Dean A Paschen

6549164, Apr 15, 2003

Mar 22, 2001

09/816047

Dean Alan Paschen - Lafayette CO
Peter Moosbrugger - Erie CO

Ball Aerospace Technologies Corp. - Boulder CO

H01Q 322

342371, 342372, 342375

A phased array type antenna apparatus compensates for phase and time differences between signals received at different elements of the antenna. Each element within the antenna apparatus has an associated phase/time adjuster circuit. The signals from each element are divided, with the first output routed to a combining circuit. The second output of one element is used as a reference signal, with the second output from the remaining elements routed to a switch. One signal is selected at the switch, and is used as a non-reference signal. Phase difference between the reference signal and the non-reference signal is determined at a comparator circuit, and the phase/time adjuster circuit associated with the non-reference signal is adjusted to bring the two signals into phase alignment. Time difference between the reference and non-reference signal is determined using dual correlators and a comparator circuit. The comparator circuit compares the magnitude of an in-phase channel and a quadrature channel from each comparator to determine time difference between the signals.

6633260, Oct 14, 2003

Oct 5, 2001

09/972551

Dean A. Paschen - Lafayette CO
P. Keith Kelly - Lakewood CO
Dan A. Payne - Morrison CO

Ball Aerospace Technologies Corp. - Boulder CO

H01Q 138

343700MS, 343770, 343876

Method and apparatus for providing a configurable circuit are disclosed. In addition, method and apparatus for providing a phased array antenna having an integrated configurable circuit are provided. According to the present invention, at least a first component of a configurable circuit is formed on a first substrate. At least a second component of a configurable circuit is formed on at least a portion of a moveable cantilever formed from a second substrate. The first and second substrates are registered with one another to form a completed configurable circuit. According to the present invention, a configurable circuit may comprise a variable capacitor or a switch. In addition, a configurable circuit may be used in connection with phase shifting a radio frequency signal provided to an element of a phased array antenna. Antennas having integrated configurable circuits may be formed by registering and interconnecting a completed configurable circuit with a plurality of radiator elements, and with a feed network. The present invention also allows antennas with integrated configurable circuits having relatively large surface areas to be economically produced.

6986294, Jan 17, 2006

Aug 19, 2002

10/223339

Guy A. Fromme - Louisville CO, US
Timothy O'Connor - Lafayette CO, US
David A. Gutow - Boulder CO, US
Dean A. Paschen - Lafayette CO, US
Vincent A. Hirsch - Boulder CO, US
Gary Emerson - Golden CO, US
Charles Bradford - Longmont CO, US
Leon C. Webb - Naples FL, US
Paul Hendershott - Boulder CO, US

Bintech LLLP - Louisville CO

G01M 19/00

738658, 73866

Bulk material measurement packages are described including the preferred embodiment of an automated instrument package (AIP) suited to mount on the inside ceiling of a large silo. The gimbaled AIP vertical mounting bracket rotates in an approximate 360 azimuth. An instrument housing is mounted to the vertical mounting bracket, and it rotates approximately 190 in a vertical plane. The instrument housing has at least one range finding sensor such as a scanning laser to measure the top surface contours of the bulk material. The instrument housing can also contains other sensors such as air and quality instruments including temperature, humidity, spectral recognition sensor to detect grain/material type and/or flow rate, gas detectors for sniffing off-odors/spoilage/or safety problems, and live video. Optionally grain penetrating radar (GPR), time domain reflectometry (TDR), ultrasonics, and portable sensors are taught as well as alternate packaging.

7656345, Feb 2, 2010

Jun 13, 2006

11/452712

Dean Alan Paschen - Lafayette CO, US
Kiersten Carinne Kerby - Urbana IL, US

Ball Aerospace & Technoloiges Corp. - Boulder CO

G01S 7/28

342 75, 342 81, 342368, 343753, 343754

A low-profile lens element for steering a beam is provided. Specifically, the low-profile lens element is mechanically rotatable such that a beam can be steered in any direction within three-dimensional space. The lens element may include a number of discrete portions for differentially delaying adjacent discrete portions of a beam in order to effect beam steering.

7880675, Feb 1, 2011

Dec 16, 2008

12/336174

Dean A. Paschen - Lafayette CO, US
Matthew D. Turner - Ann Arbor MI, US

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. - Boulder CO

H01Q 3/00

342372

Mitigation of the effects of multipath signals is provided. Such mitigation can include electronically steering the main beam of a receive pattern associated with a phased array antenna away from a transmitting antenna. In addition, a phase taper is applied to groups of antenna elements to create a null in the main beam, bifurcating that beam. The multipath signal may be placed in or towards the null, while the direct path signal may be placed on one of the halves of the main beam adjacent the null, such that the signal strength of the multipath signal is attenuated as compared to the signal strength of the direct path signal.

8013792, Sep 6, 2011

Aug 6, 2009

12/462632

Daniel McCarthy - Manlius NY, US
Dean Paschen - Lafayette CO, US
Lary Eichel - Louisville CO, US
Frank Pratt - Tipp City OH, US

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force - Washington DC

H01Q 3/26
H01Q 3/00

342375, 342359, 342383

Method and apparatus for minimizing antenna backside signal response and ambiguity in low frequency applications, particularly low frequency synthetic aperture radar (SAR). Various time delay elements are selectably switched into the signal path so as to cause a null to be placed in the antenna response pattern in the direction of undesired radar returns. The means for selectably switching may be dithered so as to introduce modulation onto the undesired radar return to aid in the discrimination and removal of the undesired radar return from the SAR image during post processing.

8018371, Sep 13, 2011

Dec 12, 2008

12/316574

Dean A. Paschen - Lafayette CO, US
William G. Newhall - Boulder CO, US
Mark C. Leifer - Boulder CO, US

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. - Boulder CO

G01S 13/04
G01S 7/02
G01S 13/00

342 90, 342 27, 342 82, 342 89, 342175, 342195

A passive proximity detection system and method are provided. A transmitted signal, such as a communication signal, is sampled and placed in memory. A version of the transmitted signal, reflected by a target in the vicinity of the transmitting antenna, is sampled and compared to the stored reference sample. Correlation between the reference and reflected samples indicates the presence of a target in the vicinity of the transmitting antenna. Processing of the signals can include frequency shifts to account for Doppler shifts in the reflected energy as a result of a non-zero relative radial velocity of the target. Multiple antennas for receiving reflected energy can be provided to enhance the coverage area of the system, and/or to provide information regarding the relative location of a target. In addition, signals from multiple transmitting antennas can be used as sources of energy for probing the vicinity of those antennas for targets.

8049578, Nov 1, 2011

Aug 17, 2009

12/542328

Luke J. Albers - Thornton CO, US
Dean A. Paschen - Lafayette CO, US

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. - Boulder CO

H01P 3/08
H01P 1/203

333134, 333204

Air loaded stripline assemblies and methods for providing same are disclosed. The air loaded stripline assembly includes circuit board layers interconnected to one another. A layer containing a conductive trace forming a stripline is connected to spacer layers. The spacer layers include voids or relieved areas, that define cavities adjacent areas of the stripline layer on which the stripline is formed. Ground plane layers are interconnected to the spacer layers, bounding the cavities. The air loaded stripline assembly can additionally incorporate conductive vias for electrically interconnecting the stripline to other components or assemblies. The air loaded stripline assembly can be formed using conventional printed circuit board techniques.