Patents by Inventor Rick McKerracher

Rick McKerracher 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: 9638793
    Abstract: A high frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) system with improved performance. Two or more transmitters including separate transmitting antennas (120, 122, 410) are used to improve the performance of the HFSWR over the performance of a comparable system with a single transmitter. In one embodiment, two transmitters are used, and configured to transmit pulses alternately, with a time interval of at least a round-trip travel time corresponding to a maximum target range between any pair of transmitted pulses. A physical receiving antenna array (130) includes a plurality of receiving antenna elements (135), and is connected to receiver circuitry configured to distinguish returns corresponding to pulses emitted by the different transmitters. The returns are concatenated in the receiver circuitry to achieve improved resolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Raytheon Canada Limited
    Inventors: Jian Wang, Anthony M. Ponsford, Emily Wang, Rick McKerracher
  • Publication number: 20050179579
    Abstract: A motion compensation unit and method for use in a radar system. The motion compensation unit comprises a match filter module for producing filtered range-pulse-sensor data; a motion information module for providing motion information related to motion of the radar system; a motion compensation beamformer module connected to the match filter module and the motion information module for utilizing the motion information to provide motion-compensated range-pulse-azimuth data; and, a Doppler processing module connected to the motion compensation beamformer module to provide motion-compensated range-Doppler-azimuth data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2004
    Publication date: August 18, 2005
    Inventors: Shane Pinder, Rick McKerracher, Stuart Doherty
  • Patent number: 6867731
    Abstract: This invention relates to a system and method for suppressing external interference in radar data provided by a plurality of sensors from a main sensor array, the data being pre-processed. The noise suppression system includes a first processing module and a second processing module. The first processing module receives the radar data and produces matched radar data while the second processing module receives the radar data and produces mis-matched radar data. The system further includes a beamformer that is in communication with the first processing module and an adaptive beamformer that is in communication with the second processing module and the beamformer. The beamformer receives the matched radar data and produces beamformed matched radar data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2005
    Assignee: Raytheon Canada Limited
    Inventors: Reza Dizaji, Tony Ponsford, Rick McKerracher
  • Publication number: 20030210179
    Abstract: This invention relates to a system and method for suppressing external interference in radar data provided by a plurality of sensors from a main sensor array, the data being pre-processed. The noise suppression system includes a first processing module and a second processing module. The first processing module receives the radar data and produces matched radar data while the second processing module receives the radar data and produces mis-matched radar data. The system further includes a beamformer that is in communication with the first processing module and an adaptive beamformer that is in communication with the second processing module and the beamformer. The beamformer receives the matched radar data and produces beamformed matched radar data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2003
    Publication date: November 13, 2003
    Inventors: Reza Dizaji, Tony Ponsford, Rick McKerracher