Patents by Inventor William E. Vonwicklen

William E. Vonwicklen 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).

  • Geopositionable expendable sensors and the use therefor for monitoring surface conditions
    Patent number: 6885299
    Abstract: A sensor system for monitoring for the presence of contamination with one or more contaminating biological, chemical and/or radioactive agents on a terrain surface, and creating a contamination map thereof. The sensor system includes a plurality of sensor pods, a ground station, an airborne dispensing portion, and an airborne monitoring portion. The sensor pods include a pod housing, a descent slowing airfoil, a detector unit for detection of the contaminating agent and outputting contaminating agent data, a processor for processing the contaminating agent data, a GPS unit for determining the position of the sensor, and a transmitter for transmitting contamination agent data and position data to the airborne monitoring portion. The airborne monitoring portion receives the transmitted data from the sensor pods, and relays the data to the ground station, where the contamination map is made available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2005
    Inventors: Guy F. Cooper, John H. Williams, Mark Leach, Dave J. Grace, William E. Vonwicklen
  • Geopositionable expendable sensors and the use therefor for monitoring surface conditions
    Publication number: 20030218540
    Abstract: A sensor system for monitoring for the presence of contamination with one or more contaminating biological, chemical and/or radioactive agents on a terrain surface, and creating a contamination map thereof. The sensor system includes a plurality of sensor pods, a ground station, an airborne dispensing portion, and an airborne monitoring portion. The sensor pods include a pod housing, a descent slowing airfoil, a detector unit for detection of the contaminating agent and outputting contaminating agent data, a processor for processing the contaminating agent data, a GPS unit for determining the position of the sensor, and a transmitter for transmitting contamination agent data and position data to the airborne monitoring portion. The airborne monitoring portion receives the transmitted data from the sensor pods, and relays the data to the ground station, where the contamination map is made available.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2002
    Publication date: November 27, 2003
    Inventors: Guy F. Cooper, John H. Williams, Mark Leach, Dave J. Grace, William E. Vonwicklen
  • Light emitting tunnel diode oscillator
    Patent number: 5315272
    Abstract: A light emitting tunnel diode oscillator comprising a body of single crystalline material having a first portion n-doped and a second portion p-doped in such a way that the resulting p-n junction has the low voltage conductance characteristics of a tunnel diode as well as characteristics of light emission.The light emitting tunnel diode oscillator comprises a plurality of alternately layered n-doped portions and p-doped portions.a light emitting tunnel diode oscillator wherein said first n-doped portion and said second p-doped portion are formed to have a thickness corresponding to an integral number of desired wave lengths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 24, 1994
    Assignee: Grumman Aerospace Corporation
    Inventor: William E. VonWicklen