Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100031992 | Large format thermoelectric infrared detector and method of fabrication - The thermoelectric detector consists of an absorber structure supported by two electrically connected beams made of thermoelectric materials such as polysilicon, polysilicon/germanium, bismuth-telluride, skutterrides, superlattice structures, nano-composites and other materials. One end of the thermoelectric beam connects to the absorber structure; the other end connects to the substrate. Infrared radiation incident on the absorber heats up the absorber, resulting in a temperature gradient along the length of the thermoelectric legs, and generating an electrical voltage. The detector arrays are fabricated using micromachining process. The absorber structure is formed over a sacrificial material that is removed at the end of the processing, leaving the detector suspended and thermally isolated. The sacrificial processing method enables the production of small pixel thermoelectric detectors in large two-dimensional arrays with high sensitivity. | 02-11-2010 |
20100253179 | Micro-image acquisition and transmission system - A micro-image acquisition and transmission system is provided. In a preferred embodiment, the system is comprised of an image acquisition chip comprising an electronic imager, control electronics and a micro powered rotary stage comprising a transceiver array that acts as a hub to optically link a group of distributed image acquisition chips. A preferred embodiment is further comprised of a transceiver array chip comprising one or more micro-powered rotary stages having a transceiver array assembly disposed thereon. The micro-powered rotary stage is supported by a micro-brush bearing. | 10-07-2010 |
20110023927 | Micro-combustion power system with metal foam heat exchanger - A micro-combustion power system is disclosed. In a first embodiment, the invention is comprised of a housing that further comprises two flow path volumes, each having generally opposing flow path directions and each generally having opposing configurations. | 02-03-2011 |
20110041601 | Frequency modulated micro-gyro signal processing method and device - A signal processing method and device for measuring the input rate of an FM micro-gyro having a modulation frequency F | 02-24-2011 |
20110083710 | Energy-Efficient Micro-Combustion System for Power Generation and Fuel Processing - An integrated micro-combustion power generator converts hydrocarbon fuel into electricity. The integrated micro-scale power generator includes a micro-machined combustor adapted to convert hydrocarbon fuel into thermal energy and a micro-machined thermoelectric generator adapted to convert the thermal energy into electrical energy. The combustion reaction in the combustor flows in a path in a first plane while the thermal energy flows in a second plane in the generator; the second plane being nearly orthogonal or orthogonal to the first plane. The fuel handler in the combustor is adjacent and thermally isolated from the thermoelectric generator. The fuel handler may include a nozzle and gas flow switch, where the frequency of activation of the gas flow switch controls the amount of the fuel ejected from the nozzle. | 04-14-2011 |
20110168378 | Thermal power distribution system - The invention is comprised of one or more variably conductive thermal switches. | 07-14-2011 |
20120170024 | Long Range Acquisition and Tracking SWIR Sensor System Comprising Micro-Lamellar Spectrometer - A sensor system is provided having a precision tracking sensor element and a micro-lamellar spectrometer for determining the wavelength of an electromagnetic source such as a laser designator source. Acquisition sensor elements may be provided and mounted on a rotating base element that rotates about a first axis. The precision tracking sensor elements may be mounted on a hinged or pivoting element or gimbal on the housing and provided with drive means to permit a user to selectively manually or automatically direct it toward a scene target of interest detected by the acquisition sensor elements. At least one of the imaging elements in the precision tracking sensor or acquisition sensors is stacked micro-channel plate focal plane array element. | 07-05-2012 |
20120306076 | Semiconductor Micro-Connector With Through-Hole Via and a Method for Making the Same - A micro-connector fabricated from a semiconductor material is disclosed. The micro-connector has one or more low resistance regions having a predetermined low resistance through its thickness. Opposing surfaces of the semiconductor layer have one or more complementary and opposing receiving volumes and one or more complementary mating elements defined on each of the respective surfaces within the low resistance regions for the receiving of a solder ball bond from, for instance a stackable microelectronic layer or component. The solder ball bonds of a separately provided electronic element can be inserted through the mating elements and into the volume and mechanically affixed and electrically coupled to the micro-connector on each of the surfaces for the electronic coupling of a first electronic element to a second electronic element. | 12-06-2012 |
