Patents by Inventor Mark W. Koch

Mark W. Koch 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: 10467474
    Abstract: The various technologies presented herein relate to detecting one or more vehicle tracks in radar imagery. A CCD image can be generated from a first SAR image and a second SAR image captured for a common scene, wherein the second SAR image may include a vehicle track that is not present in the first SAR image. A Radon transform (RT) process can be applied to each pixel in the CCD image, and further, a radial derivative (RDRT) can be determined for each pixel from RT values derived for each pixel. Each pixel can be labelled as being related to a track, or not, based upon a unary cost obtained from the RDRT value of that pixel, combined with a probability of the pixel label based upon labels applied to neighboring pixels. A labelled representation of the CCD image can be generated based upon the determination of “track” or “not track”.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC
    Inventors: Rebecca Malinas, Tu-Thach Quach, Mark W. Koch
  • Patent number: 10062255
    Abstract: A system or method for a physical intrusion detection and assessment system is provided for determining a deliberate motion intrusion. The system includes first and second sensing device to sense physical data set within a predetermined space. A transducer module receives the first sensor physical data set and the second sensor physical data set and converts the first and second physical data sets into analog signals representative of the first and second physical data sets. A signal conditioning layer converts the first and second physical data analog signals to digital signals. A processor device correlates the first physical data set and the second physical data set and generates an alarm in response to identification of an intrusion in the space. A method and algorithms are applied to the data sets for determining whether a detected intrusion is associated with deliberate motion rather than random motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC
    Inventors: John L. Russell, Daniel E. Small, Mark W. Koch, Robert J. Anderson, Jason Jann Andersen, Katrina Groth
  • Patent number: 10042048
    Abstract: Various embodiments presented herein relate to assigning labels to segments of a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image, where the segments are based upon a speckle-reduced SAR image product. A plurality of SAR images of a scene are co-registered to form a registered stack of SAR images. A speckle-reduced SAR image product is generated based upon at least one registered SAR image in the registered stack of SAR images. The speckle-reduced SAR image product is segmented into a plurality of superpixels, and boundaries of the superpixels are applied to the at least one registered SAR image to form a segmented SAR image. A segment of the SAR image is then labeled as including or not including a feature, wherein the label is assigned based upon values of pixels in the segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC
    Inventors: Mary M. Moya, Mark W. Koch, David Nikolaus Perkins
  • Patent number: 9389311
    Abstract: Various embodiments presented herein relate to identifying one or more edges in a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image comprising a plurality of superpixels. Superpixels sharing an edge (or boundary) can be identified and one or more properties of the shared superpixels can be compared to determine whether the superpixels form the same or two different features. Where the superpixels form the same feature the edge is identified as an internal edge. Where the superpixels form two different features, the edge is identified as an external edge. Based upon classification of the superpixels, the external edge can be further determined to form part of a roof, wall, etc. The superpixels can be formed from a speckle-reduced SAR image product formed from a registered stack of SAR images, which is further segmented into a plurality of superpixels. The edge identification process is applied to the SAR image comprising the superpixels and edges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Sandia Corporation
    Inventors: Mary M. Moya, Mark W. Koch
  • Patent number: 9239384
    Abstract: The various technologies presented herein relate to identifying manmade and/or natural features in a radar image. Two radar images (e.g., single polarization SAR images) can be captured for a common scene. The first image is captured at a first instance and the second image is captured at a second instance, whereby the duration between the captures are of sufficient time such that temporal decorrelation occurs for natural surfaces in the scene, and only manmade surfaces, e.g., a road, produce correlated pixels. A LCCD image comprising the correlated and decorrelated pixels can be generated from the two radar images. A median image can be generated from a plurality of radar images, whereby any features in the median image can be identified. A superpixel operation can be performed on the LCCD image and the median image, thereby enabling a feature(s) in the LCCD image to be classified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: Sandia Corporation
    Inventors: James G. Chow, Mark W. Koch
  • Patent number: 8265870
    Abstract: A method for establishing a detection map of a dynamically configurable sensor network. This method determines an appropriate set of locations for a plurality of sensor units of a sensor network and establishes a detection map for the network of sensors while the network is being set up; the detection map includes the effects of the local terrain and individual sensor performance. Sensor performance is characterized during the placement of the sensor units, which enables dynamic adjustment or reconfiguration of the placement of individual elements of the sensor network during network set-up to accommodate variations in local terrain and individual sensor performance. The reconfiguration of the network during initial set-up to accommodate deviations from idealized individual sensor detection zones improves the effectiveness of the sensor network in detecting activities at a detection perimeter and can provide the desired sensor coverage of an area while minimizing unintentional gaps in coverage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Sandia Corporation
    Inventors: Hung D. Nguyen, Mark W. Koch, Casey Giron, Daniel M. Rondeau, John L. Russell
  • Patent number: 7542624
    Abstract: One approach to pattern recognition is to use a template from a database of objects and match it to a probe image containing the unknown. Accordingly, the Hausdorff distance can be used to measure the similarity of two sets of points. In particular, the Hausdorff can measure the goodness of a match in the presence of occlusion, clutter, and noise. However, existing 3D algorithms for calculating the Hausdorff are computationally intensive, making them impractical for pattern recognition that requires scanning of large databases. The present invention is directed to a new method that can efficiently, in time and memory, compute the Hausdorff for 3D range imagery. The method uses a window-based approach.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Sandia Corporation
    Inventor: Mark W. Koch