Patents Examined by John B. Sotomayor
  • Patent number: 9244190
    Abstract: Technologies are generally described for transmitting electric power using electromagnetic waves. An example device may include a transmitting unit, a dielectric waveguide, and a receiving unit. The transmitting unit can be configured to transmit the electromagnetic wave through a first waveguide. The dielectric waveguide can be configured to direct the electromagnetic wave from the first waveguide to a second waveguide. Further, the receiving unit can be configured to receive the electromagnetic wave from the dielectric waveguide through the second waveguide. An example borehole radar system may generate an electromagnetic wave from a DC power supply and provide the electromagnetic wave to a power transmitting unit. The power transmitting unit can be configured to transmit the electromagnetic wave through a dielectric waveguide. The electromagnetic wave can be rectified to generate a DC voltage signal, by which a transmitting antenna may be powered to generate a radar signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: OSAKA ELECTRO-COMMUNICATION UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Satoshi Ebihara, Kentaro Kawata
  • Patent number: 9239371
    Abstract: A protection device usable with a signal measurement device to limit power level of radio frequency (RF) signals propagated to the signal measurement device can include a direct current (DC) block capacitor, a variable impedance limiter, and a detector. The variable impedance limiter includes a PIN diode electrically connected with a primary signal path of the protection device along a limiter signal path. The detector includes a Schottky detector diode and a limiting resistor electrically connected with the primary signal path along a detector signal path. The detector is configured to generate a DC bias current to adjust resistance of the variable impedance limiter in response to an RF signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: ANRITSU COMPANY
    Inventor: Donald Anthony Bradley
  • Patent number: 9239378
    Abstract: A radar device is provided, which includes a first sector radar and a second sector radar, each including a code generator that generates two code sequences, a multiplier that multiplies the two code sequences by a coefficient sequence, wherein the two coefficient sequences of the first and second sector radars, respectively, are orthogonal to each other, a transmission signal generator that modulates the orthogonalized two code sequences, and an RF transmitter that transmits the modulated signal including the two orthogonalized two code sequences. At least one of the two orthogonal coefficient sequences for the first and second sector radars, respectively, includes one or more negative coefficients. The two orthogonal coefficient sequences include coefficients, which are identical to each other, in a first transmission cycle, and include coefficients, which are different from each other, in a second transmission cycle different from the first transmission cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takaaki Kishigami, Yoichi Nakagawa, Hirohito Mukai
  • Patent number: 9239377
    Abstract: A pulse radar ranging apparatus and a ranging algorithm thereof are provided. The pulse radar ranging apparatus includes a radio frequency pulse generator, a radio frequency filter, a radio frequency switch and a transceiver aerial. The radio frequency pulse generator generates a pulse signal. The radio frequency filter receives the pulse signal and generates a high-pass filter signal, wherein the high-pass filter signal includes a radio frequency pulse reference signal. The radio frequency switch controls an output of the radio frequency pulse reference signal. The transceiver aerial transmits the radio frequency pulse reference signal. The radio frequency pulse reference signal contacts an object and generates a return signal, and the transceiver aerial receives the return signal. The ranging algorithm processes and analyzes the signals obtained by the pulse radar ranging apparatus, and calculates a distance between pulse radar ranging apparatus and the object by using polynomial interpolation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Inventors: Yu-Yi Cheng, Tien-Cheng Tseng, Kuang-I Chang, Jyun-Long Chen, Jwu-Sheng Hu
  • Patent number: 9234784
    Abstract: A radar level gauge and a method for measurement of a distance to a surface of a product in a tank are disclosed. The radar level gauge comprises transceiver circuitry configured to transmit and receive electromagnetic signals, the transceiver circuitry comprises a frequency stabilizing feedback loop configured to generate the electromagnetic transmit signal in the form of a frequency sweep. The frequency stabilizing feedback loop is configured to generate an oscillation, forming a sinusoidal modulation of the frequency sweep. The radar level gauge further comprises a second mixer configured to mix an intermediate frequency signal and an integer multiple of the frequency of the sinusoidal modulation to provide an adjusted intermediate frequency signal, and processing circuitry configured to determine the distance based on the adjusted intermediate frequency signal. By providing a frequency sweep comprising a sinusoidal modulation, an improved sensitivity is achieved by the radar level gauge and method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: ROSEMOUNT TANK RADAR AB
    Inventor: Anders Jirskog
  • Patent number: 9236660
    Abstract: Electromagnetic attenuation of an object is accomplished by attaching a boot to a surface of an operational part of the object. The boot includes a thermoplastic material, such as in a thermoplastic layer, and an electromagnetic attenuation material, such as in an electromagnetic attenuation layer that overlies at least part of the thermoplastic layer. The attaching is accomplished by placing the boot onto the operational part, and then heat shrinking the boot to attach the boot to the operational part. The electromagnetic attenuation layer may have gaps in it prior to the heat shrinking, gaps that are closed during the heat shrinking, to the greater contraction of the thermoplastic layer. The boot and method may be used to advantageously provide electromagnetic attenuation without a need for spraying processes. The method may be used to retrofit and/or repair an object, without needed to remove it from the field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Reed W Nyght, Robert D Johnson, Nathan L Evans
  • Patent number: 9234956
    Abstract: A transmission beam control unit 8 changes a main beam direction of a radar transmission beam every predetermined number of transmission periods. A radar transmitting unit Tx transmits a radar transmission signal using the radar transmission beam of which the main beam direction has been changed. In a radar receiving unit Rx, an estimation range selection unit 22 selects an estimation range of the direction of arrival of a reflected wave signal by limiting the estimation range to the approximate transmission beam width on the basis of the transmission beam width of the radar transmission beam and the output from the transmission beam control unit 8. The direction-of-arrival estimation unit 23 estimates the direction of arrival of the reflected wave signal on the basis of phase information between a plurality of antennas according to the selected range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Takaaki Kishigami, Yoichi Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 9231310
