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"Flight by machines heavier than air is unpractical and insignificant, if not utterly impossible."
Simon Newcomb, astronomer ; Said in 1902, less than two years before the first flight at Kitty Hawk
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7714774 | False lock filter for pulsed radar altimeters A false lock filter circuit for a pulsed altimeter is provided. The circuit includes a low pass filter having a relatively low bandwidth (LBW LPF), a low pass filter having a relatively high bandwidth (HBW LPF) and a false lock controller. The LBW LPF has an input t... | 05/11/2010 |
| 7336219 | System and method for generating a radar detection threshold A method for generating a radar detection threshold includes computing a first plurality of percentile values associated with frequency domain values of frequency domain signals. The first plurality of percentile values is used to generate detection threshold values... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7327308 | Programmable method and test device for generating target for FMCW radar A test device for a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar is provided. The test device has a central control unit for monitoring the FMCW radar. When the FMCW radar transmits a frequency modulated continuous signal to search for a target, the central cont... | 02/05/2008 |
| 7295151 | Systems and methods for self-test of a radar altimeter Systems and methods for testing a signal generated by a Direct Digital Synthesizer (DDS) in a radar altimeter. In an embodiment of the method, a voltage signal derived by comparing a fixed reference frequency to a ramped frequency signal generated by the DDS based o... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7259713 | Ranging systems A continuous wave ranging system, comprising a modulator 2 for modulating an r.f. carrier wave in accordance with a pseudo random code, a transmitting antenna 5 for radiating the modulated signal towards a target, a receiving antenna 6 and recei... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7248342 | Three-dimension imaging lidar This invention is directed to a 3-dimensional imaging lidar, which utilizes modest power kHz rate lasers, array detectors, photon-counting multi-channel timing receivers, and dual wedge optical scanners with transmitter point-ahead correction to provide contiguous h... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7239266 | Radar altimeter The present invention provides a radar altimeter system with a closed loop modulation for generating more accurate radar altimeter values. The system includes an antenna, a circulator, a receiver, and a transmitter. The circulator receives or sends a radar signal fr... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7233278 | Radar level gauge with switch for selecting transmitter or receiver mode A radar level gauge (RLG), intended for measuring with a close-range low-power radar a distance to a content surface in a container relatively to a measuring position, which is located above the surface and fixed in relation to a lower boundary of said container. Th... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7161527 | Navigation system A radar altimeter system with a closed-loop modulation for generating more accurate radar altimeter values. The present invention combines flight safety critical sensors into a common platform to permit autonomous or semi-autonomous landing, enroute navigation and c... | 01/09/2007 |
| 7145502 | Distance measurement method and device A distance can be measured with high resolution. A frequency controller (7) controls a voltage control oscillator (2) so as to change a signal source frequency f in a range containing two center frequencies f1 and f2 and transmits it as a... | 12/05/2006 |
| 7138940 | Method and systems for automatic zero calibration of radar altimeters A method for operating a radar altimeter to perform a zero altitude calibration is described. The method includes determining a difference between an altitude measured by the radar altimeter and a desired altitude indication and upon receiving a zero calibration com... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7095364 | Altitude measurement system and associated methods An altitude measuring system and method for aircraft is provided. The altitude measuring system includes altitude sensors for providing data to an altitude processing unit. The altitude processing unit spatially averages each output to determine a mean altitude. Pit... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7064703 | Methods and apparatus for randomly modulating radar altimeters A method for randomly phase modulating a radar altimeter is described. The method includes momentarily applying a signal from a random noise source to an amplifier, applying an output of the amplifier to a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), applying an output of t... | 06/20/2006 |
