Patents Examined by Peter Bythrow
  • Patent number: 9689967
    Abstract: A radar system has different modes of operation. In one mode the radar operates as a single-input, multiple-output (SIMO) radar system utilizing one transmitted signal from one antenna at a time. Codes with known excellent autocorrelation properties are utilized in this mode. At each receiver the response after correlating with various possible transmitted signals is measured in order to estimate the interference that each transmitter will represent at each receiver. The estimated effect of the interference from one transmitter on a receiver that correlates with a different code is used to mitigate the interference. In another mode, the radar operates as a MIMO radar system utilizing all the antennas at a time. Interference cancellation of the non-ideal cross correlation sidelobes when transmitting in the MIMO mode are employed to remove ghost targets due to unwanted sidelobes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: UHNDER, INC.
    Inventors: Wayne E. Stark, Jean P. Bordes, Curtis Davis, Raghunath K. Rao, Monier Maher, Manju Hegde, Otto A. Schmid
  • Patent number: 9689976
    Abstract: A system for providing integrated detection and countermeasures against unmanned aerial vehicles include a detecting element, an location determining element and an interdiction element. The detecting element detects an unmanned aerial vehicle in flight in the region of, or approaching, a property, place, event or very important person. The location determining element determines the exact location of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The interdiction element can either direct the unmanned aerial vehicle away from the property, place, event or very important person in a non-destructive manner, or can cause disable the unmanned aerial vehicle in a destructive manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: XiDrone Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Dwaine A. Parker, Damon E. Stern, Lawrence S. Pierce
  • Patent number: 9684064
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for determining characteristic feature(s) of a vehicle travelling on a roadway, comprising: a detector, which is directed towards the roadway and is configured to measure the movement vector of the vehicle at a current location and time, a tracking unit, connected to the detector, for calculating a target location of the vehicle at a target time on the basis of current location and time and movement vector, a first radar sensor, connected to the detector, for transmitting a radar beam directed towards the current location, receiving a reflected radar beam, and determining a frequency spectrum thereof, a second radar sensor, connected to the tracking unit, for transmitting a radar beam directed towards the target location at the target time, receiving a reflected radar beam and determining a frequency spectrum thereof, and an evaluation unit for generating characteristic feature(s) of the vehicle from the determined frequency spectra.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AG
    Inventor: Oliver Nagy
  • Patent number: 9678206
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to system and method of processing meteorological data. The process comprises receiving a meteorological data corresponding to a geographic region from at least one meteorological data source for a selected time slice, with the meteorological data including radar reflectivity data. The system processes the meteorological data to derive probability of severe hail for points within the geographic region, processes the meteorological data to derive vertically integrated liquid for the points within the geographic region, and processes the meteorological data to derive enhanced echo tops for the points within the geographic region. The system processes the vertically integrated liquid and the enhanced echo tops to derive vertically integrated liquid density for the points within the geographic region and processes the probability of severe hail and the vertically integrated liquid density to derive derived hail index numbers for the points within the geographic region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Inventor: Daron Sneed
  • Patent number: 9678197
    Abstract: One embodiment is directed to a method for operating a radar altimeter. The method includes transmitting a radar signal at a first frequency, ramping the frequency of the radar signal from the first frequency to a second frequency, and transmitting the radar signal at the second frequency. The reflections can be processed by determining an approximate distance to a target based reflections of the frequency ramp and the approximate distance can be refined based on a phase difference between a reflection of the radar signal transmitted at the first frequency and a reflection of the radar signal transmitted at the second frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventor: David C. Vacanti
  • Patent number: 9678202
    Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for measuring the position of a vehicle or a surface thereof on a roadway. The apparatus comprises at least one radar transmitter, which is arranged in a transmitting position above the plane of the roadway and transmits radar beams downwardly, a plurality of radar receivers, which are distributed above the plane of the roadway in different receiving positions at distances from one another, receive reflections of the radar beams from beneath, and convert the reflections into a received signal, and an evaluation device, which is connected to the radar transmitter and the radar receivers and is configured to measure the said position from the transmitting position, the receiving positions and the received signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AG
    Inventor: Oliver Nagy
  • Patent number: 9664789
    Abstract: A navigation system for a vehicle may include at least one image capture device configured to acquire a plurality of images of an environment of a vehicle and a radar sensor to detect an object in the environment of the vehicle and to provide and output including range information indicative of at least one of a range or range rate between the vehicle and the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: MOBILEYE VISION TECHNOLOGIES LTD.
