USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Joseph D Neff

Visarath In

Yong (Andy) Kho

Ardeshir Ratan Bulsara

Patrick Longhini

Norman Liu

Brian Meadows

Antonio Palacios

William Lawrence Ditto

Paul Edward Hasler

Frank Edward Gordon

Edgar A Brown

Suketu Naik

David W Fogliatti

Steve P DeWeerth

Hobart R Everett

Narek Pezeshkian

Salvatore Baglio

Luca Gammaitoni

Mario E Inchiosa

Robert A York

Daniel Leung

Jerry Lopez

Vincenzo Sacco

Ted H Heath

Kurt Arn Wiesenfeld

Peter Haenggi

Yu-Chun Donald Lie

Markus Loecher

John Cothern

In one preferred embodiment, the present invention provides an adaptive electronic camouflage platform comprising electronic paper panels conformed to the exterior surface of the vehicle; one or more cameras for sampling images of the local environment surrounding the platform; and a processor for analyzing the sampled images, generating synthesized camouflage patterns corresponding to the sampled images and controlling the display of the synthesized camouflage patterns on the electronic paper panels.

Adaptive electronic camouflage

A technique for enhancing the frequency tuning range for monolithic RF source generation using fully-integrated coupled Voltage-Controlled-Oscillator (VCO) arrays that contain an odd number of VCOs. Fully-monolithic SiGe VCO arrays using on-chip inductor and varactor with on-chip bias current sources have been carefully designed and simulated in IBM 7HP 0.18 &#x3bc;m BiCMOS technology and taped out for fabrication. The SPICE simulated frequency and phase tuning of the 1-D VCO&#xd7;5 array is dependent on the edge VCOs termination impedance, the tuning voltages, and the VCO coupling strength. The simulated data suggests that the enhanced tuning range and beam steering can be accomplished using coupled-VCO arrays without needing complex and bulky phase shifters. This design technique imposes no apparent phase noise penalty but can provide simulated RF frequency tuning range of &#x2dc;40% and also &#x2dc;+/&#x2212;25&#xb0; beam steering for active antennas applications.

Frequency tuning and phase shifting techniques using 1-dimensional coupled voltage-controlled-oscillator arrays for active antennas

An ambient electric field detector comprising: a collection mechanism disposed to generate a current signal in response to the ambient electric field; an input current mirror operatively coupled to the collection mechanism and disposed to amplify and duplicate the current signal to generate a duplicate signal; and an odd number (i) of at least three nonlinear, over-damped, bi-stable elements coupled uni-directionally in a ring such that the ring of elements oscillates, wherein at least one of the elements has a different initial state than the other elements and each element is disposed to receive the duplicate signal.

Coupled bi-stable circuit for ultra-sensitive electric field sensing utilizing differential transistor pairs

A semiconductor non-linear channelizer device comprises an array of N first order, bi-stable semiconductor circuit cells. The circuit cells are uni-directionally coupled from a first circuit cell to another circuit cell, where N is an integer greater than 1. A signal input trace is coupled to each of the circuit cells and a signal output trace is coupled from each of the circuit cells.

Non-linear channelizer device with wideband, high-frequency operation and channel reconfigurability

The present invention provides an array of tunable, injection-locking oscillators which are scalable to higher frequencies and measure the entire relevant frequency space simultaneously. The scalable, highly-parallelized, adaptive receiver architecture uses arrays of tunable, injection-locking nonlinear oscillator rings for broad spectrum RF analysis. Three separate and different microelectronic circuit configurations, each having a different type of readout, are described. The embodiments are designed to be incorporated as a subsystem in any type of powered system in which a fast image of the broader spectrum is valuable, when no information about the location of signals in the frequency space is predictable or forthcoming.

Adaptive injection-locked oscillator array for broad spectrum RF analysis

A system includes at least a first array connected to a second array. The first array includes an odd number, greater than one, of unidirectionally-coupled non-linear first array elements. The second array includes an odd number, greater than one, of unidirectionally-coupled non-linear second array elements. The second array elements are unidirectionally-coupled in a direction opposite the coupling direction of the second array elements. The first array is configured to receive an input signal and down-convert the input signal. The second array is configured to receive the down-converted input signal, further down-convert the down-converted input signal, and output a down-converted output signal. The down-converted output signal is down-converted to a multiple of the frequency of the input signal proportional to the number of arrays of the system. The system may operate at frequencies greater than 1 GHz and may be contained in a microchip or on a printed circuit board.