| 7049999 | Modulation circuit for a vehicular traffic surveillance Doppler radar system A modulation circuit for a traffic surveillance Doppler radar system is disclosed. In one embodiment, the modulation circuit is utilized in a vehicular traffic surveillance Doppler radar system that processes a reflected double-modulated FM signal to determine a tar... | 05/23/2006 |
| 6992614 | Radar altimeter A radar altimeter is provided that includes a transmitter operable to generate a radio signal at a modulation frequency, and transmit the radio signal toward a ground surface for reflection therefrom to thereby propagate a reflected radio signal. The radar altimeter... | 01/31/2006 |
| 6977611 | FM-CW altimeter detector A receiver for detecting the presence of FM-CW signals emanating from a radio altimeter, and for determining the identity of the source. The received signals are amplified and applied both directly and through a delay circuit to a mixer. The delay is such that the r... | 12/20/2005 |
| 6909396 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETERMINING THE POSITION OF AT LEAST ONE SECOND TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING DEVICE IN RESPECT OF A FIRST TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING DEVICE IN A PASSIVE ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEM OPERATING IN THE GHZ RANGE A method for determining the position of at least one second transmitting and receiving device (3) in respect of a first transmitting and receiving device in a passive access control system operating in the GHz range, comprising the steps of using a radar met... | 06/21/2005 |
| 6897803 | Radar altimeter with forward ranging capabilities A method for incorporating a forward ranging feature into a radar altimeter is described. The method comprises positioning an antenna of the altimeter such that a side lobe of a radar signal radiates from the antenna in a forward direction and processing a radar ret... | 05/24/2005 |
| 6812885 | Radio altimeter test method and apparatus A method, apparatus and circuit for testing a radio altimeter is disclosed. During the test-mode operation of the altimeter, a signal processor controls a transmitter to generate a radio frequency signal at a first period of time, which is transmitted through an att... | 11/02/2004 |
| 6761064 | Movement-detecting altimeter To provide a movement-detecting altimeter designed so as to be capable of avoiding excessive accumulation of errors. The movement-detecting altimeter has a movement dependent altitude updating unit which updates an indicated altitude when a moving condition is maint... | 07/13/2004 |
| 6753806 | Methods and apparatus to compensate for zero Doppler returns A method for simulating a Doppler signal under stationary conditions is described. The method includes sampling a radar return signal at an integer multiple of the return signal frequency plus a fraction of the return signal period and generating a base band signal ... | 06/22/2004 |
| 6750807 | Radar altimeter with forward obstacle avoidance capabilities A radar altimeter is described which includes a transmitter for transmitting a radar signal, a receiver for receiving the reflected radar signal, and at least one antenna coupled to one or both of the transmitter and receiver. The altimeter also includes a forward f... | 06/15/2004 |
| 6744397 | Systems and methods for target location A method of determining a target location from a vehicle is described. The method includes identifying the target utilizing a video system, determining an angular location vector to the target with respect to the vehicle, determining a position of the vehicle utiliz... | 06/01/2004 |
| 6731234 | Radar anti-fade systems and methods A method for suppressing ground return radar fading in a radar altimeter is described. The method includes providing a radar gate width which corresponds to an area that is smaller than an antenna illumination area being impinged by transmissions of the radar altime... | 05/04/2004 |
| 6486826 | Arrangement for the precise distance measuring, in particular the filling level measuring An arrangement for the precise measuring of the distance with a FMCW radar device having a frequency-variable digitally-actuated oscillator to generate a transmitting frequency which can be tuned over a predetermined frequency range. The digital actuation... | 11/26/2002 |
| 6476759 | Method for the calibration of an FM/CW type radio altimeter, and radio altimeter designed for the implementation of this method A radio altimeter using a linear oscillator to transmit a saw-toothed signal comprises, in addition to this first oscillator, a second linear oscillator to transmit, in synchronism with the first linear oscillator, another saw-toothed signal with a given ... | 11/05/2002 |
