Abstract: Fire retardant dryer seals and related methods are provided herein. A fire retardant dryer seal can include an elongate, flexible base substrate having a first end and a second end. The base substrate can also have a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The first end and the second end of the base substrate secured together so that the base substrate forms at least a portion of an annular shape. A heat resistant coating disposed on at least the first surface of the base substrate.

Abstract: A recovery system and method with repeating communication functionality includes a station configured to send a first message and at least a first remote transmitting unit responsive to the central station and configured to transmit a second message to a locating unit. At least a second remote transmitting unit includes a receiver which receives the second message, a controller configured to process the second message, and a transmitter for transmitting a third message to the locating unit.

Abstract: Systems and methods for power management systems are disclosed. One embodiment of the invention includes a power management system for a vehicle locating unit, the vehicle locating unit having a receiver for receiving at an assigned message frame an intermittent transmission from a communications source, wherein each intermittent transmission includes at least one assignable message frame, the power management system including a processing device for controlling wake and sleep modes of the receiver and a memory for storing a plurality of memory bit patterns for comparison with a pattern of bits contained in some portion of an assigned message frame, wherein the processing device is configured to perform the following steps: index to the receiver's assigned message frame in the intermittent transmission, re-enter wake mode after indexing, and subject the receiver to a constant average current draw.

Abstract: A recovery system and method with repeating communication functionality includes a station configured to send a first message and at least a first remote transmitting unit responsive to the central station and configured to transmit a second message to a locating unit. At least a second remote transmitting unit includes a receiver which receives the second message, a controller configured to process the second message, and a transmitter for transmitting a third message to the locating unit.

Abstract: Improved power management for a vehicle locating unit is achieved by receiving a transmission from a communication source, each transmission including at least one message frame having a data field and at least one auxiliary field; entering a wake mode upon indexing the assigned message frame of the receiver in the transmission; matching the pattern of bits of at least one auxiliary field of the indexed frame with one or more stored patterns of bits expected for that auxiliary field; and returning to the sleep mode as soon as a mismatch is determined or processing the message if no mismatch occurs.

Abstract: Fire retardant dryer seals and related methods are provided herein. A fire retardant dryer seal can include an elongate, flexible base substrate having a first end and a second end. The base substrate can also have a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The first end and the second end of the base substrate secured together so that the base substrate forms at least a portion of an annular shape. A heat resistant coating disposed on at least the first surface of the base substrate.

Abstract: Synchronization for achieving low power battery operation of a vehicle locating unit in a stolen vehicle recovery system whose radio receiver receives periodic transmissions, includes receiving periodic transmissions; turning on a radio receiver for a limited time to detect an expected message; if an expected message is not found, turning off the receiver and turning it on again after a time asynchronous with the transmission period; and after finding an expected message, waiting for the period of the transmissions less the length of an expected message and then looking for a synchronization symbol in the expected message and synchronizing subsequent actuation of the receiver using that synchronization symbol.

Abstract: Synchronization for achieving low power battery operation of a vehicle locating unit in a stolen vehicle recovery system whose radio receiver receives periodic transmissions, includes receiving periodic transmissions; turning on a radio receiver for a limited time to detect an expected message; if an expected message is not found, turning off the receiver and turning it on again after a time asynchronous with the transmission period; and after finding an expected message, waiting for the period of the transmissions less the length of an expected message and then looking for a synchronization symbol in the expected message and synchronizing subsequent actuation of the receiver using that synchronization symbol.

Abstract: A multilayer electronic imaging module and sensor system incorporating a micro-lens layer for imaging and collimating a received image from a field of regard, a photocathode layer for detecting photons from the micro-lens layer and generating an electron output, a micro-channel plate layer for receiving the output electrons emitted from the photocathode in response to the photon input and amplifying same and stacked readout circuitry for processing the electron output of the micro-channel plate. The sensor system of the invention may be provided in the form of a Cassegrain telescope assembly and includes electromagnetic imaging and scanning means and beam-splitting means for directed predetermined ranges of the received image to one or more photo-detector elements which may be in the form of the micro-channel imaging module of the invention.

Abstract: A multilayer electronic imaging module and sensor system incorporating a micro-lens layer for imaging and collimating a received image from a field of regard, a photocathode layer for detecting photons from the micro-lens layer and generating an electron output, a micro-channel plate layer for receiving the output electrons emitted from the photocathode in response to the photon input and amplifying same and stacked readout circuitry for processing the electron output of the micro-channel plate. The sensor system of the invention may be provided in the form of a Cassegrain telescope assembly and includes electromagnetic imaging and scanning means and beam-splitting means for directed predetermined ranges of the received image to one or more photo-detector elements which may be in the form of the micro-channel imaging module of the invention.

