The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.

Robin M A Dawson

Benjamin F Lane

Juha-Pekka J Laine

Yaron Rachlin

Christopher C Yu

Steven Jay Spector

Michael G Moebius

Hannah Anne Clevenson

Lucas David Benney

Julian A Brown

Stephen P Smith

Gregory P Blasche

Matthew T Jamula

Eric T Hoke

Daniel M Meiser

Steven Hoeschele

An antenna system has a two-dimensional field of view, yet can be implemented on a surface, such as on electronic or photonic integrated circuits. The antenna system includes an array of antennas disposed in a predetermined non-linear pattern and a two-dimensional beamforming network (BFN). The antenna system can be steered/selectively beamformed in two dimensions through beam port selection. The beamforming network is disposed entirely on a single first surface. The beamforming network has a one-dimensional array-side interface disposed on the first surface and a one-dimensional beam-side interface disposed on the first surface. The antennas of the array of antennas are individually communicably coupled to the array-side interface. Segments of the beam-side interface map to respective pixels in the two-dimensional field of view.

Two-dimensional planar and crossover-free beamforming network architecture

An image-based navigation system is arranged to obtain a terrain image of a target terrain from one or more image sensors at a low altitude imaging location. The terrain image includes at least one celestial image feature and at least one terrain feature. Map database information stored in at least one hardware memory device is accessed and compared to the at least one celestial image feature and the at least one terrain feature in the terrain image to determine absolute location coordinates of the imaging location.

Stellar-landscape/horizon image navigation

A pixel array including circuitry for combining charges accumulated by individual pixels in the array enables addition and/or subtraction of individual pixel values, prior to their digitization, in the pixel array.

Systems and methods for adding or subtracting pixels

In general, in one embodiment, a starfield image as seen by an object is analyzed. Compressive samples are taken of the starfield image and, in the compressed domain, processed to remove noise. Stars in the starfield image are identified and used to determine an attitude of the object.

Attitude estimation by reducing noise with dragback

Attitude estimation in compressed domain

Attitude estimation with compressive sampling of starfield data

Growing community of inventors

Watertown, MA, United States of America

Robin M A Dawson