    Inventors: Kevin Rosenblum, Erez Dagan
  • Patent number: 9661827
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for guiding a target object with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in an environment. The UAV may be able to recognize and locate the target object. The UAV can be configured to communicate the actions and behavior of the target object to a user through a user device in communication with the UAV. The UAV can provide positive and negative stimuli to the target object to encourage an action or behavior. The UAV can be configured to recognize and manage waste generated by the target object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: SZ DJI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yu Shen, Ang Liu, Guyue Zhou
  • Patent number: 9658324
    Abstract: A method of positioning a plurality of radar units in a defined area amongst one or more legacy radar units that provide legacy radar coverage in the defined area is disclosed. The steps of identifying a location of each legacy radar unit, setting a threshold altitude, and determining a legacy occultation of each legacy radar unit from a landscape level up to the threshold altitude are also disclosed. Mapping the legacy occultation of the legacy radar units to provide a three dimensional occultation map in the defined area and locating gaps below the threshold altitude in the legacy radar coverage as a function of the occultation map are also disclosed. Identifying a plurality of sites as a function of the gaps where the sites are accessible to receive a radar unit is also disclosed. Determining an anticipated radar coverage of a radar unit positioned at each of the sites and determining a reduction in the gaps as a function of the anticipated radar coverage are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Inventors: Donald A. LaPoint, Guy E. Blase, Scott Shipley
  • Patent number: 9651657
    Abstract: A radar surveillance system is described in which the radar beam re-visits each area of interest after a short period of time, by electronically reconfiguring a scanned beam to an offset position for an interleaved sub-dwell, within a scan period. This ‘look-back’ capability, where the area under test is re-visited after approximately 1 second, allows the natural de-correlation of sea clutter to take place between the initial and look-back samples of the surveillance area. The re-visit time can be adjusted to best exploit the de-correlation characteristics of the sea clutter return.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: LEONARDO MW LTD
    Inventor: Robert Longmuir Sinclair
  • Patent number: 9653802
    Abstract: A radar-based fill level measurement device having a signal generator for the purpose of generating electromagnetic waves, and an antenna for the purpose of emitting the electromagnetic waves into a container, as well as for the purpose of receiving electromagnetic waves reflected out of the container, having a security device for the purpose of verifying the functional capability or improving the measurement quality of the radar-based fill level measurement device, wherein the security device has a reflector and an adjusting device, and is suitably designed to move the reflector between at least a first position, in which it reflects the electromagnetic waves, and a second position, in which it reflects the electromagnetic waves to a reduced degree, and wherein the security device has a drive which acts on the adjusting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Vega Grieshaber KG
    Inventor: Guenter Kech
  • Patent number: 9645229
    Abstract: A radar or sonar system amplifies the signal received by an antenna of the radar system or a transducer of the sonar system is amplified and then subject to linear demodulation by a linear receiver. There may be an anti-aliasing filter and an analog-to-digital converter between the amplifier and the linear receiver. The system may also have a digital signal processor with a network stack running in the processor. That processor may also have a network interface media access controller, where the system operates at different ranges, the modulator may produce pulses of two pulse patterns differing in pulse duration and inter-pulse spacing, those pulse patterns are introduced and used to form two radar images with the two images being derived from data acquired in a duration not more than twenty times larger than the larger inter-pulse spacing, or for a radar system, larger than one half of the antenna resolution time. One or more look-up tables may be used to control the amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: FLIR Belgium BVBA
    Inventors: Richard Jales, Andrew Lawrence, Matthieu Maindrou
  • Patent number: 9645003
    Abstract: A method for determining a distance to a surface of a medium or to another radar target in a pipe by means of a radar measurement apparatus. Transmitting within the pipe a radar transmission signal frequency modulated according to the FMCW principle, receiving a radar received signal reflected on the surface of the medium or on the other radar target in the pipe back to the radar measurement apparatus, mixing the radar received signal with the radar transmission signal or a signal derived therefrom and producing an intermediate signal. Determining a frequency spectrum of the intermediate signal or a signal derived therefrom by means of fast Fourier transformation and detecting the position of the frequency peak in the frequency spectrum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KG
