Patents by Inventor Steven E. Crocker

Steven E. Crocker 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: 11209571
    Abstract: A method is provided to measure a modulus of complex sensitivity of hydrophone data channels using a quasi-diffuse sound field. In the method, a radiation pattern representing shallow water sources directs to a location as a direct acoustic path and sound reflects to the location from the water bottom as a reflected acoustic path. At least one hydrophone receives the sounds at the location as acoustic signals with an acoustic intensity being the sound intensities along the acoustic paths. The sound intensity at the hydrophones also relates to a zenith angle and a bottom intensity reflection coefficient. The modulus of the frequency dependent sensitivity of the hydrophone is computed from measurements of the voltage output and voltages of reference hydrophones with the sound intensity as factor and with uncertainty reduced by averaging hydrophone sensitivities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Inventors: Steven E Crocker, Ronald R Smalley
  • Patent number: 9835764
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for calibration of a towed line array. In a low frequency band, calibration is performed using an acoustic field observed by reference standard hydrophones. The observations form a model of a complex acoustic field throughout a space occupied by a measurement apparatus. The array sensitivities are computed by comparing output voltages of the array with the acoustic field estimated at the locations occupied by hydrophones of the array. Variations in the acoustic field that cannot be accounted for by free field propagation theory are included in the calculation of array channel sensitivities. The method extends the low frequency limit for the calibration to less than the minimum frequency at which free field propagation conditions can be approximated. Boundary reflections and spatial variations in the acoustic field are recognized. The spatial distribution of acoustic energy is used to provide low frequency calibration with improved precision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Steven E. Crocker, Daniel C. Casimiro, Robert F. Cutler, Ronald R. Smalley
  • Patent number: 9829565
    Abstract: A method using a tow body and sensor array for locating an underwater location beacon is provided. The steps of the method are moving the body and array in a direction of motion; orientating the array orthogonal to the direction of motion; beamforming acoustic conical beams from the array onto a seafloor; detecting a time series of acoustic data channels from the beacon; converting the data channels into spatial beams of acoustic frequency; determining if a signal of the underwater location beacon is present from each spatial beam; calculating likelihood functions for locations of the beacon to represent an area of the seafloor from which the signal of the underwater location beacon is to have originated; accumulating likelihood functions for the location of the underwater location beacon over the course of a search pattern; and producing a grid for a beacon location based on the likelihood functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: The United States of America as represneted by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Steven E Crocker
  • Patent number: 9551811
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for acoustic calibration of a towed hydrophone line array. In a very low frequency band, calibration is performed using a surrounding ambient acoustic noise environment observed by one or more calibrated reference standard hydrophones and hydrophone channels of the array being calibrated. The array hydrophone sensitivities are computed by comparing output voltages of the array hydrophones with the output voltages of one or more calibrated reference hydrophones. The method extends the low frequency limit for the calibration of a towed hydrophone line array to substantially less than the minimum frequency at which the acoustic projectors commonly used for acoustic calibrations can transmit a useful acoustic signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Steven E. Crocker
  • Publication number: 20160091361
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for calibration of a towed line array. In a low frequency band, calibration is performed using an acoustic field observed by reference standard hydrophones. The observations form a model of a complex acoustic field throughout a space occupied by a measurement apparatus. The array sensitivities are computed by comparing output voltages of the array with the acoustic field estimated at the locations occupied by hydrophones of the array. Variations in the acoustic field that cannot be accounted for by free field propagation theory are included in the calculation of array channel sensitivities. The method extends the low frequency limit for the calibration to less than the minimum frequency at which free field propagation conditions can be approximated. Boundary reflections and spatial variations in the acoustic field are recognized. The spatial distribution of acoustic energy is used to provide low frequency calibration with improved precision.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2014
    Publication date: March 31, 2016
    Inventors: Steven E. Crocker, Daniel C. Casimiro, Robert F. Cutler, Ronald R. Smalley
  • Patent number: 9001614
    Abstract: A system, processor and method of use for calibration processing is provided to calibrate acoustic vector sensor data collected at comparatively close range. Vector sensor data collected at close range includes data collected with source-to-receiver separations ranging from a one-tenth to approximately two acoustic wavelengths. The calculations substantially account for the acoustic impedance of a spherically diverging wave front, where the curvature is sufficiently pronounced to cause errors in resulting measurements in the calculations. The processing uses information contained within the vector sensor data to increase the accuracy of the vector sensor data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Steven E. Crocker
  • Patent number: 8576657
    Abstract: A system, processor and method of use for calibration processing is provided to calibrate acoustic vector sensor data collected at comparatively close range. Vector sensor data collected at close range includes data collected with source-to-receiver separations ranging from a one-tenth to approximately two acoustic wavelengths. The calculations substantially account for the acoustic impedance of a spherically diverging wave front, where the curvature is sufficiently pronounced to cause errors in resulting measurements in the calculations. The processing uses information contained within the vector sensor data to increase the accuracy of the vector sensor data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Steven E. Crocker
  • Patent number: 5924478
    Abstract: A mobile work machine is provided with an onboard washing system. The washing system has a mixing device which mixes a predetermined amount of concentrated cleaning fluid with water based on the flow rate of water passing through the mixing device and delivers a resulting washing fluid mixture to a sprayer for delivery by a plurality of nozzles toward a radiator core. A fan further induces the washing fluid mixture to pass through the radiator core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1999
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventor: Steven E. Crocker