Patents by Inventor Randall C. Spires

Randall C. Spires 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: 6591171
    Abstract: An aircraft guidance system uses radar imaging to verify airport and runway location and provide navigation updates. The system is applicable to flight operations in low visibility conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Danny F. Ammar, Randall C. Spires, Steven R. Sweet
  • Patent number: 6430480
    Abstract: An aircraft guidance system uses radar imaging to verify airport and runway location and provide navigation updates. The system is applicable to flight operations in low visibility conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: Honeywell International INC
    Inventors: Danny F. Ammar, Randall C. Spires, Steven R. Sweet
  • Patent number: 6311108
    Abstract: An aircraft guidance system uses radar imaging to verify airport and runway location and provide navigation updates. The system is applicable to flight operations in low visibility conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2001
    Inventors: Danny F. Ammar, Randall C. Spires, Steven R. Sweet
  • Patent number: 5945926
    Abstract: A radar based terrain and obstacle detection device for aircraft detects obstacles and terrain ahead of the aircraft. An alert is sounded if the obstacle or terrain is above a clearance plane positioned ahead of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1999
    Assignee: AlliedSignal Inc.
    Inventors: Danny F. Ammar, Randall C. Spires, Steven R. Sweet
  • Patent number: 5831570
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for improving resolution of targets in a monopulse radar beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1998
    Assignee: AlliedSignal, Inc.
    Inventors: Danny F. Ammar, Randall C. Spires, Steven R. Sweet
  • Patent number: 5563604
    Abstract: A method for removing clutter related frequency components from power spectrums generated from weather radar return signals to provide improved windshear detection capability. Weather radar return signals are synchronously detected and digitized to provide i and q time domain sample sequences. The i and q time domain sample sequences are passed through a window function and then transformed to frequency domain sequences by a Fast Fourier Transform. A power spectrum is generated from the frequency domain sequences. The spectrum is subjected to a Spectral Gaussian Envelope Discrimination (SGED) process in which the spectral envelope is scanned to identify any lobe therein having a slope greater than a predetermined minimum. A first pseudo-Gaussian sigma, calculated from the width and maximum amplitude of any such lobe, is compared with a second pseudo-Gaussian sigma, calculated from known conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1996
    Assignee: AlliedSignal Inc.
    Inventors: Ruy L. Brandao, Arezki Manseur, Randall C. Spires, William C. Weist, Philip R. Hermann
  • Patent number: 5191340
    Abstract: A distributed network that compensates for the effects of interelement coupling in a multielement antenna array is inserted between the output of an antenna array and the inputs of a receiver system. Within the distributed network are a plurality of couplers interconnected by transmission lines serving as phase shifters. The coupling factors of the various couplers and the lengths of the transmission lines are selected so as to apply voltage components of specific amplitudes and phase to the antenna ports. The values of the amplitudes and phases of these voltage components are such as to neutralize the components of the voltages at the output of the antenna array which are caused by the spatial couplings between the elements of the antenna array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1993
    Assignee: Allied-Signal Inc.
    Inventors: Ruy L. Brandao, Anthony Parker, Randall C. Spires
  • Patent number: 4855748
    Abstract: A direction finding receiving system for use on a protected aircraft in which a signal from an ATCRABS transponder on an intruder aircraft is received has been described incorporating a four element interferometer type antenna array, reversing switches, individual receivers, a phase detector and a processor for processing the outputs of the phase detector. The invention overcomes the problem of correcting for the difference in phase delay of signals passing through the receivers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 8, 1989
    Assignee: Allied-Signal Inc.
    Inventors: Ruy L. Brandao, Constantinos S. Kyriakos, Randall C. Spires, Andrejs Jugs