Patents Examined by Timothy A. Brainard
  • Patent number: 11709262
    Abstract: A device, system and method of use for the relative navigation in a fluid medium, the device having a receiver and a controller, the receiver capable of receiving signals through the fluid medium. The signals, produced by a source, are capable of undergoing Doppler shift, and the controller is capable of determining the Doppler shift of the signals and determining the bearing between the device and the source of the signals. The system further having a first vehicle capable of producing the signals and a second vehicle having the device and wherein the device determines the bearing of the second vehicle in relation to the first vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION
    Inventors: Erin Fischell, Peter Traykovski
  • Patent number: 11703562
    Abstract: Systems, methods, tangible non-transitory computer-readable media, and devices associated with sensor output segmentation are provided. For example, sensor data can be accessed. The sensor data can include sensor data returns representative of an environment detected by a sensor across the sensor's field of view. Each sensor data return can be associated with a respective bin of a plurality of bins corresponding to the field of view of the sensor. Each bin can correspond to a different portion of the sensor's field of view. Channels can be generated for each of the plurality of bins and can include data indicative of a range and an azimuth associated with a sensor data return associated with each bin. Furthermore, a semantic segment of a portion of the sensor data can be generated by inputting the channels for each bin into a machine-learned segmentation model trained to generate an output including the semantic segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: UATC, LLC
    Inventors: Ankit Laddha, Carlos Vallespi-Gonzalez, Duncan Blake Barber, Jacob White, Anurag Kumar
  • Patent number: 11703565
    Abstract: A tracking method and system includes receiving a primary radar report after establishment of a real track of the aircraft, determining a false track slant range associated with the aircraft based on an effective altitude of the aircraft above a ground or water surface and an aircraft slant range defined between the radar arranged on the ground surface and the aircraft, determining a capture area based on the false track slant range and an azimuth of the aircraft, and determining whether the primary radar report is a false report by comparing a position of the aircraft determined from the primary radar report to the capture area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: Steven R. Schlehuber
  • Patent number: 11698283
    Abstract: A method carried out using a radar level gauge system, the tank having a tank roof supporting the radar level gauge system, a tank wall, and a tank atmosphere in a space defined by a surface of a product in the tank, the tank roof, and the tank wall, wherein the method comprises generating and transmitting an electromagnetic first transmit signal; propagating the first transmit signal through the tank atmosphere towards a corner reflector formed by the surface of the product and the tank wall where the surface of the product meets the tank wall, the corner reflector being at a known horizontal distance from the radar level gauge system; receiving an electromagnetic first reflection signal resulting from reflection of the first transmit signal at the corner reflector; and performing a filling level determination and/or a verification operation for the radar level gauge system based on a timing relation between the first transmit signal and the first reflection signal, and the known horizontal distance between
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: ROSEMOUNT TANK RADAR AB
    Inventors: Christer Frövik, Olov Edvardsson
  • Patent number: 11697213
    Abstract: An apparatus including at least one emitter configured to emit energy; at least one receiver configured to receive the emitted energy, where the at least one emitter is mounted on at least one of: a robot arm, an end effector of the robot arm, a substrate on the robot arm, or a substrate process module, where the at least one receiver is mounted on at least one of: the robot arm, the end effector of the robot arm, the substrate on the robot arm, or the substrate process module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: Persimmon Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Scott Wilkas
  • Patent number: 11693087
    Abstract: A pulsed radar level gauge comprising a pulse generator configured to generate a transmit signal (ST) in the form of a pulse train, a propagation device connected to direct the transmit signal (ST) into a tank and return a microwave return signal (SR), a receiver, sampling circuitry configured to provide a time expanded tank signal, and processing circuitry for determining said filling level based on the time expanded tank signal. The gauge further comprises impedance increasing circuitry arranged to ensure that an input impedance of the receiver is at least 2 k? and a delay line arranged between said receiver and said propagation device, the delay line configured to introduce a delay greater than said pulse duration, such that said time expanded signal includes a transmitted pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: ROSEMOUNT TANK RADAR AB
