Patents by Inventor Marco Mercuri

Marco Mercuri 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: 11860265
    Abstract: A method for extracting spatial resolution and/or velocity resolution of a single-input single-output radar acquiring raw radar data with a frequency scanning antenna is provided. The method includes steering a radar beam with the aid of the frequency scanning antenna with respect to an area to be illuminated by the radar, and dividing the area into at least two angular sectors. In this context, the at least two angular sectors are configured in a manner that the at least two angular sectors overlap with respect to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Stichting IMEC Nederland
    Inventors: Rainer Oliver Hornung, Peng Zhang, Marco Mercuri, Paul Mateman, Lichen Yao
  • Patent number: 11480654
    Abstract: Example embodiments relate to radar transceivers. One embodiment includes a radar transceiver. The radar transceiver includes a chirp generator for generating a chirp having an initial frequency and a final frequency. The radar transceiver also includes a controllable variable gain amplifier having an input connected to an output of the chirp generator. Further, the radar transceiver includes a control unit connected to a control input on the chirp generator and to a control input on the controllable variable gain amplifier. The control unit is adapted to output a first control signal to the chirp generator such that the chirp generator starts generating the chirp. The control unit is also adapted to output a second control signal to the controllable variable gain amplifier such that the controllable variable gain amplifier starts increasing an amplification in the controllable variable gain amplifier from a first amplification level to a second amplification level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: Stichting IMEC Nederland
    Inventors: Yao-Hong Liu, Marco Mercuri
  • Publication number: 20220200349
    Abstract: A powering apparatus for wireless powering of a power receiving device comprises: a plurality of power transmitters configured to provide inductive coupling to the power receiving device; and an oscillator configured to provide a reference oscillator signal; wherein each power transmitter comprises an inductive element and a driving circuitry for providing a current signal for driving the inductive element, wherein the driving circuitry of each power transmitter is configured to receive the reference oscillator signal and a feedback signal of a current through the inductive element for controlling a phase of the current signal in relation to a phase of the reference oscillator signal, each of the plurality of power transmitters being configured for outputting a powering signal controlled by a common phase relation to the reference oscillator signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2021
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Inventors: Carmine GARRIPOLI, Stefano STANZIONE, Marco MERCURI
  • Publication number: 20220050193
    Abstract: A method for extracting spatial resolution and/or velocity resolution of a single-input single-output radar acquiring raw radar data with a frequency scanning antenna is provided. The method includes steering a radar beam with the aid of the frequency scanning antenna with respect to an area to be illuminated by the radar, and dividing the area into at least two angular sectors. In this context, the at least two angular sectors are configured in a manner that the at least two angular sectors overlap with respect to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2021
    Publication date: February 17, 2022
    Inventors: Rainer Oliver Hornung, Peng Zhang, Marco Mercuri, Paul Mateman, Lichen Yao
  • Publication number: 20210275035
    Abstract: A method for automatic multi-object localization and/or vital sign monitoring is provided. The method comprises the steps of receiving a radar signal in order to form a corresponding observation matrix, reducing noise by applying singular value decomposition to the observation matrix, processing the result of the singular value decomposition by an independent component analysis in order to estimate the corresponding sources, and estimating propagation channels of the estimated sources by minimizing the corresponding residual error based on the observation matrix and the estimated sources.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2021
    Publication date: September 9, 2021
    Inventors: Yiting LU, Marco MERCURI
  • Patent number: 11051703
    Abstract: A method of detecting a vital sign comprising at least one of a heart rate and a respiratory rate of a subject is provided. In one aspect, the method includes transmitting a radio frequency signal towards the subject; and receiving a reflected signal from the subject, wherein the transmitted signal is reflected by the subject and Doppler-shifted due to at least one of the heart rate and the respiratory rate to form the reflected signal. The method also includes mixing the reflected signal with a first reference signal; and providing a vital sign carrying signal based on the mixing to a first input of a phase or frequency comparator. The method further includes generating an adjustable second reference signal and providing the reference signal to a second input of the phase or frequency comparator; and generating an output signal, by the phase or frequency comparator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: Stichting IMEC Nederland
    Inventors: Yao-Hong Liu, Marco Mercuri
  • Patent number: 11009599