20130019682 | Nano-Resonator Inertial Sensor Assembly - The invention is a frequency modulated (FM) inertial sensing device and method which, in one embodiment, comprises an accelerometer having a proof mass coupled to a nano-resonator element. The nano-resonator element is oscillated at a first predetermined frequency, which may be a first resonant frequency, and is altered to oscillate at a second frequency, which may be a second resonant frequency, in response to a resultant force produced by the acceleration of the proof mass. The degree of change in nano-resonator element output frequency is sensed and processed using suitable processing circuitry as a change in acceleration. | 01-24-2013 |
20130044317 | Active Tracking and Imaging Sensor System Comprising Illuminator Analysis Function - A sensor suite comprising a LIDAR transmitter and receiver element and a visible imager element. The transmitter operates with a plurality of selectable beam-forming optics or a tilt-tip element. A Risley or counter-rotating prism set element permits beam-steering with lower size, weight and power (SWaP). The optics for the system may be configured in a Cassegrain-type configuration in cooperation with a plurality of beam-splitting elements to permit predetermined spectrums of the received electromagnetic spectrum to be provided respectively to the LIDAR receiver and the visible imager. One or a plurality of laser illuminator analysis spectrometers are provided for the detection of incoming laser illumination from an external source which may be in the form of a micro-lamellar spectrometer element. | 02-21-2013 |
20130206990 | Background Limited Focal Plane Array Assembly - The thermoelectric detector comprises an infrared absorber pixel structure supported by two electrically connected beams made of a thermoelectric material. One end of the thermoelectric beam connects to the infrared absorber pixel structure; the other end connects to the substrate. The detector comprises a microlens for collecting and focusing infrared radiation on the detector. Infrared radiation is incident on the infrared absorber pixel structure results in a temperature gradient along the length of the thermoelectric legs, and generating an electrical voltage proportional to the gradient. A low noise SIGe BiCMOS readout integrated circuit is coupled to the detector to provide a background limited detector having improved detectivity. | 08-15-2013 |
20140107969 | Frequency-Modulated Micro-Gyro Half-Period Signal Processing Method - A method for measuring the input rate Ω of an FM micro-gyro. The modulation frequency F | 04-17-2014 |
20140125985 | Multi-Operations Sensor System - A sensor suite comprising a first electronic imaging element such as an LWIR imager element and a second imaging element such as a visible imager element. The transmitter operates with a plurality of selectable beam-forming optics or a tilt-tip element. The optics for the system may be configured in a Cassegrain-type configuration in cooperation with a plurality of beam-splitting elements to permit different ranges of the received optical input to be provided respectively to the first and second electronic imagers. One or a plurality of laser illuminator analysis spectrometers are provided for the detection and characterizing of incoming laser illumination from an external source which may be in the form of a micro-lamellar spectrometer element. | 05-08-2014 |
20140293266 | Local Alignment and Positioning Device and Method - A device and method that uses terrain features having one or more predetermined characteristics or weights in an electronic image date frame or set of frames such as a LIDAR voxel set of image data frames for use as system reference points which are, in turn, used in one or more trilateration calculations performed in electronic circuitry to determine a position or ego-motion of the device. | 10-02-2014 |
20150018724 | Balance Augmentation Sensors - Current rehabilitative treatment of balance disorder requires long and intensive processes. The development of a wearable device for use in clinic as well as at home and during daily routine activities would enable continuous treatment outside of specialized training settings and accelerated relieve of balance disorder. The patent describes a wearable device that utilizes inertial sensors and sensor fusion processing to measure body posture and provide real-time feedback to alert the wearer to remain in the region of stability, and that utilizes wireless communication to support therapy and training providers. | 01-15-2015 |