Patents by Inventor Douglas A. Thornton
Douglas A. Thornton 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).
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Publication number: 20240120661Abstract: A modular radio frequency (RF) device includes N base units, each including a differential segmented array (DSA) tile with a support board and a two-dimensional (2D) array of electrically conductive tapered projections disposed on the support board. Neighboring pairs of the electrically conductive tapered projections form RF pixels. The N DSA tiles are arranged to form an RF aperture. The N base units are programmed to switch the RF aperture between a first operating mode and a second operating mode. In the first operating mode, the N base units are operated as at least two independent subsets with each subset operating as an RF transmitter or receiver independently of the other subsets. In the second operating mode all N base units coherently combine as a single phased array RF transmitter or receiver.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 20, 2023Publication date: April 11, 2024Inventors: Douglas A. Thornton, Kevin P. Crawford, Daniel A. Perkins, Raphael J. Welsh, Curtis A. Cutright
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Publication number: 20240118412Abstract: A broadband RF imaging device includes a broadband RF aperture array, at least one RF receiver, and a computer. The at least one RF receiver has short RF connections with the broadband RF aperture array, e.g. length 10 meters or less. The computer has a digital data connection to the at least one RF receiver. Each RF receiver is configured to receive broadband RF signal data over a sampling time interval from the broadband RF aperture array, and to digitize the broadband RF signal data to generate digitized broadband RF signal data, and to store the digitized broadband RF signal data locally at the RF receiver. The computer receives the digitized broadband RF signal data stored locally at the at least one RF receiver, and is programmed to reconstruct an RF image from the digitized broadband RF signal data received from the at least one RF receiver.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 21, 2023Publication date: April 11, 2024Inventors: Mollie A. Engel, Douglas A. Thornton, Raphael J. Welsh
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Patent number: 11942688Abstract: A radio frequency (RF) aperture includes an array of electrically conductive tapered projections arranged to define a curved aperture surface, such as a semi-cylinder aperture surface, or a cylinder aperture surface (which may be constructed as two semi-circular aperture surfaces mutually arranged to define the cylinder aperture surface). The RF aperture may further include a top array of electrically conductive tapered projections arranged to define a top aperture surface. The top aperture surface may be planar, and a cylinder axis of cylinder aperture surface may be perpendicular to the plane of the planar top aperture surface. The RF aperture may further include baluns mounted on at least one printed circuit board, each having a balanced port electrically connected with two neighboring electrically conductive tapered projections of the array and further having an unbalanced port.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 2023Date of Patent: March 26, 2024Assignee: BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTEInventors: Raphael Joseph Welsh, Douglas A. Thornton
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Patent number: 11936415Abstract: An air interface plane (AIP) of a radio frequency (RF) aperture includes: a circuit board having a first side and a second side opposite the first side; and a matrix of tapered elements arranged on the first side of the circuit board and secured to the circuit board, the matrix of tapered elements cooperating to at least one of receive or transmit an over-the-air RF signal. Suitably, each tapered element of the matrix has: a central hub extending along a longitudinal axis from a hub base which is proximate to the first side of the circuit board to an apex of the tapered element which is distal from the first side of the first circuit board; and a plurality of arms extending from the central hub at the apex of the tapered element, each of the plurality of arms including a first portion that projects the arm radially away from the longitudinal axis and a second portion that projects the arm longitudinally toward the first side of the circuit board.Type: GrantFiled: April 26, 2023Date of Patent: March 19, 2024Assignee: BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTEInventors: Raphael Joseph Welsh, Douglas A. Thornton, Mackenzie Jordan Hawkins, Micah John Meleski, Katherine M. Armitage, Daniel G. Loesch, Matthew E. Huntwork, David R. Chase, Erik W. Edwards, John Bartholomew, Thomas Lloyd Moffitt, Curt Hudberg
