Patents by Inventor Kyle Robert Drexler

Kyle Robert Drexler 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: 12142153
    Abstract: A light-guided vehicle comprising: a platform; an optical sensor mounted to the platform, wherein the optical sensor is configured to image off-axis scatter of a photon beam; a processing unit mounted to the platform, wherein the processing unit is communicatively coupled to the platform and to the optical sensor, and wherein the processing unit is configured to monitor intensities of off-axis photons that are scattered by aerosol particles in a beam propagation path as measured by the optical sensor, and wherein the processing unit is further configured to maintain the platform within a vehicle path based on the monitored off-axis-photon intensities, wherein the vehicle path is offset from, and parallel to, the propagation path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Kyle Robert Drexler, Stephen Hammel, John Stephen deGrassie, Benjamin Joel Laxton
  • Publication number: 20240337855
    Abstract: An atmospheric distortion compensator for compensating for atmospheric distortion of a free space optical beam comprising: a disc that is rotationally balanced about a center point and that comprises a phase-modifying structure; an optical beam source configured to generate a free space optical beam that propagates through the disc and then through open air to a distant point separated from the disc only by the air; and a rotator mechanically coupled to the disc's center point and configured to spin the disc about an axis parallel to the free space optical beam, wherein the disc, when spinning, is configured to control a property of the free space optical beam thereby reducing scintillation effects as experienced at the distant point, which effects are caused by propagation of the free space optical beam through the air.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2024
    Publication date: October 10, 2024
    Inventor: Kyle Robert Drexler
  • Publication number: 20240333387
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention include free-space optical communication systems and methods employing homodyne encoding on the receiver sides of the terminals that are configured to mitigate optical degradation due to atmospheric turbulence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2023
    Publication date: October 3, 2024
    Applicant: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Kyle Robert Drexler, Burton Hamilton Neuner, III, Skylar Darious Jones Lilledahl, Benjamin Laxton
  • Patent number: 12085729
    Abstract: An atmospheric distortion compensator comprising a disc and a rotator. The disc, which comprises a phase-modifying structure, is rotationally balanced about a center point. The rotator is mechanically coupled to the disc's center point and configured to spin the disc about an axis. When spinning, the disc is configured to control a property of a beam, which is propagating in parallel to the axis and impinging on the disc. By so doing, scintillation effects within an electro-optical field caused by propagation of the beam within a heterogeneous medium are reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Kyle Robert Drexler
  • Patent number: 12047549
    Abstract: A homodyne encoder encodes light sampled from an object with respective primary apertures for each spectral band. The multi-band homodyne encoder includes an optical spreader and a focusing optic. The optical spreader spreads apart the light from the respective primary apertures for each spectral band to respective secondary apertures for each spectral band. The optical spreader is arranged to spread, for each spectral band, the light from each one of the primary apertures for the spectral band to a respective one of the secondary apertures for the spectral band. The focusing optic focuses the light from the secondary apertures for all of the spectral bands into one or more composite images of the object. For each spectral band, every pairing of two of the primary apertures for the spectral band contributes distinct spatial frequencies to the composite image or images of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2024
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Kyle Robert Drexler, Benjamin Laxton
  • Publication number: 20240212514
    Abstract: A light-guided vehicle comprising: a platform; an optical sensor mounted to the platform, wherein the optical sensor is configured to image off-axis scatter of a photon beam; a processing unit mounted to the platform, wherein the processing unit is communicatively coupled to the platform and to the optical sensor, and wherein the processing unit is configured to monitor intensities of off-axis photons that are scattered by aerosol particles in a beam propagation path as measured by the optical sensor, and wherein the processing unit is further configured to maintain the platform within a vehicle path based on the monitored off-axis-photon intensities, wherein the vehicle path is offset from, and parallel to, the propagation path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2022
    Publication date: June 27, 2024
    Inventors: Kyle Robert Drexler, Stephen Hammel, John Stephen deGrassie, Benjamin Joel Laxton
  • Publication number: 20240031546
    Abstract: A homodyne encoder encodes light sampled from an object with respective primary apertures for each spectral band. The multi-band homodyne encoder includes an optical spreader and a focusing optic. The optical spreader spreads apart the light from the respective primary apertures for each spectral band to respective secondary apertures for each spectral band. The optical spreader is arranged to spread, for each spectral band, the light from each one of the primary apertures for the spectral band to a respective one of the secondary apertures for the spectral band. The focusing optic focuses the light from the secondary apertures for all of the spectral bands into one or more composite images of the object. For each spectral band, every pairing of two of the primary apertures for the spectral band contributes distinct spatial frequencies to the composite image or images of the object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2022
    Publication date: January 25, 2024
    Inventors: Kyle Robert Drexler, Benjamin Laxton
  • Publication number: 20230236433
    Abstract: An atmospheric distortion compensator comprising a disc and a rotator. The disc, which comprises a phase-modifying structure, is rotationally balanced about a center point. The rotator is mechanically coupled to the disc's center point and configured to spin the disc about an axis. When spinning, the disc is configured to control a property of a beam, which is propagating in parallel to the axis and impinging on the disc. By so doing, scintillation effects within an electro-optical field caused by propagation of the beam within a heterogeneous medium are reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2022
    Publication date: July 27, 2023
    Inventor: Kyle Robert Drexler
  • Patent number: 11703318
    Abstract: A homodyne encoder system has adaptive matching of path lengths. Primary apertures receive light from a target. An optical spreader spreads apart the light passing through the primary apertures by at least a factor of two times a baseline separation of the primary apertures. The optical spreader includes a plurality of actuators for modifying the path lengths within the homodyne encoder system through the primary apertures to a detector. A focusing optic focuses the light from the optical spreader at the detector. The detector detects an image of the target with the light from the focusing optic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Kyle Robert Drexler
  • Publication number: 20180249100
    Abstract: An aircraft imaging system for night and day imaging at ranges up to and in excess of 100 km with resolution far exceeding the diffraction limit. In a preferred embodiment two separate techniques are utilized on an aircraft to provide for night and day surveillance. The first technique is to provide a multi-aperture active imaging system for daylight imaging. The second technique is to provide a multi-aperture passive imaging system for day and night imaging. In preferred embodiments both techniques are utilized on the aircraft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2016
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Applicant: Trex Enterprises Corporation
    Inventors: Kyle D. Watson, Kyle Robert Drexler, Brett A. Spivey