    Abstract: A method for localization and monitoring of living being targets in an environment comprise: transmitting (302) a sequence of radio frequency waveforms, the waveforms being a continuous-wave waveform modulated in frequency and/or phase; detecting (304) a sequence of reflected waveforms being reflected by a target and Doppler-shifted due to a movement of the target, forming (306) a sequence of waveform transforms, wherein the waveform transform comprises discretized information in a plurality of range bins, and wherein the information in a single range bin corresponds to reflections occurring at a specific sector in the environment; analyzing (308) information for a single specific sector in a sub-sequence of the sequence of waveform transforms, and determining (310) movement of a target in the specific sector based on the waveform transform information for that specific sector during a time period corresponding to the sub-sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: STICHTING IMEC NEDERLAND
    Inventors: Marco Mercuri, Ilde Rosa Lorato
  • Publication number: 20200264271
    Abstract: Example embodiments relate to radar transceivers. One embodiment includes a radar transceiver. The radar transceiver includes a chirp generator for generating a chirp having an initial frequency and a final frequency. The radar transceiver also includes a controllable variable gain amplifier having an input connected to an output of the chirp generator. Further, the radar transceiver includes a control unit connected to a control input on the chirp generator and to a control input on the controllable variable gain amplifier. The control unit is adapted to output a first control signal to the chirp generator such that the chirp generator starts generating the chirp. The control unit is also adapted to output a second control signal to the controllable variable gain amplifier such that the controllable variable gain amplifier starts increasing an amplification in the controllable variable gain amplifier from a first amplification level to a second amplification level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2020
    Publication date: August 20, 2020
    Inventors: Yao-Hong Liu, Marco Mercuri
  • Patent number: 10722123
    Abstract: A method and system for detecting at least one of a heart rate and a respiratory rate of a subject are disclosed. In one aspect, the method includes transmitting a signal towards the subject and receiving a reflected signal from the subject being Doppler-shifted due to at least one of the heart rate and the respiratory rate. The method also includes providing the reflected signal to a first input of a phase comparator, providing an adjustible reference signal to a second input of the phase comparator, and generating an output signal by the phase comparator based on the reflected signal and the reference signal. The method includes varying, by the reference signal generator, at least one of a phase and a frequency of the adjustable reference signal based on the output signal of the phase comparator to track a phase of the reflected signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignees: IMEC vzw, Stiching IMEC Nederland
    Inventors: Yao-Hong Liu, Marco Mercuri
  • Publication number: 20190011549
    Abstract: A method for localization and monitoring of living being targets in an environment comprise: transmitting (302) a sequence of radio frequency waveforms, the waveforms being a continuous-wave waveform modulated in frequency and/or phase; detecting (304) a sequence of reflected waveforms being reflected by a target and Doppler-shifted due to a movement of the target, forming (306) a sequence of waveform transforms, wherein the waveform transform comprises discretized information in a plurality of range bins, and wherein the information in a single range bin corresponds to reflections occurring at a specific sector in the environment; analyzing (308) information for a single specific sector in a sub-sequence of the sequence of waveform transforms, and determining (310) movement of a target in the specific sector based on the waveform transform information for that specific sector during a time period corresponding to the sub-sequence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2018
    Publication date: January 10, 2019
    Inventors: Marco MERCURI, Ilde Rosa LORATO
  • Publication number: 20180235481
    Abstract: A method of detecting a vital sign comprising at least one of a heart rate and a respiratory rate of a subject is provided. In one aspect, the method includes transmitting a radio frequency signal towards the subject; and receiving a reflected signal from the subject, wherein the transmitted signal is reflected by the subject and Doppler-shifted due to at least one of the heart rate and the respiratory rate to form the reflected signal. The method also includes mixing the reflected signal with a first reference signal; and providing a vital sign carrying signal based on the mixing to a first input of a phase or frequency comparator. The method further includes generating an adjustable second reference signal and providing the reference signal to a second input of the phase or frequency comparator; and generating an output signal, by the phase or frequency comparator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2018
    Publication date: August 23, 2018
    Inventors: Yao-Hong Liu, Marco Mercuri
  • Publication number: 20170172425
    Abstract: A method for detecting at least one of a heart rate and a respiratory rate of a subject is disclosed. In one aspect, the method includes transmitting a radio frequency signal towards the subject and receiving a reflected signal from the subject, the reflected signal being Doppler-shifted due to at least one of the heart rate and the respiratory rate. The method also includes providing the reflected signal to a first input of a phase comparator and generating an adjustable reference signal by a reference signal generator. The method further includes providing the reference signal to a second input of the phase comparator and generating an output signal by the phase comparator based on the reflected signal and the reference signal. The method includes varying, by the reference signal generator, at least one of a phase and a frequency of the adjustable reference signal based on the output signal of the phase comparator to track a phase of the reflected signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2016
    Publication date: June 22, 2017
    Inventors: Yao-Hong Liu, Marco Mercuri