Leolabs, Inc.

Sri International

Michael Nicolls

John J Buonocore

Matthew A Stevenson

Christopher Rosner

David Watters

Bryan Klofas

Daniel P Ceperley

Ryan C Peterson

Thomas Durak

Michael Greffen

Moyra Malone

Matthew Adelman

John Buonocore

Gerald K Wong

Steven Chen

Daniel Ceperley

Sanado Barolli

Nathan Griffith

Inkwan Park

Edward Lu

Chris Rosner

Gerald Wong

Some of such technologies enable a technique for calibrating a radar based on using—A—an elemental antenna, which can be embedded on a housing hosting a set of antenna elements, or—B—an antenna mounted to a reflector (). Some of such technologies enable a radar site containing a first ID phased array () and a second ID phased array (), where the first ID phased array sends a set of signals and receives a set of reflections based on the set of signals, and the second ID phased array receives the set of reflections.

Calibrating radars and tracking space objects

A method of determining tumbling characteristics of resident space objects includes acquiring a geometry of a target object, generating a distribution of radio scatterers within the geometry of the target, calculating multiple radar cross sections at different angles for the distribution, finding an autocorrelation for each radar cross section versus each angle, using the autocorrelations to find a decorrelation angle, extracting a decorrelation time from radar data of the object, and finding a rotation rate of the object as the tumbling characteristic.

Method and system for detecting the tumbling characteristics of space objects

A method for orbital collision screening comprising, obtaining trajectory information of a plurality of objects moving on predictable paths. For each one of the plurality of objects, based upon respective trajectory information of the one of the plurality of objects, computing, a respective spatial descriptor of the path of the one of the plurality of objects, and storing the respective spatial descriptors of each of the plurality of objects in a data structure. Subsequently obtaining trajectory information of a further object, and based upon the trajectory information of the further object, computing a spatial descriptor of the path of the further object. Making first comparisons of the spatial descriptor of the further object against the respective spatial descriptors of each of the plurality of objects stored in the data structure to determine whether each of these first comparisons indicates a possible collision risk. Based upon each of the first comparisons, if the first comparison indicates a possible collision risk, determining a result of a close approach determination between the respective trajectory information of the respective one of the plurality of objects and the trajectory information of the further object, and taking an action based on result of the close approach determination satisfying a predetermined threshold.

System and method for orbital collision screening

Technologies for calibrating radars and tracking space objects. Some of such technologies enable a technique for calibrating a radar based on using -A- an elemental antenna (), which can be embedded on a housing hosting a set of antenna elements, or -B- an antenna () mounted to a reflector. Some of such technologies enable a radar site containing a first 1D phased array () and a second 1D phased array (), where the first 1D phased array sends a set of signals and receives a set of reflections based on the set of signals, and the second 1D phased array receives the set of reflections.

A phased array antenna system has at least one trough reflector, each trough reflector having at least one phased array located at a feed point of the reflector, and an array of elements located near to a point equal to one half of a center transmission wavelength. A method of decoding a receive signal includes propagating a transmit signal through a transmit and a receive path of a phased array to generate a coupled signal, digitizing the coupled signal, storing the digitized coupled signal, receiving a signal from a target, and using the digitized coupled signal to decode the signal from the target. A method of modeling the ionosphere includes transmitting measuring pulses from an incoherent scattering radar transmitter, receiving incoherent scatter from the transmitting, and analyzing the incoherent scatter to determine pulse and amplitude of the incoherent scatter to profile electron number density of the ionosphere.

1D phased array antenna for radar and communications

This disclosure enables various technologies for determining space object attitude stabilities from radar cross-section statistics. In particular, such determinations can be made via employing various phased-array radars with various fields of views, which can monitor various space objects (e.g., satellites, space debris, rocket bodies, space stations) over various periods of time (e.g., minutes, hours, days, weeks, months) as the space objects come into the fields of views. For example, a technique for estimating attitude stability of low-Earth RSOs using RCS statistics from various radars (e.g., group of radars, phased-array radar network). Assuming a non-isotropic shape, an Earth-oriented RSO can have an elevation-angle dependent RCS when viewed from a ground-based radar. Therefore, an RSO attitude stability can be tested by looking for a difference in a median or mean RCS when the RSO is viewed at different elevation angles.

Systems, devices, and methods for determining space object attitude stabilities from radar cross-section statistics

A method of tracking objects using a radar, includes sending a beamcode to at least one radar antenna to set a predetermined direction, using samples from a random distribution of at least one of a phase or an amplitude to generate a tracking signal pulse train, transmitting the pulse train from the at least one antenna within a pulse time window, receiving return signals from objects at the at least one antenna, and using the return signals to gather data to track the objects. A radar system has at least one radar antenna to transmit a tracking signal, a memory to store a set of random distributions, a controller connected to at least one radar antenna and the memory, the controller to execute instructions to determine which random distribution to use, generate a pulse train using the random distribution, transmit the pulse train to the at least one radar antenna as the tracking signal, and gather measurement data about objects returning signals from the tracking signal.

Randomized phase and amplitude radar codes for space object tracking

A method of calibrating a phased-array radar includes receiving a signal at one of either a mobile platform or an antenna element of the phased-array radar, the transmission being sent as a transmitted signal from either the mobile platform or the antenna element, correlating the received signal to the transmitted signal to produce an initial phase delay for that antenna element, determining a difference between the initial phase delay and an expected phase delay, wherein the expected phase delay is based upon a relative position between the antenna element and the mobile platform, and saving the difference as a final phase delay for the antenna element. A system for calibrating a phased-array radar includes a phased-array radar having an array of antenna elements, and a mobile platform capable of flying over the phased-array. The mobile platform has an antenna, a transmitter to transmit signals through the antenna, a software defined receiver tuned to operations of the phased-array radar, and a global positioning satellite receiver.

Growing community of inventors

Portola Valley, CA, United States of America

Michael Nicolls