Abstract: A stack of laminated transparent lenses consists of two alternating optically clear materials in intimate contact. The materials are a plastic lens and clear adhesive. The adhesive is uninterrupted. The lens and the adhesive have refraction mismatch of less than 0.2. A tab portion is part of each lens acts as an aid in peeling away the outermost lens after contamination of the lens layer during racing conditions. The lens stack can be mounted to the posts on the face shield or laminated directly to a windshield.

Abstract: A stack of laminated transparent lenses consists of two alternating optically clear materials in intimate contact. The materials are a plastic lens and clear adhesive. The adhesive is uninterrupted. The lens and the adhesive have refraction mismatch of less than 0.2. A tab portion is part of each lens acts as an aid in peeling way the outermost lens after contamination of the lens layer during racing conditions. The lens stack can be mounted to the posts on the face shield or laminated directly to a windshield. The lens stack can be applied to an airfoil. During a race, as mud and dirt are accumulated, the top lens of the lens stack on the airfoil can quickly be removed revealing the next (clean) lens in the stack.

Abstract: The present invention solves the problem of repeated operator intervention in a vision system by providing multiple templates which may be used to locate an object within an image.

Abstract: A phased array antenna may include a substrate and a plurality of phased array antenna elements carried by the substrate. The phased array antenna may also include a plurality of antenna element controllers for the phased array antenna elements and a central controller for providing beam steering commands and edge trigger synchronization signals for the antenna element controllers. Furthermore, each of the antenna element controllers may store a respective next beam steering command and implement the respective next beam steering command as a respective active beam steering command responsive to the edge trigger synchronization signal from the central controller. The edge trigger synchronization signal may be delivered substantially simultaneously to all of the antenna element controllers, and each antenna element controller may detect the edge trigger synchronization pulse only during a predetermined time window, for example.

Abstract: A phased array antenna may include a substrate and a plurality of phased array antenna elements carried thereby, and an element control module for at least one of the phased array antenna elements. The element control module may include an amplifier coupled to the at least one phased array antenna element and having a controllable bias, and a controllable device coupled to the amplifier and having at least one of a controllable phase, delay, and attenuation. The element control module may also include a control application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for controlling the controllable phase, delay, and/or attenuation of the controllable device and the controllable bias of the amplifier.

Abstract: The hybrid relay may include a plurality of input and output terminals, and a voltage supply terminal. The hybrid relay may also include an electromagnetic coil connected to the input terminals and a latching mechanism that may include first and second contacts movable between open and closed latched positions based upon the electromagnetic coil. The first contact may be connected to the voltage supply terminal so that the second contact provides a switched voltage supply. The hybrid relay may also include an output transistor having a control terminal and having conduction terminals connected to the output terminals of the hybrid relay. A transistor driver may be connected between the switched voltage supply and the control terminal of the output transistor.

Abstract: A communications system may include a plurality of communications buses, at least one bus device connected to the plurality of communications buses, and a plurality of bus controllers for sending a plurality of bus enable signals to the at least one bus device. The at least one bus device may include selection circuitry for selecting one of the communications buses based upon the plurality of bus enable signals while being tolerant of an error on at least one of the bus enable signals. First and second bus enable signals may have a same value and may be generated by a primary bus controller upon receiving power. A third bus enable signal may be generated by a redundant bus controller upon receiving power.

Abstract: A phased array antenna includes a plurality of phased array antenna modules and associated antenna elements. Further, at least one of the phased array antenna modules may also include a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the at least one phased array antenna module. More particularly, the temperature sensor may include a capacitor and a circuit element coupled in series with the capacitor having a resistance that varies with temperature. Additionally, the at least one phased array antenna module may further include a module controller for charging/discharging the capacitor through the circuit element, measuring a charging/discharging time required to charge/discharge the capacitor to a predetermined threshold, and determining the temperature of the at least one phased array antenna module based upon the charging/discharging time.

Abstract: A phased array antenna may include a substrate and a plurality of phased array antenna elements carried by the substrate, and a plurality of element controllers connected to the phased array antenna elements. Each element controller may be switchable between inactive and active data receiving states. The phased array antenna may further include a plurality of subarray controllers and a plurality of data buses. Each data bus may connect a respective subarray controller to respective columns and rows of element controllers.

Abstract: A phased array antenna may include a substrate and a plurality of phased array antenna elements carried thereby and an element control device for at least one of the phased array antenna elements. The element control device may include an IC die including output circuitry, readback circuitry, and control circuitry connected to the output and readback circuitry. The element control device may further include an IC package surrounding the IC die, a plurality of output terminals connected to the output circuitry and extending outwardly from the IC package, and a plurality of readback input terminals connected to the readback circuitry and extending outwardly from the IC package. Further, respective external readback connections may extend between the plurality of output terminals and the plurality of readback input terminals. The control circuitry may cause the output circuitry to output signals on the plurality of output terminals to be read back for fault detection.