    Inventors: Mikael Eriksson, Leif Nilsson, Håkan Nyberg
  • Patent number: 11685598
    Abstract: The technology relates to a refuse collection system including: a camera configured to capture image data; a sensor configured to capture spatial data; and a processing module in communication with the camera and the sensor, the processing module configured to: process the image data to assist in identifying an object; and process the spatial data in a region associated with the object in order to determine one or more characteristics associated therewith, wherein in response to confirming that the object is a bin based on the one or more characteristics associated with the object, the processing module is configured to provide information to assist in retrieving the bin with a bin-collecting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Bucher Municipal Pty Ltd
    Inventors: Andrew Peter Searle, Andrew Garry Mitchell, Lewis Luyken
  • Patent number: 11681013
    Abstract: A radar system and a method for a radar system are described. In accordance with one exemplary embodiment, the method includes generating a local oscillator signal in a first radar chip, generating a frequency-divided signal from the local oscillator signal by means of a frequency divider arranged in the first radar chip, transmitting the frequency-divided signal to a second radar chip, and transmitting the local oscillator signal to the second radar chip. The local oscillator signal received in the second radar chip is fed to an output channel of the second radar chip, which generates an output signal on the basis thereof. The method further includes generating—on the basis of the output signal of the output channel and the frequency-divided signal received by the second radar chip—a signal indicating a phase angle of the output signal relative to the received frequency-divided signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Alexander Melzer, Clemens Pfeffer
  • Patent number: 11681035
    Abstract: The radar includes an antenna having a radiation pattern forming a sum channel, SUM, a radiation pattern forming a difference channel, DIFF, and a pattern forming a control channel, CONT, a first transmission and reception chain being associated with the SUM channel and a second transmission and reception chain being associated with the CONT channel, a reception channel being associated with the DIFF channel. Each of the transmission and reception chains is able to transmit and to receive simultaneously, the transmission chain comprising a filtering operation that filters signals transmitted at 1090 MHz and the reception chain comprising a filtering operation that filter signals transmitted at 1030 MHz, in such a way that the chains operate independently of one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: THALES
    Inventors: Philippe Billaud, Sylvain Colin, Philippe Joly
  • Patent number: 11681012
    Abstract: A flexible radar support for absorbing vibration deviation comprises a support base and a support top cover that are engaged with each other in an interlocking manner. A housing space for arranging a radar is formed between the support base and the support top cover. The support base includes: a centrally arranged base center, and a base edge circumferentially arranged around the base center. The base edge and the base center are connected through four flexible structures that form U-shaped cantilever beams protruding towards the support top cover. With the flexible radar support provided, and with the design of U-shaped flexible structures, where an automobile body vibrates at a large amplitude, the flexible radar support can still absorb swaying in the up and down, and left and right directions during the course of driving, thereby reducing the impact of the automobile body's vibrations on the detection precision of a radar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignees: Yanfeng Plastic Omnium Automotive Exterior Systems Co., Ltd., Compagnie Plastic Omnium SE
    Inventors: Xia Yu, Quanquan Kong, Miaotian Lin
  • Patent number: 11675045
    Abstract: A method of processing a radar hit from an object using, for each of a plurality of cells, a signal strength threshold, a hit rate threshold, a time of last detection; and receiving, for one of the plurality of cells corresponding to the object, a measured signal strength, a measured hit rate and a time of measurement. The object is identified as clutter if the measured hit rate is greater than the hit rate threshold, and the measured signal strength is less than signal strength threshold. The signal strength threshold is above a conventional CFAR signal threshold. Measured Doppler strength may also be used to identify clutter. Identification can be determined using Doppler-polarity-specific data values. The hit rate and the mean Doppler speed of the one of the plurality of cells can be updated using a running average.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: SRC, Inc.