Frequency down-conversion system using arrays of coupled non-linear elements

An electrical/magnetic current sensing system includes a first collection mechanism configured to convert an electric field into surface charge, a second collection mechanism comprising a magnetic reactive material, and a sensor coupled to the first and second collection mechanisms. The sensor comprises an odd number, greater than or equal to three, of unidirectionally-coupled non-linear over-damped bi-stable elements. Each element comprises a resistive load, an operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) with a bipolar junction transistor differential pair, a cross-coupled OTA, and a non-linear OTA. Each element may comprise fully differential inputs and outputs. The sensor may be contained in a microchip or on a printed circuit board. A resident time difference readout device may be connected to the sensor, and may be configured to perform a power spectral density calculation. The sensor may include a resistance to voltage circuit connected between the second collection mechanism and the elements.

Coupled bi-stable microcircuit system for ultra-sensitive electrical and magnetic field sensing

A device includes a plurality of channel-capture circuits. Each circuit may include an array of N non-linear oscillators, wherein N&#x2267;3, circularly connected to each other in series such that unidirectional signal flow occurs between the oscillators. Each circuit may be configured to capture a respective channel signal from a wideband signal containing a plurality of channel signals and convert its captured channel signal to a lower frequency. Each oscillator may include an oscillator input configured to receive an output signal from another oscillator, an oscillator output configured to provide an output for an input of another oscillator, a frequency capture input configured to receive at least a portion of the wideband signal, at least two amplifiers, and a control capacitor coupled to the output of the amplifiers. An analog-to-digital converter may be coupled to the output of each channel-capture circuit.

Wideband non-linear circuits for implementation in frequency channel separation

An apparatus for sensing and processing a magnetic flux signal comprising: an odd number of at least three fluxgate modules, a summer, and a processor. Each fluxgate module is configured to generate a module response signal upon receiving the magnetic flux signal. The fluxgate modules are circularly coupled to each other such that only one-way signal flow is allowed between them. The summer is configured to sum the response signals from each fluxgate module into a summed signal. The processor is configured to receive and process the summed signal.

Coupled fluxgate magnetometers for DC and time-varying target magnetic field detection

In various embodiments, an apparatus for down-converting a first signal having a first frequency to a lower frequency is disclosed. The apparatus can include one or more arrays of N over-damped, bi-stable circuits unidirectionally-coupled from element to element.

Coupled nonlinear elements for frequency down-conversion systems and methods

A target signal analyzer having at least one receiving antenna configured to receive the target signal, and a parallel array of oscillator rings. Each oscillator ring is operatively coupled to receive the target signal from the receiving antenna. Each oscillator ring has an odd number of at least three bistable, nonlinear oscillators circularly coupled to each other such that only one-way signal flow is allowed between the oscillators in each oscillator ring. Each of the oscillator rings is configured to oscillate and thereby produce a response signal only when the target signal frequency is within a designated frequency band. For every designated frequency band in a spectrum of interest, at least one of the oscillator rings is configured to produce a response signal.

Wideband nonlinear 'channelizer' for rapid processing of static and time-varying signals

Certain spatio-temporal symmetries induce one array of a two-array coupled network of oscillators to oscillate at N times the frequency of the other array, where N is the number of oscillators in each array.

Multi-frequency sythesis using symmetry in arrays of coupled nonlinear oscillators

This invention exploits the synchronization properties of coupled, nonlinear oscillators arrays to perform power combining, beam steering, and beam shaping. This architecture utilizes interactions between nonlinear active elements to generate beam patterns. A nonlinear array integrates the signal processing concurrently with the transduction of the signal. This architecture differs fundamentally from passive transducer arrays in three ways: 1) the unit cells are nonlinear, 2) the array purposely couples the unit cells together, and 3) the signal processing (beam steering and shaping) is done via dynamic interactions between unit cells. The architecture extends to both 1- and 2-dimensional arrays.

Nonlinear beam forming and beam shaping aperture system

An array of non-identical oscillators, driven by a common external driving force, is synchronized in phase. An example application is the phase synchronizing of non-identical vibratory gyroscopes to provide enhanced gyroscope sensitivity while minimizing the need for gyroscope proof mass alteration and individual gyroscope electronics.

Phase synchronized array of non-identical oscillators using coupling network

A nonlinear oscillator method and apparatus. According to one embodiment, a nonlinear oscillator is closed. The nonlinear oscillator includes a first linear amplifier, a second linear amplifier and nonlinear amplifier having a substantially similar design that includes an adjustable linear transconductance region width. The input/output characteristics of the nonlinear oscillator can be represented by van der Pol equations. In another embodiment, a method for providing nonlinear oscillations is disclosed.

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Joseph D Neff