Hypertherm, Inc.

Aptiv Technologies Limited

Aptiv Technologies Ag

University of South Florida

Yu Zhang

Zheng Duan

Xin Zhang

Zhengzheng Li

Garrett K Quillia

Peter J Twarog

Brett Andrew Hansen

Nicholas A Sanders

E Michael Shipulski

Jesse A Roberts

Stephen Theodore Eickhoff

Mahyar Esmaili

Mike Kornprobst

Steven Moody

David Agan

Eric Streit

Le Zheng

Michael Scheller

Michael F Kornprobst

Jeff Ortakales

David Jonathan Cook

Michael Hoffa

Girish R Kamath

Sung Je Kim

Dennis M Borowy

Shreyansh Patel

Qinghua Liu

Brenda Melius

Jeffrey Cornish

Dennis Kulakowski

Yuan Wang

Richard R Gray, Jr

Shuimei Zhang

Tingting Zhao

Edgar Ortiz

Clinton Colby

Faraz Mehdi

Josh Murray

Lisa Nadeau

Brandon Mason

Nick Pecor

Jeffery Cornish

This document describes a radar system to universally detect direct-of-arrival (DoA) and direction-of-departure (DoD) angles in direct-path and multipath reflection conditions. For example, a radar system includes a transmitter and receiver array with a first array forming a minimum redundancy array and a second array forming a sparse uniform linear array. A processor determines, using second-array measurements, estimated angles. The quantity of estimated angles is larger than the quantity of actual angles due to angular ambiguity of the second array. The processor then identifies multiple potential sets of actual angles from among the estimated angles and tests each set under a maximum likelihood criterion using first-array measurements. The DoA and DoD angles are identified as the respective set with a maximum utility function value. In this way, the processor determines actual angles with improved resolution and reduced cost without having to identify whether a direct-path or multipath reflection condition exists.

Radar system to universally detect direction-of-arrival or direction-of-departure angles in direct-path and multipath reflection conditions

Numerical weather prediction data during a time period of interest for a multi-airport system is used to generate a three-dimensional (3-D) tensor data for the time period of interest. The 3-D tensor data is then used to predict hourly runway configurations for each of a plurality of airports of the multi-airport system during the time period of interest using the 3-D tensor data as input to a plurality of runway configuration convolutional neural networks (CNN) branches and to predict an AAR for each of the plurality of airports of the multi-airport system during the time period of interest using the 3-D tensor data as input to an airport acceptance rate (AAR) CNN branch. The predicted hourly runway configuration for each of the plurality of airports and the predicted AAR for each of the plurality of airports are then used to manage flights within the multi-airport system.

System and method for the prediction of runway configuration and airport acceptance rate (AAR) for multi-airport system

A consumable cartridge for a plasma arc torch includes a cartridge frame having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, the first and second ends defining a longitudinal axis, the second end including a plurality of discrete retaining features. The consumable cartridge includes an electrically conductive contact element secured to the cartridge frame by the plurality of discrete retaining features and translatable up to a predetermined distance within the cartridge frame along the longitudinal axis at the second end, the contact element having a core, a proximal surface, and a distal surface. The proximal surface is shaped to contact a torch plunger of the plasma arc torch upon installation into the plasma arc torch and the distal surface is shaped to contact an electrode of the plasma arc torch during an operation of the plasma arc torch.

Swirl ring and contact element for a plasma arc torch cartridge

The invention features a replaceable cartridge for a plasma arc torch. The cartridge includes a cartridge body having a first section and a second section. The first and second sections are joined at an interface to form a substantially hollow chamber. The interface provides a coupling force that secures the first and second sections together. The cartridge also includes an arc constricting member located in the second section; an electrode included within the substantially hollow chamber; and a contact start spring element affixed to the electrode. The spring element imparts a separating force that biases the electrode toward at least one of the first section or the second section of the body. The separating force has a magnitude that is less than a magnitude of the coupling force.

Consumable cartridge for a plasma arc cutting system

A translatable electrode for use in a cartridge assembly for a contact start plasma arc torch including an electrode body having a longitudinal axis and including a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end including a spiral groove and a contact surface at a proximal end face shaped to electrically communicate with a cathodic element. The translatable electrode also including at least one emissive insert disposed within the distal end of the electrode body and proximate a distal end face. The translatable electrode including at least one baffle disposed between the proximal and distal end of the electrode body. The translatable electrode also including a gas flow dampening region disposed circumferentially about the distal end and adjacent the distal end face and positioned between the at least one baffle and the distal end face.

Swirl control through electrode geometry

This document describes techniques for enabling de-aliased imaging for a synthetic aperture radar. Radar signals processed by a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system may include false detections in the form of aliasing induced by grating lobes. The techniques described herein can reduce the adverse effects of grating lobes by obtaining an initial SAR image using a back-projection algorithm. Aliasing effects (e.g., false detections) in this initial image may be common due to the limitations of an SAR system moving at non-uniform speeds. A refined image is produced from the initial image by applying a de-aliasing filter to the initial image. The refined image may have reduced or eliminated false detections that attribute to aliasing effects, resulting in a better representation of the environment of the vehicle.

De-aliased imaging for a synthetic aperture radar

This document describes techniques and systems of a radar system with paired one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) antenna arrays. Even with fewer antenna elements than a traditional radar system, the paired arrays enable an example radar system to have a comparable angular resolution at a lower cost. For example, the 1D array includes antenna elements positioned in a first direction (e.g., azimuth direction) and spaced by a first distance and a second distance. The 2D array includes at least four other antenna elements positioned in the first direction and a second direction (e.g., elevation direction). The other antenna elements are spaced by a third distance in the second direction and by the sum of the first direction and the second direction in the first direction. A processor can associate, using shared angle estimates, angles in the first direction and the second direction for respective objects.

