Patents by Inventor Donna F. Smith

Donna F. Smith 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: 9964637
    Abstract: A method for tracking an object of interest with a passive radar system using multiple radar sensors. The method includes the steps of receiving, with at least one controller, radar sensor characteristics and radar sensor locations data for a plurality of radar receivers occupying an area of interest. Data indicative of direct or reflected radar return signals from emitters of opportunity received by the plurality of radar receivers is also received at the controller. From this data, objects of interest are identified. The controller is configured to calculate optimized radar sensor parameters for the plurality of radar receivers for each identified object of interest, and transmit the same to the plurality of radar receivers for implementation. Radar return data received by the plurality of radar receivers using the optimized sensor parameters is provided to the central controller, and updated optimized sensor parameters according to the updated received radar return data are calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Jack H. Winters, Donna F. Smith, Michael J. Luddy
  • Patent number: 9041798
    Abstract: An automated method for cueing a high resolution video camera to a mobile object involves first detecting the presence of an object by a wide-area surveillance asset such as a radar and using the radar's positional information to cue the video camera iteratively, while updating the positional information each time. Then, a video analytics algorithm detects the object and generates more accurate positional and rate information on the object, which is then used to cue the video camera into a higher resolution setting for classifying/identifying the object. Once the object is identified, the positional and rate information is updated and the updated information is used to further cue the video camera into a higher resolution setting for recording a video clip of the moving object while the video camera is dynamically steered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Yerkes, Donna F. Smith, Louis Lagonik
  • Patent number: 8049658
    Abstract: A method for determining, in three dimensions, the location of a moving ground object observed in a region by a video camera. A terrain map supplies altitude for the latitude and longitude of each terrain point. The terrain information is combined with camera location, field of view, and orientation to produce a computed terrain map relative to the camera. A video analytics step processes the video and locates moving target(s) in two Cartesian coordinates. The coordinates are processed with the camera information to produce target location in terms of azimuth and elevation angle. The computed map information is combined with the angular target location to produce latitude, longitude, and altitude of the target. The target location information is used for further investigation or to attack the target. Also, a method for determining the third dimension of a 2-D radar track to cue a camera or fuse with camera data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Louis Lagonik, Donna F. Smith