Abstract: The capacity of a Mode-S ADS-B surveillance radar system is increased by sectorizing the radar system by the use of a directional array of Mode-S, quarter wavelength, single element, stub antennas. The ensemble of signals from the array of Mode-S antenna elements is processed electronically. The signal processing/receiver architecture increases the capacity of the Mode-S ADS-B system to be capable of effectively functioning within a highly congested airspace.

Abstract: A telemeter for telemetry of diagnostic messages from a mobile asset to a remote station comprises a processor coupled to the output of one or more condition sensors. The processor converts the output of the condition sensors to a diagnostic message, and provides the diagnostic message at a processor output. A transmitter is coupled to the processor output. The transmitter is adapted to transmit the diagnostic messages in the Industrial, Scientific, Medical (ISM) frequency band. An exemplary embodiment of a telemetry system of the invention comprises a telemeter adapted to transmit diagnostic messages in the ISM frequency band, and a remote station including a receiver for receiving the diagnostic messages in the ISM band.

Abstract: A receiver for a unique word sequence or a spreading code sequence includes a memory which is preloaded with all possible phases of the code. The sequence in the received signal is correlated, in parallel, with sums of various ones of the different phases of the code. Thus, the received code is correlated with all possible phases of a replica of its own code. Consequently, one of the sums will exhibit a correlation peak, which indicates that the desired phase of the code is included in that particular sum. The other sums will not exhibit a correlation peak, and are is discarded. The different phases in the one sum which displayed correlation are divided into new sums, each having fewer phases, and the correlation is again performed. Again, those sums exhibiting no correlation are discarded, and the sum exhibiting correlation is divided into sums of fewer codes.

Abstract: The present invention is a coder for encoding and decoding a digital baseband signal in spread spectrum communication system such that the phase integrity of the carrier inversions is preserved. The coder comprises an encoder and a decoder. The encoder includes an exclusive “or” logic unit and a delay unit. The exclusive “or” logic unit includes a first input for receiving the baseband digital signal to be encoded. The one bit delay unit includes an input coupled to the output of the exclusive “or” logic unit. The one bit delay unit further includes an output coupled to a second input of the exclusive “or” logic unit. The undelayed output of the exclusive “or” logic unit provides the encoded digital baseband signal. The encoded digital baseband signal is utilized to modulate a spread spectrum carrier signal.

Abstract: A method allows determination of the presence of, the frequency of, and or the timing of a coded signal distributed in time, as for example a direct-sequence spread-spectrum signal or a signal having a coded header. According to the method, the received signal is correlated (16, 216, 316) with small sections of the spreading or header code, to produce partial correlations, as for example a 1024-chip spreading code is correlated in eight- or sixteen-chip portions. The result of each partial correlation is delayed (32, 232, 332/350) by an amount which results in temporal congruence or simultaneous occurrence of the partial correlations at a Doppler processor. The processor processes the simultaneous partial correlations, to produce signals which recur in the appropriate frequency bin at the recurrence rate of the spreading code. The frequency bin identifies the frequency of the received signals, and the time of the appearance of the signals at the bins is indicative of the time.

Abstract: A distributed receiver system for communicating transmitted reference ultra wideband communications signals includes a receiver front end downconverter having a correlator for producing ultra wideband pulses from the transmitted reference ultra wideband communications signals. A digitizer is connected to the receiver front end downconverter for receiving and digitizing the ultra wideband pulses. A high bandwidth cable is connected to the digitizer for receiving the digitized ultra wideband pulses. A centralized digital processing module is connected to the high bandwidth cable for interpreting the digitized ultra wideband pulses.

Abstract: A system for determining a maintenance schedule for a jet engine using at least remotely-gathered environmental data is provided. The system includes a remote monitor having a sensor for collecting the remotely-gathered environmental data. A data pathway is connected to the remote monitor. A processor is connected to the data pathway and processes the remotely-gathered environmental data collected by the remote monitor. An environmental database is connected to the data pathway and compiles and stores the remotely-gathered environmental data. A flight database is connected to the data pathway and compiles and stores flight data for the jet engine. The flight data includes at least thermal cycle data and time on wing data. The processor is adapted to generate the maintenance schedule for the jet engine based on the remotely-gathered environmental data and the flight data.

Abstract: A system for directing a receiving lobe of an adaptive antenna array toward an aircraft in flight includes an aircraft position vector calculator and an antenna weight vector generator. The aircraft position vector calculator receives aircraft position information from an aircraft tracking service and calculates, based upon the aircraft position information it receives, an aircraft position vector g. An antenna weight vector generator receives the aircraft position vector g from the aircraft position vector calculator and generates, based upon the aircraft position vector g, an antenna element weight vector w. The antenna weight vector w is applied to the elements of an adaptive antenna array to direct a receiving lobe of the array towards an aircraft in flight.

