The Boeing Company

Hughes Aircraft Company

The University of Alabama

Sandia Corporation

Hughes Electronics Corporation

John Dalton Williams

John E Rogers

Weldon S Williamson

John Ralph Hull

Jesse N Matossian

Ted Ronald Dabrowski

Larry Leon Savage

Barret Lippey

Timothy Doyle Messer

Preston Tyler Bushey

William C Sweatt

David Keith Mefford

Wilfried Krone-Schmidt

Corey McKinney Thacker

John Robert Beattie

Jae H Kim

Jarrod Douglas Fortinberry

Michael Francis Mitchell

Ted R Dabrowski

Shengyi Liu

John J Vajo

Eugene V Solodovnik

Leroy J Miller

Vyacheslav Khozikov

Robert Alan Smith

Franklin A Dolezal

Farahnaz Sisco

Fei Cai

Igal Brener

John Rubrecht Lowell

Aaron Y Mosher

Richard Douglas Averitt

Cameron Kai-Ming Chen

Allon Joseph Stern

Eun-Hee Cirlin

Gregory A Kimberly

Robert Lindquist

Anguel Nikolov

John F O'Hara

Abul Kalam Azad

Prakash C Soni

Enrique Jesus Ruiz

Aaron Yi Mosher

Xomalin Guaiuli Peralta

Evgenya Smirnova

William Randall Gaillard

Adriana Jara

Kalsi Kar Ning Kwan

Colin A Diehl

Lance Amate Larka

Randy Gaillard

Reza Kamali-Sarvestani

Enrique J Ruiz

Corey Mckinney Thacker

A phased array antenna system includes a flexible printed circuit board formed of a flexible material. The flexible printed circuit board includes a component layer, an antenna layer, and a phase matching layer between the component layer and the antenna layer. A control unit is coupled to the component layer. A plurality of antenna elements are coupled to the antenna layer. A plurality of signal paths extend through the component layer, the phase matching layer, and the antenna layer. Each of the plurality of signal paths connects the control unit to a respective one of the plurality of antenna elements. The control unit provides an independent phase controllable source, which allows beams emitted from the antenna elements to be steered.

Flexible phased array antenna systems and methods

Techniques for controlling a process to prevent injury are presented. The techniques include obtaining a location estimation of a mobile transmitter affixed to an object, where the location estimation is relative to a location of a fixed receiver, and where the obtaining the location estimation includes sending an ultra wideband communication from the mobile transmitter to the fixed receiver and acquiring the ultra wideband communication by a phased antenna array of the fixed receiver; assessing, based on the location estimation, that the mobile transmitter is within an impermissible location; determining that the location estimation is sufficiently accurate based on a distance between the location estimation and the fixed receiver; and interrupting the process upon both assessing that the mobile transmitter is within an impermissible location and determining that the location estimation is sufficiently accurate.

Ultra wideband location determination with predicative and power saving capabilities

A secondary communication system for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is provided. The secondary communication system comprises at least one motor on the UAV and a motor controller in each motor that generates a signal from noise generated by the motor. A connector is configured to connect a towed sensor assembly to the UAV. A sensor acts as a receiver for the UAV, wherein the sensor receives a signal from a transmission source other than the UAV. The sensor is towed on the connector at a distance from the UAV sufficient to prevent or minimize interference of the received signal by the noise generated by the motor.

Towed sensor to aid low swap backup communications

A very low frequency (VLF) receiver is provided. The VLF receiver comprises a magnetometer that detects a magnetic field, wherein the magnetometer comprises a rubidium gas cell. Processing circuitry receives an electrical signal representative of VLF electromagnetic signals detected by the magnetometer. A multi-axis array encloses the magnetometer. The multi-axis array comprises a number of inductive coils. A closed loop current controller is connected to the inductive coils and runs on the processing circuitry. The closed loop current controller controls the magnetic field strength of the inductive coils to maintain a uniform magnetic field across the rubidium gas cell to allow the processing circuitry to detect the VLF electromagnetic signals.

Rubidium spin exchange relaxation free magnetometer based receiver

A communication system and method include a group of multiple, discrete communication devices, each including an isotropic antenna element and a controller. A role of a first communication device is master device, and the role of the other communication devices is follower device. The controller of the master device determines relative locations of the follower devices to the master device, and assigns different phase delay values to the communication devices based on the relative locations. The controller of the master device communicates message information including the phase delay values, a message payload, and a transmit time to the follower devices for the isotropic antenna elements of the communication devices to collectively form an antenna array that transmits the message payload at the transmit time. The antenna array transmits the message payload with a phase taper defined by the phase delay values to form a beam towards a target.

System and method for coordinated beamforming among discrete communication devices

A flexible electronics assembly including a substrate including one or more dielectrics. A cavity is formed within the substrate. A first ground plane is secured to the substrate. One or more stress channels are formed through one or more portions of the substrate and the first ground plane. An electronics component is disposed within the cavity.

Method of forming a flexible electronics assembly

Chip technology for fabricating ultra-low-noise, high-stability optical devices for use in an optical atomic clock system. The proposed chip technology uses diamond material to form stabilized lasers, frequency references, and passive laser cavity structures. By utilizing the exceptional thermal conductivity of diamond and other optical and dielectric properties, a specific temperature range of operation is proposed that allows significant reduction of the total energy required to generate and maintain an ultra-stable laser. In each configuration, the diamond-based chip is cooled by a cryogenic cooler containing liquid nitrogen.

