Patents Examined by Marcus Windrich
  • Patent number: 9372261
    Abstract: A radar device according to an embodiment includes a transmission unit, a reception unit, and a processing unit. The transmission unit emits a transmission wave relating to a frequency-modulated transmission signal. The reception unit receives a reflected wave acquired by reflecting the transmission wave on an object as a reception signal. The processing unit detects object data corresponding to the object from the reception signal, outputs the object data to the vehicle control device that controls the vehicle, and removes object data satisfying the removal condition that is a condition used for determining whether or not object data is to be removed from an output target for the vehicle control device and includes at least the distance and the relative speed of the object data with respect to the speed of the vehicle as conditions from output targets for the vehicle control device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: FUJITSU TEN LIMITED
    Inventors: Masatoshi Aoki, Hisateru Asanuma, Yasuhiro Kurono
  • Patent number: 9372263
    Abstract: A radar system for discriminating between sources of radar interference and targets of interest. The system includes a transmitter for transmitting radar signals into a region, a receiver for receiving return signals of the radar signals returned from within the region, and a processor for processing the return signals to discriminate between return signals returned from a first object and return signals returned from a second object where the return signals from the second object comprise both zero and non-zero Doppler components and interfere with the return signals from the first object. The radar system is operable for discriminating between the return signals when the return signals are received at a distance from the second object which is less than a proximity limit based on the geometry of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Cambridge Consultants Limited
    Inventors: Gordon Kenneth Andrew Oswald, Craig Duncan Webster, Allan Geoffrey Smithson
  • Patent number: 9361352
    Abstract: A method and system is provided that applies attribute- and topology-based change detection to objects that were detected on previous scans of a medium. The attributes capture properties or characteristics of the previously detected objects, such as location, time of detection, detection strength, size, elongation, orientation, etc. The locations define a three-dimensional network topology forming a constellation of previously detected objects. The change detection system stores attributes of the previously detected objects in a constellation database. The change detection system detects changes by comparing the attributes and topological consistency of newly detected objects encountered during a new scan of the medium to previously detected objects in the constellation database. The change detection system may receive the attributes of the newly detected objects as the objects are detected by an object detection system in real time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventor: David W. Paglieroni
  • Patent number: 9354307
    Abstract: There are provided an ultra-wideband radar imaging system comprising an antenna with at least one receiver and a plurality of transmitters operating in multi-static mode, method of operating thereof and volume visualization unit to be used in conjunction with the multi-static ultra-wideband radar imaging system. The method comprises: receiving by said at least one receiver a plurality of signals, each respectively representing return data in a channel associated with the receiver and one of the transmitters among said plurality of transmitters, thus giving rise to a plurality of spatial data channels; among said plurality of spatial data channels selecting data channels for further processing; and providing volume visualization by processing data corresponding merely to the selected spatial data channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: CAMERO-TECH LTD.
    Inventors: Amir Beeri, Ron Daisy
  • Patent number: 9354303
    Abstract: A signal processing device is provided. The device includes an echo signal input unit for receiving echo signals resulted from transmission signals reflected on an object. The transmission signals are transmitted from a transmission source at transmission timings at predetermined time intervals, at least one of the transmission timings shifted from the other timings in time. The device includes a complex reception signal generator for generating complex reception signals, a phase calculator for calculating a phase change amount of the complex reception signals with respect to a reference phase, a phase corrector for phase-correcting the complex reception signals and outputting the corrected signals, and a Doppler processor for performing Doppler processing on the corrected signals and outputting the Doppler-processed signals as Doppler echo signals of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasunobu Asada, Akira Okunishi, Koji Dai, Sae Takemoto
  • Patent number: 9348020
    Abstract: Systems and methods involve generating a baseband signal, up-converting the baseband signal to a radar signal frequency, filtering a lower sideband of the up-converted signal, and transmitting the filtered up-converted signal. Systems and methods also involve receiving a return signal, down-converting the return signal using a signal having a frequency offset from the up-converted signal, filtering the upper sideband of the down-converted return signal, and producing a baseband return signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: VERMEER MANUFACTURING COMPANY
    Inventors: Alan Wilson-Langman, Kenneth J. Ryerson, Walter Rothe
  • Patent number: 9348014