Abstract: A phased array antenna system may include a substrate and a plurality of phased array antenna elements carried by the substrate, a plurality of antenna element controllers connected to the phased array antenna elements, and at least one higher level controller connected to the plurality of antenna element controllers. The at least one higher level controller and/or lower level antenna element controllers in some embodiments may perform a processing operation on a first portion of a received multi-bit command message before receiving all bits of the multi-bit command message.

Abstract: A phased array antenna may include a substrate and a plurality of phased array antenna elements carried thereby, and an element control module for at least one of the phased array antenna elements. The element control module may include an amplifier coupled to the at least one phased array antenna element and having a controllable bias, and a controllable device coupled to the amplifier and having at least one of a controllable phase, delay, and attenuation. The element control module may also include a control application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for controlling the controllable phase, delay, and/or attenuation of the controllable device and the controllable bias of the amplifier.

Abstract: An optical stack of laminated removable lens for affixing to a face shield is disclosed. The stack includes a plurality of superposed removable lens adhesively affixed to one another, wherein each of the removable lens is held to each successive lens with a clear uninterrupted adhesive layer interposed between each lens. Each of the lens has a removal tab portion on one end which does not have any adhesive layer on either side thereof. This allows the wearer of the face shield to quickly grasp the removal tab portion for removing the top lens and exposing a clean lens directly underneath. The bottom-most removable lens of the stack has a band of adhesive formed around the periphery thereof for attachment of the stack to the face shield. The band of adhesive forms a seal which eliminates any moisture from the interface between the bottom-most lens and the shield.

Abstract: An optical stack of laminated removable lens for affixing to a face shield is disclosed. The stack includes a plurality of superposed removable lens adhesively affixed to one another, wherein each of the removable lens is held to each successive lens with a clear uninterrupted adhesive layer interposed between each lens. Each of the lens has a removal tab portion on one end which does not have any adhesive layer on either side thereof. This allows the wearer of the face shield to quickly grasp the removal tab portion for removing the top lens and exposing a clean lens directly underneath. The bottom-most removable lens of the stack has a band of adhesive formed around the periphery thereof for attachment of the stack to the face shield. The band of adhesive forms a seal which eliminates any moisture from the interface between the bottom-most lens and the shield.

Abstract: A phased array antenna may include a substrate, a plurality of phased array antenna elements carried by the substrate, and a central controller for providing beam steering commands and beam shaping commands. Furthermore, the phased array antenna may also include a plurality of element controllers connected to the phased array antenna elements and the central controller. Each element controller may store at least one position related value based upon physical positioning of the associated phased array antenna element on the substrate, and determine a beam shaping offset based upon the stored at least one position related value and a received beam shaping command from the central controller. Each element controller may also determine at least one phased array antenna element control value based upon a received beam steering command and the beam shaping offset.

Abstract: A phased array antenna may include a substrate and at least one phased array antenna element carried thereby, at least one element controller for controlling the at least one phased array antenna element based upon desired compensation data, and a central controller for supplying to the at least one element controller a current value of a quick control parameter and a block of current compensation data. The block of current compensation data may be based upon a current value of a slow control parameter and a range of possible values for the quick control parameter. Further, the quick control parameter may vary more quickly than the slow control parameter. Additionally, the at least one element controller may determine the desired compensation data based upon the supplied block of current compensation data and the current value of the quick control parameter.

Abstract: A phased array antenna may include a substrate and a plurality of controllable phased array antenna elements carried thereby, a central controller for generating a mode selection signal and beam control signals, and at least one multi-mode element controller connected to at least one of the controllable phased array antenna elements and the central controller. The at least one multi-mode element controller may be operable in a desired operating mode from among a plurality of operating modes based upon the mode selection signal from the central controller. Furthermore, the at least one multi-mode element controller may also generate output signals for the at least one controllable phased array antenna element based upon the beam control signals from the central controller.

Abstract: A stack of laminated removable transparent lenses which consists of two alternating optically clear materials in intimate contact. The materials are a plastic lens and a clear adhesive. The adhesive is uninterrupted. The lens and the adhesive have a refraction mismatch of less than 0.2. The lens stack can be used as a graffiti stop. The lenses are resistant to scratching.

Abstract: A phased array antenna system may include a substrate and a plurality of phased array antenna elements carried thereby, and a plurality of subarray controllers for controlling respective groups of phased array antenna elements. The phased array antenna system may further include a central controller for generating priority beam control commands and non-priority beam control commands for the subarray controllers, and a communications bus connecting the subarray controllers to the central controller. The central controller may send the priority beam control commands to the subarray controllers via the communications bus on a substantially real time basis with time gaps therebetween. Further, the central controller may also send the non-priority beam control commands to the subarray controllers via the communications bus during the time gaps.

Abstract: A stack of laminated transparent lenses consists of two alternating optically clear materials in intimate contact. The materials are a plastic lens and clear adhesive. The adhesive is uninterrupted. The lens and the adhesive have refraction mismatch of less than 0.2. A tab portion is part of each lens acts as an aid in peeling way the outermost lens after contamination of the lens layer during racing conditions. The lens stack can be mounted to the posts on the face shield or laminated directly to a windshield.