Abstract: Synchronization for achieving low power battery operation of a vehicle locating unit in a stolen vehicle recovery system whose radio receiver receives periodic transmissions, includes receiving periodic transmissions; turning on a radio receiver for a limited time to detect an expected message; if an expected message is not found, turning off the receiver and turning it on again after a time asynchronous with the transmission period; and after finding an expected message, waiting for the period of the transmissions less the length of an expected message and then looking for a synchronization symbol in the expected message and synchronizing subsequent actuation of the receiver using that synchronization symbol.

Abstract: A hyper-spectral and hyper-spatial sensor system is disclosed. A micro-channel plate array imaging sensor is provided for imaging a scene of interest and cooperates with a passive imaging system which may comprise a system having a responsivity to the visible electromagnetic spectrum. Image data from the dual-sensor systems is received and processed at high processing speeds using a massively parallel image processing architecture for the detection of salient scene features in the scene.

Abstract: A targeting sight having viewing optics, a focal plane array and an alignment frame having an aperture that defines a target area that is mounted proximal the muzzle of a weapon. Electronic processing means is provided to define a crosshair in the viewing optics. The alignment frame is illuminated with a beam and the reflected portion of the beam is received by the focal plane array and is processed to position the crosshair with respect to the aperture.

Abstract: A recovery system and method with repeating communication functionality includes a station configured to send a first message and at least a first remote transmitting unit responsive to the central station and configured to transmit a second message to a locating unit. At least a second remote transmitting unit includes a receiver which receives the second message, a controller configured to process the second message, and a transmitter for transmitting a third message to the locating unit.

Abstract: Fire retardant dryer seals and related methods are provided herein. A fire retardant dryer seal can include an elongate, flexible base substrate having a first end and a second end. The base substrate can also have a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The first end and the second end of the base substrate secured together so that the base substrate forms at least a portion of an annular shape. A heat resistant coating disposed on at least the first surface of the base substrate.

Abstract: A method for processing sensor data representative of a scene of interest. A plurality of sensor data outputs representative of the scene is selected from the group consisting of visible, VNIR, SWIR, MWIR, LWIR, far infrared, multi-spectral data, hyper-spectral data, SAR data, and 3-D LIDAR sensor data. The data is input to a plurality of graphics processing elements that are configured to independently execute separate image processing filter operations selected from the group consisting of spatial filtering, temporal filtering, spatio-temporal filtering, and template matching. A cross-correlation operation is performed on the filter outputs based on predetermined filter output characteristics which may then be used to annotate the scene with regions of interest (ROI) for display to a user.

Abstract: A LIDAR system having a rotating geometric solid polyhedron reflective scanning and receiving element disposed on a rotation table element. The system is configured for scanning a transmitted electromagnetic beam such as a laser beam over a scene of interest in both elevation and azimuth and for receiving a reflected portion of the transmitted beam onto the focal plane detector array of the invention and to output an (x, y, range) set of point cloud coordinate image data.

Abstract: A recovery system and method with repeating communication functionality includes a station configured to send a first message and at least a first remote transmitting unit responsive to the central station and configured to transmit a second message to a locating unit. At least a second remote transmitting unit includes a receiver which receives the second message, a controller configured to process the second message, and a transmitter for transmitting a third message to the locating unit.

Abstract: A sensor suite comprising a first electronic imaging element such as an LWIR imager element and a second imaging element such as a visible imager element. The transmitter operates with a plurality of selectable beam-forming optics or a tilt-tip element. The optics for the system may be configured in a Cassegrain-type configuration in cooperation with a plurality of beam-splitting elements to permit different ranges of the received optical input to be provided respectively to the first and second electronic imagers. One or a plurality of laser illuminator analysis spectrometers are provided for the detection and characterizing of incoming laser illumination from an external source which may be in the form of a micro-lamellar spectrometer element.

Abstract: A multi-spectral sensor assembly having a plurality of mosaics of four-side buttable focal plane arrays in which each mosaic array is responsive to a different range of the electromagnetic spectrum. The scene image is received through a baffled solar shade to a beam-splitting element which transmits a first portion of the received image in a first electromagnetic spectrum to a short wave infrared (SWIR) buttable focal plane array detector element. The beam-splitting element transmits a second portion of the received image in a second electromagnetic spectrum to a mid-wave infrared (MWIR) buttable focal plane array detector element by means of a folding mirror. The first and second portions of the received image are passed through a filter wheel having multiple selectable optical filters to provide a multi-spectral imaging system.