Vorbeck Materials Corporation

Other

James A Turney

Sriram Manivannan

Jennifer Pinkos

John S Lettow

Dan F Scheffer

Can Gun Yaprak

Keren Espina

James Brent

Alison Bakersville

Josh Desportes

Sandy Spence

Trentice V Bolar

Kenneth E Fritsch

Victor Contreras

Jaclyn Scott

Christie Burrow

Kate Redmond

Sea C Park

Joseph D Roy-Mayhew

Alison Baskerville

Samarpita Chowdhury

Brian Losey

Josiah Henry

Michael Filipelli

Roger L Aronow

Allie Treacy

A modular communications system having dynamically positionable non-metallic antenna elements is disclosed. The system includes an apparel item with a surface and a foam layer positioned therein. Landing pads are each uniquely positioned on the surface. Antenna elements are coupled to the landing pads; include a non-metallic conductive composition and a unique operational frequency. A hub is positioned on the surface and coupled to each landing pad. Communications devices are demountably affixed to the surface; coupled to the hub; and each include a unique operational frequency. The hub couples each communications devices to a unique landing pad. The foam layer is lined with a conductive material that reflects RF radiation that emanates from the plurality of non-metallic antenna elements. The system achieves an omnidirectional RF radiation pattern when utilizing the plurality of antenna elements and an altered RF radiation pattern when utilizing a subset of the plurality of antenna elements.

Modular communications system with dynamically positionable antenna elements

Embodiments relate to a wearable communications node (WCN) with mesh networking capabilities. The WCN, which is worn on the user's torso, includes an enclosure and shoulder strap(s) as well as communications device, antenna element(s), and battery conductively coupled to a control circuit. The enclosure includes a top area and an oppositely positioned bottom area. The shoulder strap is pivotably attached proximate to the top area and the bottom area. The communications device is rigidly affixed within the enclosure. The antenna element is conductively coupled to the communications device as well as rigidly affixed to the enclosure or flexibly affixed the shoulder strap. The control circuit is configured to establish, via the communications device, a self-organizing wide area network with a plurality of computing devices that each connects directly, dynamically, and non-hierarchically to the WAN. The antenna element includes a conductive composition that includes graphene dispersed in a polymer matrix.

Wearable communications node with mesh networking capabilities

Embodiments relate to a sensor node communication system that determines the presence of an object. The system includes man-portable nodes that communicate via a self-organizing LAN. Each node includes a control circuit that has multiple cores, multithreading, and/or parallel processing. The control circuit establishes the LAN, captures an image, determines a presence of a predetermined object in the image using a machine learning algorithm, generates a first notification when presence of the predetermined object is determined, and generates a second notification when the presence is not determined. The control circuit detects an electromagnetic environment, determines unused frequency bands, and adapts a radio working parameter to broadcast in the unused frequency band. Determining the unused frequency bands includes the use of a spectrum sensing method. The control circuit detects an electromagnetic environment, determines unused frequency bands, and adapts a radio working parameter to broadcast in unused frequency bands.

Sensor node communications system and related methods

Embodiments of the present invention relate to communications tarpaulins. In one embodiment, the communications tarpaulins include a textile layer, a plurality of antenna elements, and a communications hub. The communications hub includes a plurality of radio frequency ('RF') connectors. The communications hub is affixed to the textile layer. The RF connectors are each conductively coupled to one of the antenna elements. The RF connectors each demountably receive a communications device. The antenna elements are each affixed to the textile layer and includes a conductive composition. The antenna elements each include a conductive composition. The conductive composition includes a polymer and fully exfoliated single sheets of graphene that are present as a three-dimensional percolated network within the polymer. The textile layer includes a first textile layer and a second textile layer that are coterminous and physically coupled together and thereby form a multilayered structure.

Communications tarpaulin

Embodiments relate to a RF localization system that determines the position of a RF source of interest (RFSOI) relative to the RFLS. The RFLS includes man-portable nodes that communicate via a self-organizing WAN. Each node includes a communications device conductively coupled to antenna elements oriented in each nodal cardinal direction and battery each communicatively coupled to a control circuit(s). The control circuit is configured to: establish the WAN; capture RSSI values for each antenna element; determine the position of the RFSOI relative to the node; when not functioning as a primary node, transmit the determined position to a primary node or a computing device that's external to the WAN for processing; and when functioning as a primary node, determine the relative position of the RFSOI relative to the plurality of nodes using the received determined position. The primary node determines the position of the RFSOI relative to the nodes.

System to determine the location of a radio frequency source using radio frequency signal strength and related methods

Various wearable communications pouches ('WCP') having modular and static antenna elements of reduced visual signature are provided. The WCP demountably couples to the shoulder straps of articles, garments, and baggage items. The WCP includes a front panel and shoulder strap(s) pivotably coupled to opposite sides of a back panel. The back panel includes a communications hub that has antenna ports that are each conductively coupled to an antenna element or antenna attachment site. Each antenna attachment site receives a demountable antenna element. The antenna element and demountable antenna element include a conductive composition that includes a polymer and graphene sheets present as a percolated network therein. The back panel includes a fastener positioned proximate to the hub that receives and secures a portable radio. The front panel, back panel, and shoulder strap each include a RF shielding material to shield the user from RF radiation that emanates from the WCP.