| 6437730 | Method for checking an fm/cw type radio altimeter, and radio altimeter designed for the implementation of this method A radio altimeter using a linear oscillator to send out a continuous wave that is frequency modulated linearly between two boundary values sends the antenna installation an incident signal, collects the signal reflected by the installation and examines it... | 08/20/2002 |
| 6426717 | Single antenna FM radio altimeter operating in a continuous wave mode and an interrupted continuous wave mode A single antenna FM radio altimeter operates in continuous wave (CW) and interrupted continuous wave (ICW) modes to provide an altitude indication. An altimeter transmitter generates a constant FM period CW signal below a critical altitude and a variable ... | 07/30/2002 |
| 6384770 | Linearizing device for a frequency-modulation ramp and its application to a radio altimeter The invention relates to a device for the linearization of a frequency modulation ramp comprising a voltage controlled oscillator associated with a phase locked-loop. The device comprises a digitally controlled oscillator of which only the most heavily we... | 05/07/2002 |
| 6255984 | Sensor system FMCW doppler radar, in which a reference signal is generated from the transmit signal via a delay line and a mixer. A measuring signal which is received and mixed with the transmit signal is detected and digitized at the times of the zero crossings of the... | 07/03/2001 |
| 6255982 | Method of characterization of an overflown ground from a FM/CW radio altimeter signal The invention proposes a novel method for using the signals provided by an airborne FM/CW radio altimeter, allowing to perform an analysis of the ground overflown by an aircraft for the purpose of, for example, identifying it, or alternatively of recogniz... | 07/03/2001 |
| 5999118 | Method of spectral analysis, FM/CW type radio altimeter with digital processing A spectral analysis carried out on the beat signals obtained by the mixing of a transmission signal, the frequency of which is modulated in the form of recurrent sawteeth, with this same signal after it has been transmitted, reflected and then received. T... | 12/07/1999 |
| 5963509 | Method and device for distance measurement In a distance measurement to an object, the distance measurement operating according to the FMCW principle, a linear frequency-modulated signal is transmitted and mixed with the signal reflected back from the object, generating a demodulation signal with ... | 10/05/1999 |
| 5923283 | Altimetric type measurement method for use on a satellite An altimetric type measurement method for use on a satellite transmits a pulse towards the surface of the sea and carries out frequency transformation on the return signal resulting from the reflection of this pulse at the surface of the sea. This produce... | 07/13/1999 |
| 5781148 | Continuous wave radar altimeter A continuous wave radar altimeter comprises a memory (24, 26), means for storing in the memory in digital form an array of return signals representative of the variation of reflected amplitude with path length, means (27), for addressing the memory for id... | 07/14/1998 |
| 5719581 | Low-cost radio altimeter A relatively low-cost FMCW radio altimeter includes a voltage-controlled oscillator based upon a GaAs FET. The oscillator produces, for example, a 4.3 GHz microwave signal that is modulated with a triangular wave having a pin-selectable modulation frequen... | 02/17/1998 |
| 5477226 | Low cost radar altimeter with accuracy enhancement A low cost frequency modulated (FM) radar altimeter system with enhanced accuracy for continuously providing an altitude of a target, comprising a transmitter means for transmitting a carrier modulated output signal towards the target; a receiver means ha... | 12/19/1995 |
| 5442361 | Microwave transceiver using a reflection pumped mixer A microwave transceiver using a reflection pumped mixer includes an electromagnetic signal generator, a subreflector, a reflector of electromagnetic signals from the subreflector, a mixer, circulator, and processing circuitry to relate electromagnetic sig... | 08/15/1995 |
| 5387917 | Radar fuze A method and apparatus for determining an altitude for a radar fuze. The method includes the steps of receiving a return signal and transmitting a transmitted signal. The return signal and the transmitted signal are mixed and a mixed signal representing a... | 02/07/1995 |
| 5315258 | Method and apparatus for determining the moisture content of a material In the method of the invention, a microwave signal is passed through a material whose moisture content is to be measured, the change in the velocity of the signal which has travelled through the material is measured and the moisture content is determined ... | 05/24/1994 |