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Publication number: 20240079794Abstract: A radio frequency (RF) aperture includes an array of electrically conductive tapered projections arranged to define a curved aperture surface, such as a semi-cylinder aperture surface, or a cylinder aperture surface (which may be constructed as two semi-circular aperture surfaces mutually arranged to define the cylinder aperture surface). The RF aperture may further include a top array of electrically conductive tapered projections arranged to define a top aperture surface. The top aperture surface may be planar, and a cylinder axis of cylinder aperture surface may be perpendicular to the plane of the planar top aperture surface. The RF aperture may further include baluns mounted on at least one printed circuit board, each having a balanced port electrically connected with two neighboring electrically conductive tapered projections of the array and further having an unbalanced port.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 10, 2023Publication date: March 7, 2024Inventors: Raphael Joseph Welsh, Douglas A. Thornton
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Patent number: 11909117Abstract: A modular radio frequency (RF) device includes N base units, each including a differential segmented array (DSA) tile with a support board and a two-dimensional (2D) array of electrically conductive tapered projections disposed on the support board. Neighboring pairs of the electrically conductive tapered projections form RF pixels. The N DSA tiles are arranged to form an RF aperture. The N base units are programmed to switch the RF aperture between a first operating mode and a second operating mode. In the first operating mode, the N base units are operated as at least two independent subsets with each subset operating as an RF transmitter or receiver independently of the other subsets. In the second operating mode all N base units coherently combine as a single phased array RF transmitter or receiver.Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 2023Date of Patent: February 20, 2024Assignee: BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTEInventors: Douglas A. Thornton, Kevin P. Crawford, Daniel A. Perkins, Raphael J. Welsh, Curtis A. Cutright
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Publication number: 20240047893Abstract: A modular radio frequency (RF) device includes N base units, each including a differential segmented array (DSA) tile with a support board and a two-dimensional (2D) array of electrically conductive tapered projections disposed on the support board. Neighboring pairs of the electrically conductive tapered projections form RF pixels. The N DSA tiles are arranged to form an RF aperture. The N base units are programmed to switch the RF aperture between a first operating mode and a second operating mode. In the first operating mode, the N base units are operated as at least two independent subsets with each subset operating as an RF transmitter or receiver independently of the other subsets. In the second operating mode all N base units coherently combine as a single phased array RF transmitter or receiver.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 27, 2023Publication date: February 8, 2024Inventors: Douglas A. Thornton, Kevin P. Crawford, Daniel A. Perkins, Raphael J. Welsh, Curtis A. Cutright
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Publication number: 20230361805Abstract: A radio frequency (RF) aperture includes an interface board. An array of electrically conductive tapered projections have bases disposed on a front side of the interface printed circuit board and extend away from the front side of the interface printed circuit board. RF circuitry is disposed at the back side of the interface board and is electrically connected with the electrically conductive tapered projections.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 7, 2023Publication date: November 9, 2023Inventors: Raphael Joseph Welsh, Douglas A. Thornton, Daniel A. Perkins, Micah Blue, Amy M. Heintz, Daniel G. Loesch
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Patent number: 11742888Abstract: A radio frequency (RF) aperture includes an interface board. An array of electrically conductive tapered projections have bases disposed on a front side of the interface printed circuit board and extend away from the front side of the interface printed circuit board. RF circuitry is disposed at the back side of the interface board and is electrically connected with the electrically conductive tapered projections.Type: GrantFiled: November 22, 2022Date of Patent: August 29, 2023Assignee: BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTEInventors: Raphael Joseph Welsh, Douglas A. Thornton, Daniel A. Perkins, Micah Blue, Amy M. Heintz, Daniel G. Loesch