    Abstract: An antenna for a radar sensor includes an emitter element, a receiver element, and an anti-reflection element. The emitter element is configured to direct the emitted signal along a boresight that intersects a fascia. The receiver element is configured to detect a reflected signal reflected by an object located beyond the fascia. The anti-reflection element is configured to reduce reflection by the antenna of an early-reflection portion reflected by the fascia.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: George J. Purden, Shawn Shi
  • Patent number: 9228877
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of determining a filling level of a product contained in a tank by propagating a first transmitted electromagnetic signal in a first frequency range and a second transmitted electromagnetic signal in a second frequency range different from the first frequency range along a transmission line probe towards a surface of the product in the tank, receiving a first reflected electromagnetic signal in the first frequency range and a second reflected electromagnetic signal in the second frequency range, and determining the filling level based on a time-of-flight of the first reflected electromagnetic signal and a difference in time-of-flight of the first reflected electromagnetic signal and the second reflected electromagnetic signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Rosemount Tank Radar AB
    Inventor: Olov Edvardsson
  • Patent number: 9229100
    Abstract: A phased array radar apparatus and method for identifying targets in an environment includes a phased array radar transmitter, a first phased array radar receiver, a second phased array radar receiver, and a radar controller. The first and second phased array radar receivers are configured such that the first and second phased array radar receivers have effectively the same configuration. The radar controller uses the first and second receive beams to calculate an amplitude monopulse ratio and identify angle information of the targets within the environment. The present invention enables high precision estimation of target angle information while scanning over a wide field of view in a single scan. The radar apparatus further uses a complex amplitude monopulse ratio and a weighted target angle histogram to distinguish between closely separated targets that would otherwise be viewed as a single target by conventional monopulse radar apparatuses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Jae Seung Lee, Paul Donald Schmalenberg, Liping Li
  • Patent number: 9223007
    Abstract: Accurate remote tracking of fixed objects from a moving platform requires overcoming platform noise. Such tracking becomes difficult when the only inertial reference (such as a central aircraft inertial navigation system) is remote from the sensor, which experiences non-measured angular movements due to airframe vibrations and flexing. In such a scenario, Kalman filtering cannot converge on a true value because all noise sources are not known. Current naïve approaches arbitrarily boost noise with fixed additive or multiplicative factors. However, such approaches slow filter response and; thus, often fail to give timely results. Embodiments of the present disclosure derive inertial reference parameters to quantify noise of the sensor that is remote from the inertial reference. Advantageously, disclosed embodiments enable use of remote sensors with an existing inertial reference, rather than consolidating sensors and the inertial reference at a single location or providing inertial references at each sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: William H. Wellman, Eric J. Gudim, Lee M. Savage
  • Patent number: 9223019
    Abstract: Systems and methods for calculating coherent bearing that allow one to reduce the number of TCAS antenna elements. In one embodiment, the bearing calculation takes into account signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) difference experienced from top and bottom antennas mounted on a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Dongsong Zeng, Ruy C. Brandao, Eduard Shestak, Steve Pratt, Eric Euteneuer
  • Patent number: 9225072
    Abstract: A radiowave absorber of an embodiment includes: core-shell particles each including: a core portion that contains at least one magnetic metal element selected from a first group including Fe, Co, and Ni, and at least one metal element selected from a second group including Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Zr, Ti, Hf, Zn, Mn, rare-earth elements, Ba, and Sr; and a shell layer that coats at least part of the core portion, and includes an oxide layer containing at least one metal element selected from the second group and contained in the core portion; and a binding layer that binds the core-shell particles, and has a higher resistance than the resistance of the core-shell particles. The volume filling rate of the core-shell particles in the radiowave absorber is not lower than 10% and not higher than 55%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Toshihide Takahashi, Tomohiro Suetsuna, Koichi Harada, Seiichi Suenaga
  • Patent number: 9213090
    Abstract: Surveillance system for detecting the position, movement, nature of one or more objects and even communicate with it, that is adaptive to any extent and suitable for any mobile or fixed structure and even for persons, because of its flexible open architecture, which is fully modular to develop self-contained compact radar devices of special performances when working either autonomously, like conventional video-cameras nevertheless operating also with microwaves and therefore called microwave-cameras or radar-cameras, or jointly to form more complex interactive systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Inventor: Paolo Alberto Paoletti
  • Patent number: 9207314
    Abstract: A state estimation system utilizing an Interacting Multiple Model (IMM) architecture and algorithms that can transition between different regimes of operation described by multiple models. Each individual model includes states, whose dynamics can be modeled, as well as extrinsic parameters, such as inputs to the system and sensor biases, whose dynamics cannot be modeled, but which are constrained to lie within a known range of values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Purusottam Mookerjee, Frank J. Reifler
  • Patent number: 9207313
    Abstract: A radar system includes a transmit antenna array having subarrays disposed at predetermined positions. An orthogonal waveform signal is directed to a corresponding one of the subarrays. On receive, an adaptive processor derives a plurality of adaptive weight factors from a plurality of receive signals and applies them to the receive signals to obtain a jammer cancelled signal. That signal is separated into its orthogonal waveform components by passing it through a bank of correlators. The correlator system provides a plurality of unique receive signals substantially corresponding one-to-one to the unique transmit subarrays. The receive beamformer derives an angular estimate of at least one target relative to boresight from the unique receive signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: SRC, INC.