    Abstract: A radar apparatus for a vehicle includes a radar unit provided at an inner side of a radiator grill for a vehicle, a multi-layer transmission cover which is fitted into the radar unit and on a front surface of which a plurality of transmission layers through which a radar beam radiated through the radar unit transmits are formed, and a mounting portion in which a connection body formed by connecting the multi-layer transmission cover to the radar unit is connected to a vehicle body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventors: Seung Mok Lee, Bock Cheol Lee, Phil Jung Jeong, Hyun Gyung Kim, Young Sub Oh, Dong Eun Cha
  • Patent number: 9348021
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for performing adaptive motion compensation to remove translational movement between a sensor and a target using data from the sensor. After whitening, data can be processed to select a target and focus frequency components. Dynamic sliding window processing can be performed on processed time domain data to estimate an instantaneous range rate for the target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: Aaron C. Wallace
  • Patent number: 9341708
    Abstract: A radio waves receiving unit receives horizontally polarized waves and vertically polarized waves of radio waves radiated from an object at a radiation angle. An image generation unit generates a horizontally polarized waves image and a vertically polarized waves image based on the horizontally polarized waves and the vertically polarized waves, respectively. A polarization ratio calculation unit calculates, for each radiation angle, a polarization ratio which is a ratio of intensity of the horizontally polarized waves to the vertically polarized waves based on the horizontally polarized waves image and the vertically polarized waves image. A refractive index calculation unit calculates a refractive index of the object based on a change between polarization ratios of two different radiation angles. A road surface condition recognition unit recognizes a condition of a road surface based on the refractive index.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Mitsunori Nakamura, Hiroshi Satoh
  • Patent number: 9335409
    Abstract: A bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging system and method include: combining each radar return pulse from airborne radar platforms with a sinusoid; deskewing each reduced radar return pulse; estimating motion parameters based on a maximum likelihood estimation (MLE); performing MLE motion correction to generate motion-corrected radar return pulses; acquiring position and velocity estimates of the airborne radar platforms and scattering locations; defining bistatic range and velocity vectors; defining new bistatic range and velocity vectors in a new set of orthogonal axes; projecting vector distance differences between the radar scattering locations along the new set of orthogonal axes to generate new range and velocity measurements along the new set of orthogonal axes; converting the new range and velocity measurements to map Doppler frequency into cross-range; and forming a bistatic SAR image in range and cross-range based on cross-range extent derived from the Doppler frequency mapping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Theagenis J. Abatzoglou, Johan E. Gonzalez
  • Patent number: 9335410
    Abstract: A spotlight synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image is generated by directing randomly a beam of transmitted pulses at a set of two or more areas using a steerable array of antennas. Each area is illuminated by an approximately equal number of the transmitted pulses. Then, a reconstruction procedure is applied independently to received signals from each area due to reflecting the transmitted pulses to generate the image corresponding to the set of areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC RESEARCH LABORATORIES, INC.
    Inventors: Dehong Liu, Petros Boufounos
  • Patent number: 9322913
    Abstract: A transportable weather radar, including radar electronics functionally located above the elevational joint, a frame superstructure rotationally connected to an elevational assembly supporting the elevational joint, a rotational drive assembly mounted below and supporting the elevational assembly, and at least one harmonic drive for positioning the radar antenna. The radar includes a fiber optic rotary joint positioned above a slip ring assembly which is positioned within a lower portion of the elevational assembly so that as the elevational assembly rotates a fiber optic cable connected to the lower end of the fiber optic rotary joint is stationary relative to the rotating elevational assembly. The slip ring assembly permits electrical signals to traverse through traditional metal cables from the pedestal to the frame superstructure where electronics are held.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Enterprise Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Bruce Knight, John Charles Fanning, James Rogers Helvin, Mark Alan Jones, Norman Edwin Lawrence, III, Damon Schmidt
  • Patent number: 9322912
    Abstract: A transportable weather radar having radar electronics functionally located above the elevational joint and a frame superstructure rotationally connected to the elevational joint onto which is mounted a parabolic radar antenna adapted for Doppler weather radar use. The radar has a rotational drive assembly mounted below and supporting the elevational joint and a harmonic drive unit positioned inside the elevational joint so that the antennae may be rotated without significant backlash during rotational changes. A hollow center in the rotational joint allows for the passing of electronics cable through the middle of the joint and down through rotating assemblies and to electronics in or adjacent to the radar pedestal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Enterprise Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Bruce Knight, John Charles Fanning, James Rogers Helvin, Mark Alan Jones, Norman Edwin Lawrence, III, Damon Schmidt
  • Patent number: 9322864
