the separate optical cable is determined by an offset distance between the current depth of a formation reference region within the wellbore and a previous reference depth of the formation reference region within the wellbore. A distributed acoustic sensing method is also included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Andreas Ellmauthaler, Simon Shaw, Michel Joseph LeBlanc, Mark Elliott Willis, Xiang Wu
  • Patent number: 11906669
    Abstract: A distance information acquisition device includes: a light emitter which emits light according to an emission pulse indicating emission; a solid-state imaging element which performs exposure according to an exposure pulse indicating exposure; an emission/exposure controller which generates a timing signal indicating a plurality of pairs of the emission pulse and the exposure pulse having a time difference that is different in each of the plurality of pairs; and a multipath detector which obtains a sequence of received light signals from the solid-state imaging element by the emission and the exposure that correspond to each of the plurality of pairs, compares the obtained sequence of received light signals and reference data created in advance as a model of a sequence of received light signals in a multipath-free environment, and determines the presence or absence of multipath according to a difference in a comparison result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: NUVOTON TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION JAPAN
    Inventor: Megumi Nagata
  • Patent number: 11909942
    Abstract: There is provided a parallax detecting apparatus. A first obtainment unit obtains a first viewpoint image and a second viewpoint image that have different viewpoints from each other in a first direction. A second obtainment unit obtains displacement information that specifies a displacement amount in a second direction between positions in the first viewpoint image and the second viewpoint image corresponding to a same position in a shooting range. The displacement amount varies in conformity with a parallax amount between the positions. The second direction is perpendicular to the first direction. A calculation unit performs correlation calculation processing with respect to each of a plurality of reference regions corresponding to a plurality of reference positions in the second viewpoint image. A detection unit detects a parallax amount at a base position in the first viewpoint image based on calculated correlations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shin Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11899106
    Abstract: An acoustic distance measurement circuit includes a transmitter, a receiver, and a controller. The transmitter has an output adapted to be coupled to an acoustic transducer for providing a selected one of an amplitude-modulation (AM) signal in an AM mode and a chirp signal in a chirp mode. The receiver has an input adapted to be coupled to the acoustic transducer, and an output for providing a digital received signal. The controller is operative during a first measurement period to: place the transmitter into one of the AM mode and the chirp mode using a first channel, selectively detect a direct echo in the first channel of the digital received signal of the one of the AM signal and the chirp signal, and selectively detect an indirect echo in a second channel of the digital received signal of another one of the AM signal and the chirp signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventors: Marek Hustava, Pavel Kostelnik