    Inventor: Alexey Malinovskiy
  • Patent number: 9645236
    Abstract: A first specifying-means specifies a first-region including a first detection-point, which is of a first-target on an X-Y plane on which a width direction of a vehicle is defined as an X-axis, and a longitudinal direction of the vehicle is defined as a Y-axis. A second specifying-means specifies a second-region including a second detection-point, which is of a second-target on the X-Y plane, based on a direction of the second detection-point and a target-width, which is a width along the X-axis of the second-target. A determination means determines that the first- and second-targets are the same, provided that an overlapping portion exists therebetween. An estimation means estimates a true-value target-width, based on the direction of the second detection-point and the first detection-point, provided that the first- and second-targets are the same. A correction-means corrects a position of the second-region specified next time by using the true-value target-width as the target-width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takahiro Baba
  • Patent number: 9638789
    Abstract: An embodiment relates to a method for processing input data that includes multiplying a portion of the input data with a first set of coefficients or with a second set of coefficients, wherein the first set of coefficients and the second set of coefficients are stored in a memory, wherein the first set of coefficients is used on phase modulated input data and wherein the second set of coefficients is used on input data that are not phase modulated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: André Roger, Romain Ygnace
  • Patent number: 9640873
    Abstract: The invention relates to a radar device (1) for a motor vehicle, having a radar apparatus (2) for emitting and receiving electromagnetic waves (4) and having at least one absorption element (9, 100), which is formed from an absorption material which absorbs the electromagnetic waves (4), wherein the at least one absorption element (9, 100) is embodied as an element which is separate from a housing (3) of the radar apparatus (2) and is arranged outside the housing (3), in particular on the housing (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: VALEO Schalter und Sensoren GmbH
    Inventors: Patrick Pfitzenmaier, Frank Sickinger
  • Patent number: 9632173
    Abstract: An embodiment relates to a method for processing radar signals. The radar signals may include digitized data received by at least two radar antennas. The method may include determining CFAR results on FFT results based on data received by a first antenna, and applying the CFAR results to FFT results based on data received by a second antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Romain Ygnace, Andre Roger
  • Patent number: 9625577
    Abstract: A method for indicating a weather threat to an aircraft is provided. The method includes inferring a weather threat to an aircraft and causing an image to be displayed on an aviation display in response to a determination by aircraft processing electronics that the inferred weather threat to the aircraft is greater than a measured weather threat to the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffery A. Finley, Roy E. Robertson, Hubert C. Dyche, Gregory J. Koenigs, Charles J. Dickerson
  • Patent number: 9618606
    Abstract: An antenna system (100) comprising a single antenna element having first (111) and second (112) antenna ports arranged to pass a respective first and second antenna signal. The first and second antenna signals being derived from a first common antenna signal (J1) and arranged to be essentially equal in envelope. An antenna pattern of the system being arranged to be selectable between a first antenna pattern having a first polarization and a second antenna pattern having a second polarization substantially orthogonal to the first polarization. The first antenna pattern being selected by setting the first and second antenna signal to have the same polarity on first (111) and second (112) antenna ports, the second antenna pattern being selected by setting the first and second antenna signal to have substantially opposite polarities on first (111) and second (112) antenna ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: SAAB AB
    Inventor: Hans Hellsten
  • Patent number: 9618612
    Abstract: An obstruction marking method includes generating a first echo curve using an electronic level gauge (ELG) coupled to a tank from a first reflected signal (echo signal) received when a material in the tank is at a first level. The ELG includes a radar-based obstruction detection algorithm stored in a memory coupled thereto. A processor implementing the obstruction detection algorithm identifies at least a first feature in the first echo curve to provide at least one suspected obstruction along with its position (first feature position). A second echo curve is generated from a second reflected signal when the material is at a second level. A third echo curve is generated from a third reflected signal when the material is at a third level. The suspected obstruction at the first feature position is stored in the memory as a verified obstruction with its first feature position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventor: Mark L. Muldowney