Patents by Inventor Frederick L. Beckner

Frederick L. Beckner 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: 7391362
    Abstract: A FM-CW radar system comprises a frequency modulated continuous wave digital generator that produces both in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) outputs to orthogonally oriented transmitter antennas. A linearly polarized beam is output from a switched antenna array that allows a variety of I-and-Q pairs of bowtie antennas to be alternately connected to the transmitter and receiver. The receiver inputs I-and-Q signals from another bowtie antenna in the array and mixes these with samples from the transmitter. Such synchronous detection produces I-and-Q beat frequency products that are sampled by dual analog-to-digital converters (ADC's). The digital samples receive four kinds of compensation, including frequency-and-phase, wiring delay, and fast Fourier transform (FFT). The compensated samples are then digitally converted by an FFT-unit into time-domain signals. Such can then be processed conventionally for range information to the target that has returned the FM-CW echo signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignee: Land Ray Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Frederick L. Beckner
  • Patent number: 7170440
    Abstract: A FM-CW radar system comprises a frequency modulated continuous wave digital generator that produces both in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) outputs to orthogonally oriented transmitter antennas. A linearly polarized beam is output from a switched antenna array that allows a variety of I-and-Q pairs of bowtie antennas to be alternately connected to the transmitter and receiver. The receiver inputs I-and-Q signals from another bowtie antenna in the array and mixes these with samples from the transmitter. Such synchronous detection produces I-and-Q beat frequency products that are sampled by dual analog-to-digital converters (ADC's). The digital samples receive four kinds of compensation, including frequency-and-phase, wiring delay, and fast Fourier transform (FFT). The compensated samples are then digitally converted by an FFT-unit into time-domain signals. Such can then be processed conventionally for range information to the target that has returned the FM-CW echo signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2007
    Assignee: LandRay Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Frederick L. Beckner
  • Patent number: 6091354
    Abstract: In a ground penetrating radar system, A-scan images of subsurface targets lying along the antenna boresight axis can be substantially improved and generated in real-time by employing a synthetic aperture, end-fire array, despite the inhomogeneous nature of the subsurface volume. The synthetic aperture, end-fire array is achieved by generating electro-magnetic (EM) ultra-wideband impulses at a number of precise locations along the antenna boresight access, shifting the returned EM signals in the time domain according to the corresponding antenna boresight location, and then integrating the shifted, returned EM signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2000
    Assignee: Power Spectra, Inc.
    Inventors: Frederick L. Beckner, Jeffrey Alan Oicles, Stephen James Davis
  • Patent number: 5952954
    Abstract: In a ground penetrating radar system, A-scan images of subsurface targets lying along the antenna boresight axis can be substantially improved and generated in real-time by employing a synthetic aperture, end-fire array, despite the inhomogeneous nature of the subsurface volume. The synthetic aperture, end-fire array is achieved by generating electro-magnetic (EM) ultra-wideband impulses at a number of precise locations along the antenna boresight access, shifting the returned EM signals in the time domain according to the corresponding antenna boresight location, and then integrating the shifted, returned EM signals. In addition, an incremental, reverse-coherent integration technique is provided. This incremental technique allows for a more rapid generation of the A-scan image. The reverse-coherent integration technique eliminates unintended, stationary targets from the A-scan image, which are caused by coherent noise/clutter sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Assignee: Power Spectra, Inc.
    Inventor: Frederick L. Beckner
  • Patent number: 5912639
    Abstract: In a ground penetrating radar system, A-scan images of subsurface targets lying along the antenna boresight axis can be substantially improved and generated in real-time by employing a synthetic aperture, end-fire array, despite the inhomogeneous nature of the subsurface volume. The synthetic aperture, end-fire array is achieved by generating electromagnetic (EM) ultra-wideband impulses at a number of precise locations along the antenna boresight access, shifting the returned EM signals in the time domain according to the corresponding antenna boresight location, and then integrating the shifted, returned EM signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1999
    Assignee: Power Spectra, Inc.
    Inventor: Frederick L. Beckner
  • Patent number: 5220332
    Abstract: A range finding system uses non-simultaneous measurements between two communicating and cooperating instruments such that a single carrier frequency is used to exchange information between the instruments with non-simultaneous transmission using the same transmission channel. The range finding system may be considered to be an interrogator/transponder arrangement in which the results of a phase measurement against a local clock is made at one transponder station during one time interval, and then the transponder transmits both a tone derived from the transponder's local clock and the measurement results back to the interrogator station during a second time interval. The interrogator then has everything it needs to accurately compute the range while eliminating local delays in clock differences, while permitting the interrogator and the transponder to share a single frequency intermittently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1993
    Assignee: Cyberdynamics, Inc.
    Inventors: Frederick L. Beckner, Darrell K. Ingram
  • Patent number: 4647873
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for generating an output signal having portions thereof being linearly swept in frequency. A controller, responsive to external signals, generates a series of control signals. An oscillator, responsive to each one of the control signals, produces an output signal. The output signal includes a series of output waveforms each linearly swept in frequency and corresponding to a respective one of the control signals. A first servo, responsive to each one of the output waveforms, produces a series of first correction signals each dependent upon the linearity error in a corresponding one of the output waveforms. The first correction signals modify a corresponding control signal as applied to the oscillator so as to correct linearity errors occurring in a corresponding one of the output waveforms. A second servo, responsive to each one of the first correction signals, produces a series of second correction signals each dependent upon the correlations in the first correction signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1987
    Assignee: General Dynamics, Pomona Division
    Inventors: Frederick L. Beckner, Garry N. Hulderman, Darrell K. Ingram
  • Patent number: D332755
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1993
    Inventor: Frederick L. Beckner