    Inventor: David L. Weldum
  • Patent number: 11675066
    Abstract: A system for using radio frequency (RF) communication signals to extract situational awareness information thorough deep learning. Pre-processing is performed to maximally preserve discriminating features in spatial, temporal and frequency domains. A specially designed neural network architecture is used for handling complex RF signals and extracting spatial, temporal and frequency domain information. Data collection and training is used so that the learning system desensitizes from features orthogonal to the underlying classification problem.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Biao Chen, Yang Liu, Tiexing Wang
  • Patent number: 11668817
    Abstract: A radar system to detect and track objects in three dimensions. The radar system including antennae, transmit, receive and processing electronics is all in a small, lightweight, low-cost, highly integrated package. The radar system uses a wide azimuth, narrow elevation radar pattern to detect objects and a Wi-Fi radio to communicate to one or more receiving and display units. One application may include mounting the radar system in an existing radome on an aircraft to detect and avoid objects during ground operations. Objects may include other moving aircraft, ground vehicles, buildings or other structures that may be in the area. The system may transmit information to both pilot and ground crew.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: David C. Vacanti, Nigel Wang
  • Patent number: 11662451
    Abstract: A radar (30) is an FMCW radar. A determination unit (901) of the radar (30) executes at least one program of an attenuation determination program (324a), which determines whether an abnormal attenuation is present in a beat signal (S305), and a frequency characteristic determination program (325a), which determines whether an anomaly is present in a frequency characteristic of the beat signal (S305). The radar (30) can determine whether the beat signal (S305) is abnormal by software by executing the attenuation determination program (324a) and the frequency characteristic determination program (325a).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Daisuke Suzuki, Shoei Nashimoto
  • Patent number: 11656329
    Abstract: This disclosure is directed to calibrating sensors for an autonomous vehicle. First sensor data and second sensor data can be captured by one or more sensors representing an environment. The first sensor data and the second sensor data can be associated with a grid in a plurality of combinations to generate a plurality of projected data. A number of data points of the projected data occupying a cell of the grid can be summed to determine a spatial histogram. An amount of error (such as an entropy value) can be determined for each of the projected data, and the projected data corresponding to the lowest entropy value can be selected as representing a calibrated configuration of the one or more sensors. Calibration data associated with the lowest entropy value can be determined and used to calibrate the one or more sensors, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Zoox, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick Blaes, Daniel Miller
  • Patent number: 11656331
    Abstract: A system and method are provided for emulating echo signals using test equipment, including an antenna and an I/Q mixer, in response to a radar signal transmitted by a radar under test. The method includes receiving the radar signal from the radar under test, where a reflection component of the radar signal is reflected from at least the antenna; mixing the received radar signal as a local oscillator (LO) signal with I and Q signals at the I/Q mixer to output a mixing product as a radio frequency (RF) signal, where a leakage component of the LO signal leaks through the I/Q mixer; substantially canceling the reflection component of the radar signal using the leakage component of the LO signal; and transmitting the RF signal as the emulated echo signal to the radar under test, wherein the emulated echo signal indicates at least a range to the emulated target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: KEYSIGHT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Christian Bourde, Gregory Douglas Vanwiggeren
  • Patent number: 11656330
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for improving the accuracy of a phase associated with the radar signal by identifying a spectral signature associated with a radio frequency (RF) impairment and performing digital predistortion to enhance the radar performance and to compensate for the impairment that causes offset or imbalance of the phase rotator output cause signal distortion or otherwise degrade of the phase of the signal. The self-calibrating mechanism of the present disclosure is configured to identify the impairments, determine a spectral signature associated with the impairment, and optimize the phase error through digital predistortion of the RF signal based at least in part on the spectral signature associated with the impairment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: NXP USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Olivier Vincent Doare, Julien Orlando
  • Patent number: 11656328
    Abstract: Presented herein are systems and methods for automatically evaluating detection accuracy of dynamic objects by equipment under test, comprising receiving a first record generated by an evaluated equipment under test and a second record generated by a validated reference equipment both deployed in a vehicle, the first record comprising a plurality of attributes of dynamic object(s) detected by the evaluated equipment and the second record comprising a plurality of attributes of dynamic object(s) detected by the reference equipment, correlating between dynamic object(s) detected by both the evaluated equipment and the reference equipment according to matching spatial and temporal attributes of the dynamic object(s) in the first record and in the second record, analyzing at least some of the attributes of the respective dynamic object in the first record compared to the second record, and outputting an indication of differences identified between the first record and the second record.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Blue White Robotics Ltd
    Inventors: Aviram Shmueli, Alon Ascher, Ben Alfi, Shmuel Ur
  • Patent number: 11650285
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a radar apparatus. The radar apparatus includes a transmit unit that generates a first signal in response to a reference clock and a feedback clock. The first signal is scattered by one or more obstacles to generate a second signal. A receive unit receives the second signal and generates N samples corresponding to the second signal. N is an integer. A conditioning circuit is coupled to the transmit unit and the receive unit. The conditioning circuit receives the N samples corresponding to the second signal, and generates N new samples using an error between the feedback clock and the reference clock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Sachin Bharadwaj, Karthik Subburaj
  • Patent number: 11650283
    Abstract: A detection device includes: a transmitter that transmits a high-frequency signal as a transmission signal; a receiver that receives a reception signal including a reflection signal formed by reflecting the transmission signal at a target; and a controller that detects the target based on a frequency of the reflection signal, and changes a frequency of the transmission signal based on a frequency of the reception signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: FUJITSU COMPONENT LIMITED
    Inventors: Maiko Saito, Masaru Sakurai, Syunichi Iizuka, Masahiro Yanagi, Kimihiro Maruyama