Radar system with paired one-dimensional and two-dimensional antenna arrays

A consumable cartridge for a plasma arc torch is provided. The consumable cartridge includes an outer component defining a substantially hollow body, an inner component disposed substantially within the hollow body of the outer component, and a hollow region between the rear portion of the inner component and the outer component. The inner component includes a forward portion configured to axially secure and rotatatably engage the outer component to the inner component and a rear portion substantially suspended within the hollow body of the outer component. The rear portion is axially secured and rotatably engaged with the outer component via the forward portion. The hollow region is configured to receive a torch head to enable mating between the rear portion of the inner component and a cathode of the torch head.

Cost effective cartridge for a plasma arc torch

This document describes techniques and systems of a radar system with modified orthogonal linear antenna subarrays and an angle-finding module. The described radar system includes a first one-dimensional (1D) (e.g., linear) subarray; a second 1D subarray positioned orthogonal to the first 1D subarray; and a two-dimensional (2D) subarray. Using electromagnetic energy received by the first 1D subarray and the second 2D subarray, azimuth angles and elevation angles associated with one or more objects can be determined. The radar system associates, using electromagnetic energy received by the 2D subarray, pairs of an azimuth angle and an elevation angle to the respective objects. In this way, the described systems and techniques can reduce the number of antenna elements while maintaining the angular resolution of a rectangular 2D array with similar aperture sizing.

Radar system with modified orthogonal linear antenna subarrays

This document describes techniques and systems of a radar system with an angle-finding process for sparse uniform arrays. The described radar system includes a processor and an antenna that can receive electromagnetic energy reflected by objects in the surrounding environment. The antenna includes a one-dimensional (1D) or two-dimensional (2D) sparse array. The processor can determine, using the received electromagnetic energy, a signal subspace associated with the objects that includes an invariance equation. Using an estimated solution to the invariance equation, the processor determines a solution to the invariance equation. The solution to the invariance equation is used to determine angular phases associated with the objects. The processor can then determine, using the angular phases, angles associated with the objects. In this way, the described angle-finding process enables the radar system with a sparse array to efficiently determine angles associated with objects without blind spots.

Angle-finding process for sparse uniform arrays

This document describes techniques and systems for independent transmit and receive channel calibration for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems. Antenna responses are collected from each virtual channel of a MIMO system at an angle respective to an object. The transmit components and the receive components of the virtual channels are separated and organized into vectors (one for the transmit components and one for the receive components). Calibration values for elements of the vectors are computed and maintained in a transmit calibration matrix and a receive calibration matrix, respectively. Together, the transmit calibration matrix and the receive calibration matrix may include fewer elements than a calibration matrix for the virtual channels and, therefore, may require less memory and fewer computations to calibrate a MIMO system than using other calibration techniques. As such, described is a less expensive and less complex way to calibrate MIMO system by accurately approximating an ideal antenna array.

Independent transmit and receive channel calibration for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems

The disclosure provides systems, apparatuses, and techniques for operating automotive MIMO radars in crowded multi-path environments to obtain reliable detections by linearly predicting whether a bistatic condition occurred. To avoid saturating computing resources processing bistatic detections, the described techniques enable a radar system to quickly identify and discard from the field-of-view radar detections that are likely a result of bistatic conditions. By ignoring unusable radar returns that are likely a result of bistatic conditions, an example radar system can focus on processing radar returns from static conditions, for example, in providing radar-based detections as output to an automotive system that is driving a vehicle in an autonomous or a semi-autonomous mode. In so doing, the example radar system provides a highly accurate static object detector that is sufficiently quick in detecting bistatic conditions for use in vehicle-safety systems as well as autonomous and semi-autonomous control.

Linear prediction-based bistatic detector for automotive radar

A cartridge for an air-cooled plasma arc torch is provided. The cartridge includes a swirl ring having a molded thermoplastic elongated body with a distal end, a proximal end, and a hollow portion configured to receive an electrode. The swirl ring also has a plurality of gas flow openings defined by the distal end of the elongated body and configured to impart a swirling motion to a plasma gas flow for the plasma arc torch. The swirl ring further includes a nozzle retention feature on a surface of the elongated body at the distal end for retaining a nozzle to the elongated body. The cartridge further includes a cap affixed to the proximal end of the elongated body of the swirl ring for substantially closing the proximal end of the elongated body.

This document describes techniques and systems to enable a radar system to detect angles in bistatic and monostatic scenarios. In some examples, an automotive radar system includes one or more processors. The processors can obtain electromagnetic (EM) energy reflected by objects and generate, based on the reflected EM energy, a two-dimensional (2D) data matrix. The 2D data matrix has a number of rows corresponding to the number of antenna elements in a transmitter array and a number of columns corresponding to the number of antenna elements in a receiver array. Using the 2D data matrix, the processors can determine DoA estimates and DoD estimates in monostatic and bistatic scenarios. By comparing the DoA estimates to the DoD estimates, the processors can determine an angle associated with the objects. In this way, the described techniques and systems can enable angle detection in monostatic and bistatic conditions with improved angular resolution and reduced cost.

Radar system to detect angles in bistatic and monostatic scenarios

Growing community of inventors

Hanover, NH, United States of America

Yu Zhang