Patents by Inventor Charles L. Zahm

Charles L. Zahm has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7557748
    Abstract: The present invention, in one aspect, is a method for determining motion and/or location parameters of a locomotive. One method embodiment includes steps of phase locking a pair of receivers having antennas at different locations on a locomotive to reference signals received from a set of satellites, determining a set of phase differences between the reference signals received at the antennas, and determining at least one of an accurate heading, heading rate, attitude, and attitude rate of the locomotive using the set of phase differences between the reference signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Charles L. Zahm, William L. Matheson, Kevin M. Clyne
  • Patent number: 6374184
    Abstract: A path determination device is configured to receive measured heading and distance information; determine heading corrections, distance corrections, and residuals utilizing a Kalman filter assuming a selected, known path was taken; and to determine a probability that the selected, known path actually was taken utilizing the determined residuals. The additional information utilized by the Kalman filters provides a more robust measurement indication of whether a particular path is taken than mere measurements and correlations of path curvature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2002
    Assignee: GE-Harris Railway Electronics, LLC
    Inventors: Charles L. Zahm, William L. Matheson
  • Patent number: 6218961
    Abstract: A system and method for preventing collisions between vehicles, such as railway vehicles, by exchanging data regarding track position of the vehicles. By use of an on-board track database, the system provides an indication of the distance between vehicles based not on line-of-sight but on track distance. Additionally, a system and method for accurately determining location of railway vehicles without the use of a network of trackside indicators. The disclosed system uses a gyro, position indicator, and a satellite position determination along with a track database to maintain highly accurate estimates of measurement errors and track position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Assignee: G.E. Harris Railway Electronics, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Eric Gross, Anthony J. Guarino, Scott Easterling, Ernest Peek, Charles L. Zahm, Leonard R. Reinhart, Michael S. Gottfried
  • Patent number: 5363401
    Abstract: Identification and extraction of hybrid, frequency-hopped direct sequence pseudo noise (FH/DS), signals from a multiband signal environment is effected by a sequential signal processing technique which examines the distribution of the energy content within a prescribed sub-spectrum window that is iteratively scanned or `slides` across the overall signal spectrum of interest. Based upon this energy content distribution, in particular the extent to which a sub-spectrum window contains energy that exhibits significant conjugate phase symmetry associated with a direct spread signal, the inventive signal processing technique proceeds to emphasize the spectral composition of components of which hybrid signals are comprised and to deemphasize the spectral composition of signals other than those contained in hybrid signals. Potential hybrid signal candidates whose spectral composition has been emphasized are then selectively combined with the deemphasized signals to isolate and identify the hybrid signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1994
    Assignee: Harris Corporation
    Inventors: Leonard V. Lucas, Charles L. Zahm, Edward A. Payne, Carl F. Andren