    Inventor: Harvey K. Schuman
  • Patent number: 9207316
    Abstract: A multi-modal ground penetrating radar includes a radar set configured to launch predistorted double-sideband (DSB) suppressed-carrier modulated continuous waves (CW) to illuminate and penetrate a ground surface. A variable frequency modulator is connected to modulate a continuous wave (CW) carrier frequency generator within the radar set to yield a double-sideband suppressed carrier output. A lateral single-file array of antennas is configured to be flown closely over the surface of the ground. A multiplexing switch is connected to the array of antennas and configured to selectively switch individual ones of the antennas to the radar set. Any early arriving signals returned from geologic clutter and surface reflections are suppressed in synchronous detection in relation to signals received by the array of antennas from less shallow depths. Interesting objects below the ground surface are detected and located by the late arriving signal reflections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Stolar, Inc.
    Inventors: Larry G. Stolarczyk, Richard B. Main
  • Patent number: 9207307
    Abstract: A municipal infrastructure maintenance system uses a ground vehicle to move an antenna array in back-and-forth sweeps over large areas or distances. The antenna array comprises dozens of compartmentalized radio dipole antennas arranged laterally, shoulder-to-shoulder across the width of each sweep. An antenna switch matrix is connected between the antenna array and a ground-penetrating-radar (GPR) set and provides electronic aperture switching and selection, and the ability to laterally register one sweep to the next. The antenna array is extended out in front of the ground vehicle on a pivotable boom, and the cantilevered weight is a primary concern. The antenna array is constructed with aluminum-on-aluminum honeycomb panels slotted and folded around dozens of resistive-card compartment separators. Printed circuit boards with matching baluns are also slotted to receive tabs on the resistive cards, and their dipole elements are resistive loaded to quench crosstalk and near field effects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Stolar, Inc.
    Inventors: Gerald L. Stolarczyk, Chance Dain Valentine, Jeffrey D. Hutchins, Matthew L. Briggs, Richard Brewster Main, Brecken H. Uhl
  • Patent number: 9207306
    Abstract: A process measurement instrument includes a fiducial and is adapted for detection of the fiducial. The instrument includes an interface circuit comprising a drive circuit for transmitting a pulse signal at the fiducial and at a target of interest and a receive circuit receiving reflected echoes of the pulse signal and developing an analog receive signal representative of the reflected echoes. A processing circuit is operatively coupled to the interface circuit for receiving the analog receive signal and comprising a threshold detector detecting if the analog receive signal is above a select threshold value. A controller is operatively coupled to the processing circuit and responsive to leading and trailing edges of the reflected echo for the fiducial and determining an average of the leading and trailing edges to determine location of the fiducial.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Magnetrol International, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher P. Turcotte, Michael J. Linden
  • Patent number: 9207319
    Abstract: A ground crew collision-avoidance system includes a plurality of radar sensor modules that each emit a radar signal, receives at a radar detector radar return signals corresponding to reflections of the emitted signal from a ground object, and transmits radar information associated with the received radar signal reflections reflected from the ground object, wherein each of the plurality of radar sensor modules are uniquely located on a surface of an aircraft that is at risk for collision with a ground object while the aircraft is being towed; a gateway unit that receives the radar information transmitted from the radar sensor module and transmits information associated with the received radar information; and a ground crew alert indicator that receives the information transmitted by the gateway unit and that presents a graphical alert icon on a display. The display indicates a likelihood of collision between the aircraft and the ground object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey W. Starr, Andrew Fannon Lamkin, Duke Buster