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Publication number: 20230261687Abstract: An air interface plane (AIP) of a radio frequency (RF) aperture includes: a circuit board having a first side and a second side opposite the first side; and a matrix of tapered elements arranged on the first side of the circuit board and secured to the circuit board, the matrix of tapered elements cooperating to at least one of receive or transmit an over-the-air RF signal. Suitably, each tapered element of the matrix has: a central hub extending along a longitudinal axis from a hub base which is proximate to the first side of the circuit board to an apex of the tapered element which is distal from the first side of the first circuit board; and a plurality of arms extending from the central hub at the apex of the tapered element, each of the plurality of arms including a first portion that projects the arm radially away from the longitudinal axis and a second portion that projects the arm longitudinally toward the first side of the circuit board.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 26, 2023Publication date: August 17, 2023Inventors: Raphael Joseph Welsh, Douglas A. Thornton, Mackenzie Jordan Hawkins, Micah John Meleski, Katherine M. Armitage, Daniel G. Loesch, Matthew E. Huntwork, David R. Chase, Erik W. Edwards, John Bartholomew, Thomas Lloyd Moffit, Curt Hudberg
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Patent number: 11711386Abstract: An electronic device is disclosed, which is connectable with a CAN bus or other broadcast network. The electronic device programmed to compute expected periods and period variability metrics for historical accumulations of messages for different message headers and to identify periodic message headers based on the period variability metrics, and is further programmed to detect a temporal anomaly as a deviation of a period of a most recent set of two or more messages with a periodic message header from the expected period for the periodic message header, and to generate an alert indicating the detected temporal anomaly. The electronic device may be further programmed to maintain a state machine for a vehicle (or other platform) including the CAN bus and perform state-aware anomaly detection.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2020Date of Patent: July 25, 2023Assignee: BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTEInventors: Aaron McCanty, Jason Goodman, Douglas Thornton
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Publication number: 20230187841Abstract: A radio frequency (RF) aperture includes an array of electrically conductive tapered projections arranged to define a curved aperture surface, such as a semi-cylinder aperture surface, or a cylinder aperture surface (which may be constructed as two semi-circular aperture surfaces mutually arranged to define the cylinder aperture surface). The RF aperture may further include a top array of electrically conductive tapered projections arranged to define a top aperture surface. The top aperture surface may be planar, and a cylinder axis of cylinder aperture surface may be perpendicular to the plane of the planar top aperture surface. The RF aperture may further include baluns mounted on at least one printed circuit board, each having a balanced port electrically connected with two neighboring electrically conductive tapered projections of the array and further having an unbalanced port.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 3, 2023Publication date: June 15, 2023Inventors: Raphael Joseph Welsh, Douglas A. Thornton
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Publication number: 20230188553Abstract: CAN bus signal format inference includes: extracting candidate signals from training CAN bus message traffic; defining one or more signals, each signal being a candidate signal that matches structural characteristics of a matching data type and each signal being assigned the matching data type; and generating an inferred CAN bus protocol with which the defined one or more signals conform. Signals are extracted from CAN bus message traffic using the inferred CAN bus protocol, an anomaly in an extracted signal is detected, and an alert is generated indicating the detected anomaly. In another aspect, a transport protocol (TP) signal is extracted and analyzed to determine a fraction of the TP signal that matches opcodes of a machine language instruction set, and an anomaly is detected based at least in part on the determined fraction exceeding an opcode anomaly threshold.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 8, 2023Publication date: June 15, 2023Inventors: Colin Wee, Ian LoVerde, Douglas A. Thornton
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Publication number: 20230133302Abstract: A beam steering system includes a differential segmented array (DSA) antenna comprising a plurality of pyramid structures and elements arranged in an array comprising a first and second set of direction elements, where each element is defined between opposing faces of two adjacent pyramid structures and a position of each element is located at a distance from a common origin of the elements of the array; phase gradient determination circuitry to determine a first and second phase gradient for the direction elements, where the phase gradients are based on a first and a second angle of a target with respect to the DSA antenna, and an operating frequency of the DSA antenna; and phase shift determination circuitry to determine a first and second phase shift, for each of the elements, and to determine a resultant phase shift, for each element, by summing the respective first and second phase shifts.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 28, 2022Publication date: May 4, 2023Inventors: Daniel A. PERKINS, Raphael J. WELSH, Douglas A THORNTON, Jeffrey A. LAU, Daniel G. LOESCH, Damian B. FEDORYKA, Roger KANKE, Shannon PITTS