Communications pouch

The instant disclosure seeks to a wearable communications and ballistics protection system that includes a carrier, communications hub, and antenna element(s). The hub is affixed to the carrier and includes an antenna port(s). The antenna element(s) is affixed to the carrier. Each antenna port conductively couples to an antenna element as well as demountably and conductively couples to a portable radio. The carrier holds ballistic plates and is configured to be worn on the user's torso and provide ballistic protection thereto. Antenna elements are formed using a graphene-polymer conductive composition. The carrier includes first and second panels that hold ballistic plates and are pivotably coupled together at a top end. The first and second panels are also laterally held together via demountable fasteners. The antenna elements and/or the panels include EM shielding material to shield the user from EM that emanates from antenna elements.

Wearable communications and ballistic protection system

Embodiments of the instant disclosure relate to portable radio mounting apparatus (PRMA). The PRMA includes a main body, landing pad, antenna element(s), RF connector conductively coupled to the antenna element, retaining element and has 'open' and “closed” states. Landing pad laterally extends from the main body and includes the antenna element(s) and a first end pivotably coupled to main body. RF connector is conductively coupled to the antenna element. In the open state, the landing pad is pivoted away from the main body and thereby exposes the retaining element; the retaining element receives a portable radio and thereby demountably secures the portable radio to the main body; and the RF connector demountably and conductively couples to the portable radio. In the close state, landing pad is pivoted towards the main body and wrapped around the portable; and is demountably coupled to the main body.

Portable radio mounting apparatus

Wearable antenna systems in the form of suspenders are disclosed. Such communications suspenders may employ antenna elements having a reduced visual signature while maintaining the load bearing functionality of traditional suspenders. The antenna system can establish mesh networking communications and communicatively couple to portable radios via a communications device. Some of the antenna elements may be within the communications suspenders. A plurality of straps are pivotably coupled to an intermediate portion at one end and a demountable fastener at the other end that couples to the user's garment item (e.g., trousers, shorts, skirts, and similar articles). The straps may include RF shielding material positioned to reflect RF radiation that emanates from the antenna elements away from the user. The antenna elements may be formed using a conductive composition that includes fully exfoliated graphene sheets present as a percolated network in a polymer matrix.

Wearable antenna system

Antenna inlay

Wearable antenna systems in the form of suspenders are disclosed. Such communications suspenders employ antenna elements having a reduced visual signature while maintaining the load bearing functionality of traditional suspenders. The antenna system communicatively couples to portable radios that operate on different RF frequencies via a communications hub. Some of the antennas elements are dynamically positionable (i.e., swappable, switchable, etc.) on the communications suspenders. A plurality of straps are pivotably coupled to an intermediate portion at one end and a demountable fastener at the other end. The demountable fasteners couple to the user's garment item (e.g., trousers, shorts, skirts, and similar articles). The straps include RF shielding material positioned to reflect RF radiation that emanates from the antenna elements away from the user. The antenna elements are formed using a conductive composition of fully exfoliated graphene sheets present as a percolated network in a polymer matrix.

A modular communications system having dynamically positionable non-metallic antenna elements and communications devices is disclosed. The system includes an apparel item with a surface and a foam layer positioned therein. Landing pads are each uniquely positioned on the surface. The antenna elements are demountably, intermittingly, and conductively coupled to the landing pads; includes a non-metallic conductive composition; and a unique operational frequency. A hub is positioned on the surface and conductively coupled to each landing pad. Each communications device is demountably affixed to the surface; intermittingly, demountably, and conductively coupled to the hub; and includes a unique operational frequency. The hub intermittingly, demountably, and conductively couples each communications devices to a unique landing pad included in the plurality of landing pads. The foam layer is lined with a conductive material that reflects RF radiation that emanates from the plurality of non-metallic antenna elements.

Modular communications systems with dynamically positionable antenna elements

A modular communications systems includes an apparel item with a surface. Landing pads are positioned proximate to the surface with each landing pad uniquely positioned on the surface. Non-metallic antenna elements are each demountably, intermittingly, and conductively coupled to a unique landing pad; includes a non-metallic conductive composition; and a unique operational frequency compared to at least one antenna element. A hub is positioned on the surface and conductively coupled to each landing pad. Each communications device is demountably affixed to the surface; intermittingly, demountably, and conductively coupled to the hub; and includes a unique operational frequency. The hub intermittingly, demountably, and conductively couples each communications devices to a unique landing pad included in the plurality of landing pads.

Wearable modular communications system

In some embodiments, lithium-sulfur electrochemical cells, fabrication methods thereof, and methods useful to enable improvement of one or more performance characteristics in lithium-sulfur electrochemical cells are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method to enable improvement of one or more performance characteristics in a lithium-sulfur electrochemical cell(s) is disclosed, wherein a conductive network is formed within the lithium-sulfur electrochemical cell(s) by applying a voltage thereto for a threshold time period. The one or more performance characteristics of the lithium-sulfur electrochemical cell increase as a result of the presence of the conductive network.

Growing community of inventors

Silver Spring, MD, United States of America

James A Turney