Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Integrated Medical Systems, Inc.

Walter Dennis Clark

Douglas Ellwood Shultz

Robert Michael Garcia

David Eugene Sherrill

Todd Douglas Kneale

William Richard Sobko

Donald Hanks

Louis Stephen Toth

David Michael Stanley

Gene Bruce Moore

Mark Lane Berry

David Darby Hood

John Roger Brayton

Omar Aboutalib

Richard R Ramroth

Richard L Hoffman

Liya Su

An aircraft comprises first and second wings positioned on opposite sides of a longitudinal axis with each of the first and second wings including an upper surface and a lower surface, wherein no control surfaces are attached to the lower surface of the wings. A first forward opening control surface is attached by a first hinge to an upper surface of the first wing and a second forward opening control surface being attached by a second hinge to an upper surface of the second wing. Each of the first and second hinges is canted with respect to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. A method of yaw control performed by the aircraft is also included.

Aircraft with forward opening inlay spoilers for yaw control

The method of landing a flying wing type aircraft in a crosswind includes the steps of disengaging the nose landing wheel upon impact with the runway so that it is free to castor; and thereafter, engaging the nose wheel after a specific time period after the nose wheel impacts the runway such that the nose wheel is steerable. The system for landing a flying wing type aircraft in a crosswind on a runway includes a steering system for steering the nose wheel, the steering system having a first condition wherein it controls the angular position of nose wheel and a second condition wherein the wheel is free to castor. A control system moves the steering system from the first condition to the second condition upon the wheel contacting the runway and moves the steering system back to the first condition after a specified time after the wheel contacts the runway.

System and method for landing a tailless aircraft in a crosswind

A process for landing a tailless aircraft having a nose, wings that produce lift, a nose landing gear with a shock strut, and main landing gear, comprises the steps of allowing the nose landing gear shock strut to compress after touchdown to a point where the nose of the aircraft has lowered sufficiently to reduce the lift of the wings. The process further includes the step of controlling the rate of rebound of the nose landing gear shock strut such that the nose of the aircraft remains lowered in order to prevent the aircraft from becoming airborne after touchdown.

Process for landing a tailless aircraft

The present invention includes a method for matching a stored template with an image of an object. This is a final stage identification device in the at least one candidate array is received from a prescreener and/or intermediate discriminator. The candidate array includes a respective plurality of direction values at least partially defining a respective contour of an object within a two-dimensional image containing a possible target. The candidate array is compared with at least one stored template array. The stored template array includes a respective plurality of direction values at least partially defining an outline of a predetermined object of interest. The template array may include a plurality of template segment arrays such that various portions of the overall template are compared one at a time with the entire candidate array. The match between candidate and stored template may be scored based upon how well the template segments correspond to the candidate. Furthermore, the candidate may also be scored based upon a positional relationship between the template segments, while they are aligned with respective portions of the candidate.

System and method for template matching of candidates within a two-dimensional image

The present invention includes a method for analyzing an image to screen for target candidates wherein an edge-follower detects straight segments within a plurality of longer edges and detects also from the longer edges, contours that go around areas that are the right size. The invention also contemplates starting the edge-follower from seeds on the image and terminating the edge-following process if the edge meanders too much to ever become an acceptable contour. In accordance with another embodiment, the straight segments can be further screened by measuring the gradient direction and then noting the deviation from the mean of those direction values. The highly straight edges thus found, in confluence with each other, or near a correct size contour define likely candidates.

System and method for image analysis using a chaincode

The present invention includes a method for analyzing an image wherein elements defining a path within a two-dimensional image are received from a prescreener. A Sobel operator may be applied to the region around each of the elements of the chain to obtain a corresponding array of gradient directions. An angle correction may be applied to any of the gradient directions that goes beyond the highest value (in radian measure; the Pi &#x2212;Pi transition), to obtain an array of gradient directions free of any artificial jumps in value. The gradient direction array (Sobel chaincode) can have its bandwidth taken to determine a single number of straightness so as to identify extremely straight edges, (manmade objects) from less straight edges (natural objects). A similar process can be used to analyze contours for straight sections, which are also parallel. These two and other filters applied to the gradient array can be part of a feature suite, for feature space analysis.

System and method for analyzing a contour of an image by applying a Sobel operator thereto

An aircraft with swept back wings and spoilers inlaid into the top surface near the tips of the wings. The aircraft also includes an elevator formed in the center back portion of the aircraft, which is also aft of the spoilers. It is aft to allow an auxiliary control in the elevator signal to cancel the unwanted pitch up moment caused by the spoilers only going up and being aft of the center of gravity of the aircraft. Roll is achieved with these spoilers by the direct action of the lift dumping on one side or the other and by taking advantage of the transformation of yaw into roll by the sweep back of the wings.

Aircraft with topside only spoilers

A self-contained transportable life support system for resuscitation, stabilization, and transport of a patient has an environmentally controlled housing for receiving and supporting a patient and a plurality of medical devices disposed within the housing. A control circuit attached to the housing has at least a portion thereof extending to an external surface of the housing for regulating operation of the medical devices and environmental conditions of within the housing in response to monitored life support conditions of the patient.