    Abstract: According to some embodiments, a system is provided for simulating a cluster of reflections. The system includes an array of antenna elements distributed in space over a solid angle having an angular spread. The solid angle is substantially less than a full sphere and each antenna element has a spatial orientation. The system also includes a spatial environment simulator connected to the antenna elements and configured to apply one of excitations to the antenna elements and weights to signals from the antenna elements. The combination of the spatial distribution of the antenna elements, the orientation of the antenna elements, and the weighting applied by the variable path simulator simulates a near field arising from a cluster of reflections of a multipath environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: ETS-Lindgren, LP
    Inventor: Michael Foegelle
  • Patent number: 9322911
    Abstract: A passive phased array imager includes a plurality of antennas, disposed on a substrate, for receiving a wavefront from a target; and a coplanar waveguide, disposed in the substrate and coupled to the plurality of antennas. Also included is a plurality of detectors, disposed across the coplanar waveguide for sampling the received wavefront, and providing multiple output voltages to an imaging circuit for displaying information contained in the received wavefront. The plurality of antennas includes at least two dipoles coupled to the coplanar waveguide, and the two dipoles are spaced by a predetermined length to provide a standing wave at a frequency of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Exelis, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Paul Sacco, Jeffrey Daniel Newman, Paul Poo-Kam Lee
  • Patent number: 9310198
    Abstract: Target land area is three-dimensionally located using an optical sensor and a radar sensor in satellites. The positions of the satellites are measured and images are captured when the sensors point toward land areas. The aiming direction of the optical sensor for each area is measured. The distance between each area and the radar sensor pointing thereto is measured. Images of land areas captured by the sensors and covering common areas are matched. The distance between the target area selected from the common areas and the optical sensor is accurately determined on the basis of the positions of the sensors, the distance between the target area and the radar sensor, and the aiming direction of the optical sensor, which are associated with the images covering the target area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: AIRBUS DS SAS
    Inventor: Michael Seymour
  • Patent number: 9310478
    Abstract: A radar sensor device having at least one planar antenna device that includes a plurality of vertically oriented antenna columns which are configured as a sparse array in one plane in parallel at defined mutual distances and which each have at least two line-fed patch elements, the sparse array of antenna columns is designed to have such a minimal redundancy that the amount of defined distances among the antenna columns in the sparse array is at least equal to all of the different distances between any two antenna columns of a corresponding non-sparse array of a planar antenna device having the same antenna aperture and the same characteristics of the antenna columns, but is the most minimum possible number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Volker Gross, Goetz Kuehnle
  • Patent number: 9310469
    Abstract: A radar performance monitor is provided. The monitor includes a receiver for receiving a transmission signal of which a temporal change of a frequency is non-linear, the transmission signal being transmitted from a radar unit of a pulse-compression radar apparatus, and a response signal generator for generating a response signal of which a temporal change of a frequency is linear and transmitting the response signal to the radar unit as a response to the transmission signal received by the receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshifumi Ohnishi
  • Patent number: 9295245
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for an airborne biota monitoring and control system are disclosed. Radar and laser/optical sensors are used to detect insects, with detection zones being over water in some embodiments to reduce backscatter clutter. A pest control laser or small autonomous or radio controlled aircraft under automated or human control may be used to disable a targeted flying insect. One embodiment includes use of a head-mounted display for displaying insect targeting information superimposed on a real landscape view. Technologies such as adaptive lens, holographic optical elements, polarized radar and/or laser beams, light amplifiers and light guides, thin disk, spinning disk, or vertical cavity surface emitting lasers enhance performance of the apparatus or reduce cost of the apparatus. Also disclosed are methods of discrimination of insect types using spectral information and dynamic relative variation of spectral intensities at different wavelengths reflected from an insect in flight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Inventors: David L. Guice, Augustus Hammond Green, Jr., William V. Dent, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9285469
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a ground moving target (GMTI) radar that can detect targets, including dismounts, with very small minimum detectable velocities by combining signals from antennas on different spatially separated platforms in a main beam clutter-suppressing spatially adaptive process without requiring that the relative positions of the antenna phase centers be accurately tracked. The clutter nulling is in addition to that provided by the Doppler filters. The spatial displacement provides a narrow mainbeam clutter null reducing undesired target suppression. The clutter-suppressing spatially adaptive structure is used in both the sum and delta channels of the monopulse processor so that the beam distortion caused by the spatial nulling is compensated for, and the monopulse look-up process is preserved to maintain angle accuracy. Noncoherent integration is employed to recover signal to noise loss resulting from the uncertain relative locations of the platforms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: SRC, Inc.
    Inventors: Harvey K. Schuman, Daniel D. Thomas, Jr.