1896results about "Direction finders" patented technology

A sentient system combines detection, tracking, and immersive visualization of a cluttered and crowded environment, such as an office building, terminal, or other enclosed site using a network of stereo cameras. A guard monitors the site using a live 3D model, which is updated from different directions using the multiple video streams. As a person moves within the view of a camera, the system detects its motion and tracks the person's path, it hands off the track to the next camera when the person goes out of that camera's view. Multiple people can be tracked simultaneously both within and across cameras, with each track shown on a map display. The track system includes a track map browser that displays the tracks of all moving objects as well as a history of recent tracks and a video flashlight viewer that displays live immersive video of any person that is being tracked.

A system is provided for locating a vehicle. The system comprises a transmission device such as a key fob for transmission and receiving of a signal. Typically the key fob has a plurality of indicators such as LED indicators arranged in a circle. The key fob is adapted to transmit a radio frequency or microwave frequency transmission signal. An antenna array is positioned on or in a vehicle. The array comprises a plurality of antennas, generally arranged in a circular pattern. The array is adapted to receive the transmission signal from the transmission device which is converted to be analyzed by a microcontroller unit (MCU). The MCU is adapted to: (i) receive digital data converted from the transmission signal, (ii) calculate an angle of arrival (AOA) or direction of arrival (DOA) based on known components and an algorithm, and (iii) transmit a selection signal back to the key fob. A signal processing unit is coupled to the plurality of antennas and the MCU. The signal processing unit is adapted to receive the signal transmission from each antenna, convert the signal to digital data, and transmit the digital data to the MCU.

A collision avoidance system for a vehicle includes a collision avoidance processor, and an active sensor for obtaining successive range measurements to objects along a path transversed by the vehicle. The active sensor includes a near range gate for obtaining a near range measurement to objects located at a range less than a first predetermined range, and a far range gate for obtaining a far range measurement to objects located at a range greater than a second predetermined range. The near and far range measurements are provided to the collision avoidance processor for maneuvering of the vehicle.

A system and method for creating a unified commercial real estate data model through collection, distribution and use of information in connection with commercial real estate and for creating a web-based marketplace that facilitates the efficient and secure buying, selling, and leasing of commercial properties. The invention provides a digital marketplace in which the members of the commercial real estate and related business community can continuously interact and facilitate transactions by efficiently exchanging accurate and standardized information. An embodiment provides a system and method for providing communication and analytical tools that interface with a commercial real estate database and support commercial real estate transactions between parties. These communication and analytical tools can include: 1) a survey tool; 2) a commercial real estate transaction tool; 3) a tour scheduling tool; 4) an activity summary tool; 5) a tool for analyzing commercial real estate data; and 6) a map search tool.

A distributed power system wherein a plurality of power converters are connected in parallel and share the power conversion load according to a prescribed function, but each power converter autonomously determines its share of power conversion. Each power converter operates according to its own power conversion formula/function, such that overall the parallel-connected converters share the power conversion load in a predetermined manner.

Agricultural operations by applying flexible manufacturing software, robotics and sensing techniques to agriculture. In manufacturing operations utilizing flexible machining and flexible assembly robots, work pieces flow through a fixed set of workstations on an assembly line. At different stations are located machine vision systems, laser based raster devices, radar, touch, photocell, and other methods of sensing; flexible robot armatures and the like are used to operate on them. This flexible agricultural automation turns that concept inside out, moving software programmable workstations through farm fields on mobile robots that can sense their environment and respond to it flexibly. The agricultural automation will make it possible for large scale farming to take up labor intensive farming practices which are currently only practical for small scale farming, improving land utilization efficiency, while lowering manpower costs dramatically.

A wireless communication system, and method using multiple antennas, includes a base station that applies predetermined weight vectors to multi-user signals and transmits the multi-user signals through a plurality of transmission antennas, and a plurality of mobile stations that receive and process the multi-user signals, wherein each mobile station includes a signal reception unit that processes the multi-user signals, and a feedback signal generation unit that estimates channel characteristics, over which the multi-user signals have been transmitted, from the multi-user signals, classifies a plurality of weight vectors to be applied to the estimated channel characteristics into a plurality of sets such that vectors orthogonal to one another are classified into a single set, selects a set maximizing a transmission capacity from among the classified sets, and feeds back weight indexes of weight vectors included in the selected set and weighted channel information to the base station.

A system for indicating the relative direction of a target object or location as determined from the current position of a wireless communication device. The system employs Direction of Arrival determination using an antenna array for indicating the direction of a target device and includes facilities to activate a location-indicating transmission in a target device, the ability to request that a location-indicating transmission be activated in a remote target device, relevant information reception from a target device and the display of all potential target devices within effective transmission range of the wireless communication device.

A unified approach, a fusion technique, a space-time constraint, a methodology, and system architecture are provided. The unified approach is to fuse the outputs of monocular and stereo video trackers, RFID and localization systems and biometric identification systems. The fusion technique is provided that is based on the transformation of the sensory information from heterogeneous sources into a common coordinate system with rigorous uncertainties analysis to account for various sensor noises and ambiguities. The space-time constraint is used to fuse different sensor using the location and velocity information. Advantages include the ability to continuously track multiple humans with their identities in a large area. The methodology is general so that other sensors can be incorporated into the system. The system architecture is provided for the underlying real-time processing of the sensors.