Self contained transportable life support system

An aircraft comprises first and second wings positioned on opposite sides of a longitudinal axis, a first forward opening control surface attached to an upper surface of the first wing, and a second forward opening control surface attached to an upper surface of the second wing, wherein each of the first and second hinges is canted with respect to a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the aircraft. A method of providing yaw control of an aircraft is also provided. The method comprises the steps of providing a first forward opening, canted spoiler in a top surface of a first wing of the aircraft, providing a second forward opening, canted spoiler in a top surface of a second wing of the aircraft, and operating the first and second spoilers differentially to create a yaw moment. The creation of yaw moments without any down force has application in sweptback wings where the tips are behind the center of gravity of the aircraft. The advantage is in reducing radar cross section over traditional (forward hinged, rearward opening) spoilers where there must be a spoiler on the bottom side to counter the down force created by the top spoiler.

A method for flying an aircraft includes flying the aircraft at a first approximately level position and changing the flight of the aircraft from the first approximately level position to a climbing position. The method includes changing the flight of the aircraft from the climbing position to a second approximately level position to achieve a weightless state during the change to the second approximately level position and rolling the aircraft during the weightless state using one or more rolling control surfaces of the aircraft to establish a bank for a turn without creating adverse yaw. The aircraft does not include a deflectable spoiler, fin or rudder to counter adverse yaw. The rolling control surfaces of the aircraft may comprise elevons of the aircraft.

Method and system for flying an aircraft

A system for controlling an aircraft includes an airframe, a first airfoil, and a second airfoil. At least a portion of the first airfoil and the second airfoil are controllably deflectable so that, during a roll maneuver, the first airfoil generates increased lift and a consequent increased drag, and the second airfoil generates negative lift and a consequent increased drag, the increased lift and the decreased lift generating a roll moment, and the increased drag of the second airfoil producing a yaw moment that counteracts the yaw moment produced by the increased drag of the first airfoil such that no substantial change in aircraft yaw moment occurs. The drag on the down-going wing may counteract the drag on the up-going wing by having a reduced area providing the down-going force so that it has to deflect to the point that it is producing not only less, but actually negative lift.

System and method for controlling an aircraft

Self-contained transportable life support system

An endotracheal tube having an audio aid for indicating the accurate placement thereof. In a first preferred embodiment, the invention comprises a cuffed ETT having distal and proximal ends, the latter having a mechanical noise-making apparatus formed thereon that provides an audible signal when air passes therethrough. In a second preferred embodiment, the invention comprises the combination of a cuffed ETT having distal and proximal ends and an insertion rod for stiffening the ETT during insertion. The insertion rod is coupled to an electrically-powered noise maker formed upon the distal end thereof to produce an audible sound before air flow through the ETT is established. In both embodiments the correct placement is determined by the unaided ear hearing the noise coming from both sides of the chest. If sound is from one side only the insertion is too deep. If the sound is heard from the stomach the ETT is in the esophagus instead of trachea and should be pulled out and reinserted in such a way that it press more forcefully in the ventral direction.

Apparatus for acoustically determining position of an endotracheal tube

An optical filter for intentionally blurring camera images has a generally transparent material and a plurality of optical distortions formed in the transparent material. Placement of the transparent material longitudinally in the optical path of a camera in front of the aperture stop allows contouring the blur across the image plane. That contour is preferably random, so as to defeat digital methods for image restorations. Additionally, a linear gradient is utilized to even-out the ground resolution on oblique cameras or localized to even-out resolution on cameras that have areas of unwanted high resolution.

Optical blurring filter which is resistant to digital image restoration

Aerodynamic control apparatus which deflects a control-surface-member into the airstream for creating drag on an aircraft. This drag flap mechanism includes a strut and hinge plate which together constrain the control-surface-member to move in a coupled manner about mutually perpendicular axes. There is an actuator from the controls of the pilot which moves the hinge plate which in turn moves the control-surface-member in that coupled manner. It moves between a fully feathered position presenting minimal resistance to the airstream and a fully operative position presenting maximum resistance to the airstream. The preferred embodiment of the drag flap mechanism is as a continuation of the wing tips where two control-surface-members are hinged about a common axis on the hinge plate so they can open like a split flap. The motion of these two control-surface-members are constrained to allow the force of the air opening the two surfaces to assist in pushing the two surfaces more into the airstream. An alternate embodiment is a single flap that opens into the airstream from any surface on the aircraft but most usefully on the top surface of the wing inboard of the ailerons. Either embodiment can be used for both yaw control and for glide slope control as can many prior art drag flaps. The advantage of the present invention is with extremely large drag forces. The augmenting force is a function of the side slip angle and incorrect actuation (pilot error or hydraulic failure) will not be augmented. In fact without any actuation force, this invention can perform the same function as a large fixed vertical stabilizer and with more deflection on both sides, there is more stabilizing effect.

Growing community of inventors

Fullerton, CA, United States of America

Walter Dennis Clark