Diamond-based high-stability optical devices for precision frequency and time generation

In examples, systems and methods for a radiating system of an aircraft are described. The aircraft system includes a conformal antenna array having a flexible substrate configured to conform to a curvature of a portion of an aircraft. Additionally, the conformal array has a plurality of antenna elements coupled to a first surface of the flexible substrate, where the plurality of antennas are formed in an array. The aircraft system further includes radio front-end hardware configured to communicate signals to and from the plurality of antenna elements. Moreover, the aircraft system includes a radar processing system coupled to the radio front-end hardware. Yet further, the aircraft system includes a renewable energy source configured to power the radar processing system and the radio front-end hardware.

Flexible hybrid electronic sensing system for UAV applications

In examples, systems and methods for a conformal array are described. In one example, an array is described. The array includes a plurality of antenna elements formed in a conformal array. The conformal array is arranged on a non-planar surface. Additionally, the array includes a respective feed for each of at least a subset of the antennas of the plurality of antenna elements. Each feed of the array is coupled to a respective antenna of the plurality of antennas based on a taper profile determined based on the non-planar surface. In another example, a method of determining an antenna array is disclosed. The method includes determining a planar array configuration for a plurality of antennas. The method further includes mapping the planar array configuration to a conformal surface to form a conformal array. Additionally, the method includes determining a taper profile based on the conformal array.

Method to optimally reduce antenna array grating lobes on a conformal surface

A low-profile conformal antenna ('LPCA') is disclosed. The LPCA includes a plurality of dielectric layers forming a dielectric structure. The plurality of dielectric layers includes a top dielectric layer that includes a top surface. The LPCA further includes an inner conductor, a patch antenna element ('PAE'), and an antenna slot. The inner conductor is formed within the dielectric structure, the PAE is formed on the top surface of the top dielectric layer, and the antenna slot is within the PAE. The LPCA is configured to support a transverse electromagnetic (&#x201c;TEM&#x201d;) signal within the dielectric structure.

Low-profile conformal antenna

An electrically small low profile antenna is disclosed. The antenna comprises circuit board comprising a composite laminate, formed of a magnetic material and having at least one antenna element disposed on a top surface of the composite laminate, a conductive ground plane disposed on a bottom surface of the composite laminate, and a conductor, extending through the composite laminate between the top surface and the bottom surface of the composite laminate, the conductor forming a microstrip feed extending from an antenna input to the antenna element.

Electrically small antenna

An electronically configurable antenna is disclosed. In one embodiment, the antenna comprises a circuit board having a composite dielectric that has a top surface and a bottom surface. An inner antenna element and a coupling element are disposed on the top surface, with the coupling element disposed about a periphery of and substantially coplanar with the antenna element. The coupling element is selectably electrically shorted to the inner antenna element to configure the antenna. The electronically configurable antenna further has a conductor extending through the composite dielectric between the top surface and the bottom surface and a lower electrical ground plane on the bottom surface to minimize any change in the antenna's electrical behavior due to the conductivity of the surfaces to which they are mounted.

Reconfigurable aperture-coupled patch antenna

A semiconductor device assembly and method of providing a semiconductor device assembly. The method includes providing a flexible interposer, providing a first redistribution layer on the flexible interposer, and providing a second redistribution layer on a portion of the first redistribution layer. The second redistribution layer is provided by additive manufacturing. The first redistribution layer may be deposited in a clean room environment. The first redistribution layer may be deposited via chemical deposition or physical deposition. A semiconductor device is attached to the first redistribution layer. The flexible interposer may be attached to a board with the semiconductor device being electrically connected to the board via the first redistribution layer, the flexible interposer, and the second redistribution layer. The flexible interposer may be attached to a flexible hybrid electronic (FHE) board. The flexible nature of the flexible interposer and/or the FHE board may redistribute stress on the semiconductor device assembly.

Additively manufactured flexible interposer

A broadband conformal antenna ('BCA') is disclosed. The BCA includes a narrow approximately rectangular outer conductive ('NARO') housing, a plurality of dielectric layers within the NARO housing forming a laminated dielectric structure, and an inner conductor formed within the laminated dielectric structure. The NARO housing includes a top broad wall and the BCA further includes an antenna slot within the top broad wall. The BCA is configured to support a transverse electromagnetic signal within the NARO housing.

Broadband conformal antenna

Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to provide a magnetic materials additive manufacturing system (MMAMS) configured to form compact magnetic structures and/or devices. A MMAMS includes a controller and one or more dispensers configured to dispense magnetic material matrix in a high resolution pattern in order to form the compact magnetic structures and/or devices. The MMAMS receives a magnetic device design including a magnetic structure to be formed from a magnetic material matrix, where the magnetic material matrix is configured to be used in the MMAMS. The MMAMS receives magnetic material matrix and dispenses the magnetic material matrix to form the magnetic structure.

Additive manufacturing methods for magnetic materials

Growing community of inventors

Decatur, AL, United States of America

John Dalton Williams