Abstract: A communication system for communicating a modified geometric harmonic modulated (GHM) signal on a power line is described. The system includes a transmitter for transmitting a GHM signal having a plurality of carriers, a highest frequency carrier being about 630 Hz, and a receiver for receiving the transmitted GHM signal.

Abstract: The invention provides an aggregator for use in connection with a power distribution network including a power line. The aggregator comprises a receiver, a controller, and a data outbound link. The receiver is coupled to the power line and is configured to receive signals comprising messages, for example geometric harmonic modulation (GHM) signals, from the power line. The controller is coupled to the receiver and to the data outbound link. The controller is configured to provide messages received by the receiver to the data outbound link for transmission by radio frequency energy to a destination, for example a power control station.

Abstract: A system for directing a receiving lobe of an adaptive antenna array toward an aircraft in flight includes an aircraft position vector calculator and an antenna weight vector generator. The aircraft position vector calculator receives aircraft position information from an aircraft tracking service and calculates, based upon the aircraft position information it receives, an aircraft position vector g. An antenna weight vector generator receives the aircraft position vector g from the aircraft position vector calculator and generates, based upon the aircraft position vector g, an antenna element weight vector w. The antenna weight vector w is applied to the elements of an adaptive antenna array to direct a receiving lobe of the array towards an aircraft in flight.

Abstract: A telemeter for telemetry of diagnostic messages from a mobile asset to a remote station comprises a processor coupled to the output of one or more condition sensors. The processor converts the output of the condition sensors to a diagnostic message, and provides the diagnostic message at a processor output. A transmitter is coupled to the processor output. The transmitter is adapted to transmit the diagnostic messages in the Industrial, Scientific, Medical (ISM) frequency band. An exemplary embodiment of a telemetry system of the invention comprises a telemeter adapted to transmit diagnostic messages in the ISM frequency band, and a remote station including a receiver for receiving the diagnostic messages in the ISM band.

Abstract: A system for spread spectrum power line communications employs a harmonic modulation (HM) transmitter coupled to the power line for transmitting message bits to an HM receiver. The spread spectrum accommodates a plurality of HM transmitters simultaneously occupying the same bandwidth. The spectrum of HM, in a frequency range above 60 Hz but below the maximum frequency that will carry through a distribution transformer, is ideal in combating carrier synchronous noise since it can be interleaved with the noise harmonics and therefore be effectively spectrally disjoint with the synchronous noise process spectrum.

Abstract: A spread spectrum protocol in a power line communication (PLC) system uses Harmonic Modulation (HM) as true spread spectrum modulation made up of a plurality of modulated tones spaced in frequency with equal distance between adjacent tones. The protocol incorporates the following modes:"Conventional"--Master/Slave relation of meters to a common hub."Leap Frog"--performing data relay through locally elected/designated meters for relay to a central hub or a distributed set of concentrators."Alarm Channel"--reserving an HM signal set for meters to telemeter their configuration in a subnetwork after a power distribution network reconfiguration."Probing"--using HM polling to diagnose the location of a feeder fault."Derived Timing"--master derived timing for inbound message framing."Rate Adapting"--allocating a mix of number of HM channels to the outbound/inbound ratio according to message traffic control requirements and power line distribution topology.

Abstract: In a time division multiple access spacecraft communication system, each ground station determines when to send its information packets to arrive at the spacecraft at the beginning of a time slot. The calculation is based upon knowledge of the location of the spacecraft. A master ground station determines the location of the spacecraft by the use of the propagation delays between the various ground stations (including itself) and the spacecraft, together with knowledge of the locations of the ground stations. The spacecraft location is then transmitted back to the various ground stations. The determination of propagation delay by each ground station is performed in two major steps. The first step determines coarse time delay to within one bit interval by repeatedly transmitting a multibit unique word to the spacecraft, and counting bits until the next unique word is received from the spacecraft.

Abstract: A system for communicating digital information over wires having a great deal of harmonic distortion, such as a power line, employs a transmitter which transmitter which creates a carrier wave for each of a plurality of signals to be sent. This carrier wave has frequency lobes positioned between the frequency lobes of the harmonic distortion. Each of the lobes of a single carrier signal is encoded with the same bit value during a given bit period. This signal is then mixed with any existing signal on the wire. At a remote receiver coupled to the wires, the signal is sensed, filtered, and Fourier transformed into coefficients. The signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of each Fourier coefficient is determined by a novel S/N estimation technique. The coefficients are weighted based upon the S/N ratio estimation, and decoded, preferably by an inner product of the weighted Fourier coefficients. Additionally, the S/N ratio estimates could be time averaged before being used in the weighting and bit decoding.