Patents by Inventor Michael Aaron Connor

Michael Aaron Connor 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: 10578726
    Abstract: An active sensing system includes an agent and at least one sensor operatively associated with the agent. The at least one sensor includes one or more emitters configured and disposed to establish a sensing zone. A conflict identification module is configured and disposed to identify one or more sensor conflict regions, and an active sensor controller is operatively connected to the at least one sensor and the conflict identification module. The active sensor controller is configured and disposed to form an adjustment zone within the sensing zone to accommodate the one or more sensor conflict regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
    Inventor: Michael Aaron Connor
  • Patent number: 10391973
    Abstract: A vehicle access and control system includes an activation system, a vehicle control system, a communication system provided in the vehicle, a computer system mounted in the vehicle, and a vehicle access control system including a processor, a non-volatile memory, and a set of instructions stored on the non-volatile memory. The set of instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the processor to receive a user specific identification input, access a user profile associated with the user specific identification input, determine, from the user profile, system permissions associated with the user specific identification input, and manage access to one or more of the activation system, vehicle control system, communication system, and the computer system based on the system permissions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael Aaron Connor, Grace Valeria Tilton
  • Patent number: 10289122
    Abstract: A method of communication link accessibility aware navigation is provided that includes querying a communication link accessibility map based on a location of interest provided by a path planner for a communication node. A communication link accessibility indicator is received representing a communication link characteristic associated with the location of interest in response to querying the communication link accessibility map. A communication link accessibility weight is determined based on a mission priority of maintaining a communication link of the communication node. The communication link accessibility weight is applied to the communication link accessibility indicator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael Aaron Connor, George Nicholas Loussides, Harshad S. Sane
  • Patent number: 10266279
    Abstract: A system and method for identifying a slung load for an aircraft with one or more sensors includes receiving, with a processor via one or more sensors, sensor information related to flight dynamics data for the aircraft; determining, with the processor, control input commands for the aircraft in response to the receiving of the flight dynamics data; determining, with the processor, signals indicative of an estimated pendulum frequency; and determining, with the processor, parameters associated with the slung load in response to the determining of the estimated pendulum frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Harshad S. Sane, Michael Aaron Connor, Igor Cherepinsky
  • Patent number: 10246180
    Abstract: A method and system for sharing information between independent agents having a processor and memory having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to receive signals indicative of a fault of a sensor system of a first independent agent; transmit signals indicative of a request for sensor information to a second independent agent; receive signals indicative of state information for the second independent agent in response to the receiving of the request for sensor information; and apply the state information to a navigation system of the first independent agent in response to the receiving of the state information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael Aaron Connor, Christopher Stathis, Joshua M. Leland, Harshad S. Sane
  • Publication number: 20180229855
    Abstract: A system and method for identifying a slung load for an aircraft with one or more sensors includes receiving, with a processor via one or more sensors, sensor information related to flight dynamics data for the aircraft; determining, with the processor, control input commands for the aircraft in response to the receiving of the flight dynamics data; determining, with the processor, signals indicative of an estimated pendulum frequency; and determining, with the processor, parameters associated with the slung load in response to the determining of the estimated pendulum frequencies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2015
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Inventors: Harshad S. Sane, Michael Aaron Connor, Igor Cherepinsky
  • Publication number: 20170313280
    Abstract: A vehicle access and control system includes an activation system, a vehicle control system, a communication system provided in the vehicle, a computer system mounted in the vehicle, and a vehicle access control system including a processor, a non-volatile memory, and a set of instructions stored on the non-volatile memory. The set of instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the processor to receive a user specific identification input, access a user profile associated with the user specific identification input, determine, from the user profile, system permissions associated with the user specific identification input, and manage access to one or more of the activation system, vehicle control system, communication system, and the computer system based on the system permissions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2017
    Publication date: November 2, 2017
    Inventors: Michael Aaron Connor, Grace Valeria Tilton
  • Publication number: 20170229023
    Abstract: A method of communication link accessibility aware navigation is provided that includes querying a communication link accessibility map based on a location of interest provided by a path planner for a communication node. A communication link accessibility indicator is received representing a communication link characteristic associated with the location of interest in response to querying the communication link accessibility map. A communication link accessibility weight is determined based on a mission priority of maintaining a communication link of the communication node. The communication link accessibility weight is applied to the communication link accessibility indicator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Publication date: August 10, 2017
    Applicant: SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael Aaron Connor, George Nicholas Loussides, Harshad S. Sane
  • Publication number: 20170052276
    Abstract: An active sensing system includes an agent and at least one sensor operatively associated with the agent. The at least one sensor includes one or more emitters configured and disposed to establish a sensing zone. A conflict identification module is configured and disposed to identify one or more sensor conflict regions, and an active sensor controller is operatively connected to the at least one sensor and the conflict identification module. The active sensor controller is configured and disposed to form an adjustment zone within the sensing zone to accommodate the one or more sensor conflict regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2016
    Publication date: February 23, 2017
    Inventor: Michael Aaron Connor
  • Publication number: 20160027313
    Abstract: According to an aspect, a method of performing environmentally-aware landing zone classification for an aircraft includes receiving environmental sensor data indicative of environmental conditions external to the aircraft. Image sensor data indicative of terrain representing a potential landing zone for the aircraft are received. An environmentally-aware landing zone classification system of the aircraft evaluates the environmental sensor data to classify the potential landing zone relative to a database of landing zone types as environmentally-aware classification data. Geometric features of the potential landing zone are identified in the image sensor data as image-based landing zone classification data. The potential landing zone is classified and identified based on a fusion of the environmentally-aware classification data and the image-based landing zone classification data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2015
    Publication date: January 28, 2016
    Inventors: George Nicholas Loussides, Igor Cherepinsky, Michael Aaron Connor
  • Publication number: 20150338850
    Abstract: A method and system for sharing information between independent agents having a processor and memory having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to receive signals indicative of a fault of a sensor system of a first independent agent; transmit signals indicative of a request for sensor information to a second independent agent; receive signals indicative of state information for the second independent agent in response to the receiving of the request for sensor information; and apply the state information to a navigation system of the first independent agent in response to the receiving of the state information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2015
    Publication date: November 26, 2015
    Inventors: Michael Aaron Connor, Christopher Stathis, Joshua M. Leland, Harshad S. Sane