Patents by Inventor Steven Botts

Steven Botts 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: 11463639
    Abstract: A TDI scanner including a dynamically programmable focal plane array including a two-dimensional array of detectors arranged in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows, the array being divided into a plurality of banks separated from one another by gap regions, each bank including a plurality of sub-banks, and each sub-bank including at least one row of detectors, a ROIC coupled to the focal plane array and configured to combine in a TDI process outputs from detectors in each column of detectors in each sub-bank, and a controller configured to program the focal plane array to selectively and dynamically set characteristics of the focal plane array, the characteristics including a size and a location within the two-dimensional array of each of the plurality of sub-banks and the gap regions, the size corresponding to a number of rows of detectors included in the respective sub-bank or gap region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: RAYTHEON COMPANY
    Inventors: Steven Botts, Bryan W. Kean, Richard J. Peralta, John L. Vampola, Micky R. Harris
  • Publication number: 20210105425
    Abstract: A TDI scanner including a dynamically programmable focal plane array including a two-dimensional array of detectors arranged in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows, the array being divided into a plurality of banks separated from one another by gap regions, each bank including a plurality of sub-banks, and each sub-bank including at least one row of detectors, a ROIC coupled to the focal plane array and configured to combine in a TDI process outputs from detectors in each column of detectors in each sub-bank, and a controller configured to program the focal plane array to selectively and dynamically set characteristics of the focal plane array, the characteristics including a size and a location within the two-dimensional array of each of the plurality of sub-banks and the gap regions, the size corresponding to a number of rows of detectors included in the respective sub-bank or gap region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2020
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Inventors: Steven Botts, Bryan W. Kean, Richard J. Peralta, John L. Vampola, Micky R. Harris
  • Patent number: 10834346
    Abstract: A TDI scanner including a dynamically programmable focal plane array including a two-dimensional array of detectors arranged in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows, the array being divided into a plurality of banks separated from one another by gap regions, each bank including a plurality of sub-banks, and each sub-bank including at least one row of detectors, a ROIC coupled to the focal plane array and configured to combine in a TDI process outputs from detectors in each column of detectors in each sub-bank, and a controller configured to program the focal plane array to selectively and dynamically set characteristics of the focal plane array, the characteristics including a size and a location within the two-dimensional array of each of the plurality of sub-banks and the gap regions, the size corresponding to a number of rows of detectors included in the respective sub-bank or gap region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: RAYTHEON COMPANY
    Inventors: Steven Botts, Bryan W. Kean, Richard J. Peralta, John L. Vampola, Micky R. Harris
  • Publication number: 20190373194
    Abstract: A TDI scanner including a dynamically programmable focal plane array including a two-dimensional array of detectors arranged in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows, the array being divided into a plurality of banks separated from one another by gap regions, each bank including a plurality of sub-banks, and each sub-bank including at least one row of detectors, a ROIC coupled to the focal plane array and configured to combine in a TDI process outputs from detectors in each column of detectors in each sub-bank, and a controller configured to program the focal plane array to selectively and dynamically set characteristics of the focal plane array, the characteristics including a size and a location within the two-dimensional array of each of the plurality of sub-banks and the gap regions, the size corresponding to a number of rows of detectors included in the respective sub-bank or gap region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2019
    Publication date: December 5, 2019
    Inventors: Steven Botts, Bryan W. Kean, Richard J. Peralta, John L. Vampola, Micky R. Harris
  • Patent number: 10063797
    Abstract: According to one aspect, embodiments herein provide a unit cell circuit comprising a photodetector configured to generate a photo-current in response to receiving light, a first integration capacitor configured to accumulate charge corresponding to the photo-current, a second integration capacitor configured to accumulate charge corresponding to the photo-current, a charge diverting switch coupled to the photodetector and configured to selectively couple the first integration capacitor to the second integration capacitor and divert the photo-current to the second integration capacitor in response to a voltage across the first integration capacitor exceeding a threshold level, and read-out circuitry coupled to the first integration capacitor and the charge diverting switch and configured to read-out a first voltage sample from the first integration capacitor corresponding to charge accumulated on the first integration capacitor and to read-out a second voltage sample from the second integration capacitor corre
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: RAYTHEON COMPANY
    Inventors: John L. Vampola, Micky R. Harris, Bryan W. Kean, Steven Botts, Richard J. Peralta
  • Publication number: 20180184020
    Abstract: According to one aspect, embodiments herein provide a unit cell circuit comprising a photodetector configured to generate a photo-current in response to receiving light, a first integration capacitor configured to accumulate charge corresponding to the photo-current, a second integration capacitor configured to accumulate charge corresponding to the photo-current, a charge diverting switch coupled to the photodetector and configured to selectively couple the first integration capacitor to the second integration capacitor and divert the photo-current to the second integration capacitor in response to a voltage across the first integration capacitor exceeding a threshold level, and read-out circuitry coupled to the first integration capacitor and the charge diverting switch and configured to read-out a first voltage sample from the first integration capacitor corresponding to charge accumulated on the first integration capacitor and to read-out a second voltage sample from the second integration capacitor corre
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2016
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Inventors: John L. Vampola, Micky R. Harris, Bryan W. Kean, Steven Botts, Richard J. Peralta
  • Patent number: 9438798
    Abstract: A combined scanning and staring (SCARING) focal plane array (FPA) imaging system having a plurality of modes of operation is provided. In one example, the SCARING FPA system includes a photodetector array with a plurality of photodetectors arranged in a plurality of photodetector rows, a readout integrated circuit (ROIC) coupled to the photodetector array, and a processor coupled to the ROIC. The processor coupled to the ROIC is configured to dynamically configure the SCARING FPA between a scanning mode of operation and a staring mode of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: RAYTHEON COMPANY
    Inventors: David Buell, John L. Vampola, Micky R. Harris, Steven Botts
  • Publication number: 20150215536
    Abstract: A combined scanning and staring (SCARING) focal plane array (FPA) imaging system having a plurality of modes of operation is provided. In one example, the SCARING FPA system includes a photodetector array with a plurality of photodetectors arranged in a plurality of photodetector rows, a readout integrated circuit (ROIC) coupled to the photodetector array, and a processor coupled to the ROIC. The processor coupled to the ROIC is configured to dynamically configure the SCARING FPA between a scanning mode of operation and a staring mode of operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2014
    Publication date: July 30, 2015
    Applicant: RAYTHEON COMPANY
    Inventors: David Buell, John L. Vampola, Micky R. Harris, Steven Botts