A distributed power system including multiple DC power sources and multiple power modules. The power modules include inputs coupled respectively to the DC power sources and outputs coupled in series to form a serial string. An inverter is coupled to the serial string. The inverter converts power input from the serial string to output power. A signaling mechanism between the inverter and the power module is adapted for controlling operation of the power modules.

A terrestrial data communications wireless link includes a first link end that has a first directional antenna, a first beacon and a first redirecting assembly coupled to the first directional antenna. The wireless link also includes a second link end having a second directional antenna, a second beacon and a second redirecting assembly coupled to the second directional antenna. In use the first directional antenna and the second directional antenna are maintained in mutual alignment by the first redirecting assembly redirecting the first directional antenna in response to a signal from the second beacon and the second redirecting assembly redirecting the second directional antenna in response to a signal from the first beacon.

A security system which is nonintrusive of personal privacy of a person in a space comprises at least a first localization sensor subsystem, if any, in the possession of the person; a video surveillance subsystem arranged and configured to collect visual data related to the person in the space; and a computer subsystem coupled to the localization sensor subsystem and video surveillance subsystem to associate a predetermined privacy level with the localization sensor subsystem, and to provide an access control privilege with the localization sensor subsystem, the computer subsystem determining how to present, store and/or retrieve the visual data while meeting predetermined the privacy level associated with the person.

A method of protecting an asset using at least one unmanned vehicle. The method includes establishing a plurality of boundaries around the asset. The boundaries define edges of zones. The method further includes observing a target in a first one of the zones. The method further includes deploying the unmanned vehicle to a location in a vicinity of the asset and tasking the vehicle to perform a first defensive measure as long as the target remains in the first zone. If the target crosses a boundary from the first zone into a second one of the zones, where the second zone is more proximate to the asset than the first zone, the method further includes tasking the vehicle to perform a second defensive measure.

A device having a switch with a voltage applied across the switch. A current sensing circuit is connected to one terminal of the switch. The current sensing circuit receives power independently of the voltage applied across the switch. The power supply shares the other terminal of the switch with the current sensing circuit. The switch is adapted for opening and closing. When the switch closes, the current sensing circuit senses current through the switch and upon opening the switch the high voltage of the switch is blocked from the current sensing circuit. The sense current is caused to flow from the current sensing circuit to the other terminal when the switch is closed. The flow of the sense current produces a voltage which is compared differentially to another voltage referenced by the other terminal

A system and methods for autonomously tracking and simultaneously providing surveillance of a target from air vehicles. In one embodiment the system receives inputs from outside sources, creates tracks, identifies the targets and generates flight plans for unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) and camera controls for surveillance of the targets. The system uses predictive algorithms and aircraft control laws. The system comprises a plurality of modules configured to accomplish these tasks. One embodiment comprises an automatic target recognition (ATR) module configured to receive video information, process the video information, and produce ATR information including target information. The embodiment further comprises a multi-sensor integrator (MSI) module configured to receive the ATR information, an air vehicle state input and a target state input, process the inputs and produce track information for the target. The embodiment further comprises a target module configured to receive the track information, process the track information, and produce predicted future state target information. The embodiment further comprises an ownship module configured to receive the track information, process the track information, and produce predicted future state air vehicle information. The embodiment further comprises a planner module configured to receive the predicted future state target information and the predicted future state air vehicle information and generate travel path information including flight and camera steering commands for the air vehicle.

To determine a location of a client device in a wireless network having at least first and second network devices, with known locations, one of the network devices transmits a message to the other network device and the other network device responds with an acknowledgement message. A client device receives the message and the acknowledgement message as well as respective times indicating actual times at which the message and the acknowledgement message were processed by one of the first and second network devices. The client device determines its location based on the times at which it received the message and the acknowledgement message and the difference between the actual processing times. This location may be refined by determining an angle between the client device and at least one of the network devices having multiple antennas and being configured for steered beam communications.

An apparatus for tracking and identifying objects includes an audio likelihood module which determines corresponding audio likelihoods for each of a plurality of sounds received from corresponding different directions, each audio likelihood indicating a likelihood a sound is an object to be tracked; a video likelihood module which receives a video and determines video likelihoods for each of a plurality of images disposed in corresponding different directions in the video, each video likelihood indicating a likelihood that the image is an object to be tracked; and an identification and tracking module which determines correspondences between the audio likelihoods and the video likelihoods, if a correspondence is determined to exist between one of the audio likelihoods and one of the video likelihoods, identifies and tracks a corresponding one of the objects using each determined pair of audio and video likelihoods.

An object awareness determination system and method of determining awareness of a driver of a vehicle to an object is provided. The system includes an object monitor including an object detection sensor for sensing an object in a field of view and determining a position of the object. The system also includes an eye gaze monitor including an imaging camera oriented to capture images of the vehicle driver including an eye of the driver. The gaze monitor determines an eye gaze vector. The system further has a controller for determining driver awareness of the object based on the detected object position and the eye gaze vector.

An object location system and method is provided for locating objects. The system includes an RFID reader, an angle calculator, and a distance calculator to determine which of a plurality of zones an object is located in or passing through. An RFID tag is affixed with the object that is to be located. The RFID reader transmits signals to the RFID tag and receives backscatter-modulated signals from the RFID tag at one or more RFID antennas. From those received signals, the angle calculator determines an angle of position of the RFID tag relative to the RFID antenna. From the angle of position the zone in which the object is located is determined.