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Publication number: 20230138769Abstract: In an approach to a system for a differentially segmented aperture (DSA) antenna includes protrusions arranged in an array, and pixels formed in an array, each pixel formed between two adjacent protrusions; and one or more signal chains, each including: transmit circuitry comprising digital-to-analog circuitry to generate an analog signal at a selected operating frequency based on a transmit digital signal representing the first analog signal to be transmitted to a target; receive circuitry comprising analog-to-digital circuitry to receive a second analog signal at the plurality of pixels of the DSA antenna, and to generate a receive digital signal representing the second analog signal; and pixel combiner circuitry to receive the first analog signal and control the pixels of the array with the first analog signal, and to receive analog signals from the pixels of the array and combine the analog signals to form an array analog receive signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 28, 2022Publication date: May 4, 2023Inventors: Raphael J. WELSH, Daniel A. PERKINS, Daniel G. LOESCH, Douglas A. THORNTON
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Publication number: 20230082036Abstract: A radio frequency (RF) aperture includes an interface board. An array of electrically conductive tapered projections have bases disposed on a front side of the interface printed circuit board and extend away from the front side of the interface printed circuit board. RF circuitry is disposed at the back side of the interface board and is electrically connected with the electrically conductive tapered projections.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 22, 2022Publication date: March 16, 2023Inventors: Raphael Joseph Welsh, Douglas A. Thornton, Daniel A. Perkins, Micah Blue, Amy M. Heintz, Daniel G. Loesch
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Patent number: 11606376Abstract: CAN bus signal format inference includes: extracting candidate signals from training CAN bus message traffic; defining one or more signals, each signal being a candidate signal that matches structural characteristics of a matching data type and each signal being assigned the matching data type; and generating an inferred CAN bus protocol with which the defined one or more signals conform. Signals are extracted from CAN bus message traffic using the inferred CAN bus protocol, an anomaly in an extracted signal is detected, and an alert is generated indicating the detected anomaly. In another aspect, a transport protocol (TP) signal is extracted and analyzed to determine a fraction of the TP signal that matches opcodes of a machine language instruction set, and an anomaly is detected based at least in part on the determined fraction exceeding an opcode anomaly threshold.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2020Date of Patent: March 14, 2023Assignee: Battelle Memorial InstituteInventors: Colin Wee, Ian LoVerde, Douglas A. Thornton
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Patent number: 11605899Abstract: A radio frequency (RF) aperture includes an array of electrically conductive tapered projections arranged to define a curved aperture surface, such as a semi-cylinder aperture surface, or a cylinder aperture surface (which may be constructed as two semi-circular aperture surfaces mutually arranged to define the cylinder aperture surface). The RF aperture may further include a top array of electrically conductive tapered projections arranged to define a top aperture surface. The top aperture surface may be planar, and a cylinder axis of cylinder aperture surface may be perpendicular to the plane of the planar top aperture surface. The RF aperture may further include baluns mounted on at least one printed circuit board, each having a balanced port electrically connected with two neighboring electrically conductive tapered projections of the array and further having an unbalanced port.Type: GrantFiled: April 24, 2020Date of Patent: March 14, 2023Assignee: BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTEInventors: Raphael Joseph Welsh, Douglas A. Thornton
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Patent number: D991231Type: GrantFiled: July 8, 2021Date of Patent: July 4, 2023Assignee: BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTEInventors: Raphael Joseph Welsh, Douglas A. Thornton, Daniel A. Perkins, Micah Blue, Amy M. Heintz, Daniel G. Loesch
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Patent number: D992535Type: GrantFiled: July 8, 2021Date of Patent: July 18, 2023Assignee: Battelle Memorial InstituteInventors: Raphael Joseph Welsh, Douglas A. Thornton, Daniel A. Perkins, Micah Blue, Amy M. Heintz, Daniel G. Loesch