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| 2004-020 A Shape Memory Alloy Actuated Adaptive Exhaust Nozzle for Jet Engine |
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The proposed adaptive exhaust nozzle features an innovative use of the shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators for actively control of the opening area of the exhaust nozzle for jet engines. The SMA actuators remotely control the opening area of the exhaust nozzle through a set of mechanism. An important advantage of using SMA actuators is the reduction of weight of the actuator system for variable area exhaust nozzle. Another advantage is that the SMA actuator can be activated using the heat from the exhaust and eliminate the need of other energy source. A prototype has been designed and fabricated. The functionality of the proposed SMA actuated adaptive exhaust nozzle was experimentally verified.
Inventors: Gangbing Song
Manager: Mitra Kiani 713-743-9925 |
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| 2005-026 Floating RF Devices to Transmit MWD Data |
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This invention involves using low cost radio devices to transmit data from down hole in measurement while drilling (MWD) environment. The basic idea is to use radio devices in large quantities in oil based mud. The radios are small in size and are battery operated with low operation power. The radios are networked and released either from bottom of the borehole or from top at fixed separation. Each radio works as a relay station and send data to the next radio(s). The radios flow upwards or downwards from bottom or top in the mud as mud flows up or down. Both the data and radios are retrieved at the top or bottom. The designed data rate is in kbps to Mbps range.
Manager: Mitra Kiani 713-743-9925 |
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| 2005-044 Motor Control Method and Apparatus with Multi-Objective Observer for Disturbance Rejection |
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The present invention relates to motor control in the presence of load torque variation. In order to realize the implementation of a state feedback controller, a multi-purpose observer is constructed to observe the motor states (current and speed). Whereas in the observed states, some observation error will be included due to the existence of load torque. The claimed invention includes the calculation of the disturbance compensation with the conventional observer; such the appropriated observer gain can be picked up to make the feed forward compensation for load torque. The resulting motor system will be running in a much more stable state in case of load torque variation.
Manager: Mitra Kiani 713-743-9925 |
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| 2006-002 Energy Flux Equation for Acoustic Scattering |
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This invention involves new forms for the general equations governing acoustic scattering avoiding approximations concerning the variability of the sound speed with position. It leads to a rigorous way of obtaining the propagation of the acoustic wave. Methods for solving the new equations on digital computers are being developed.
Manager: John Warren 713-743-3754
Technology Opportunity Sheet |
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| 2015 NCDAF/Retinex Edge Detector and Contrast Enhancer |
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This invention relates to an imaging system, named DAF Sparkle TM, with a particular emphasis on digital mammogram enhancement and feature analysis using interpolating Distributed Approximating Functional (DAF) wavelets, nonlinear multiscale edge enhancement, and visual group normalization techniques (VGN). The Retinex-function is able to produce better contrast for edge detection.
Manager: John Warren 713-743-3754
Technology Opportunity Sheet |
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| 2016 Multidimensional Optimal Low-Pass Filters |
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The invention consists in the design of improved band-pass filters for signal processing, as well as for the numerical solution of linear and non-linear ordinary and partial differential equations, data compression, imaging, pattern recognition, boundary condition simulation and determination. This technology is distinguishable from the existing digital signal filters for multidimensional signal processing in that it is 1) non-separable, 2) infinitely smooth, 3) Gaussian decaying in both physical and Fourier domains, and 4) tunable to any bandwidth with arbitrary accuracy of filtering.
Manager: John Warren 713-743-3754
Technology Opportunity Sheet |
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| 2210 Pneumatic Robotic End Effector for Component Placement |
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A large number of consumer and industrial goods are manufactured using electronic components. The electronic components used in these applications vary widely from extremely small surface mounted technology integrated circuits to large solid state relays. The enormous differences in sizes, shapes, packaging, and positioning of these components present many automated circuit board insertion problems. When robotic insertion is utilized, significant reprogramming is required for the picking and placing of the components from packaging into the circuit board. This requirement results in longer setup and debugging programming time.
The Universal Robotic End Effector For Component Placement overcomes these problems. By utilizing dimensionally independent pick and place technology in a robotic end effector, a wide variety of electronic components may be removed from feed trays and positioned on circuit boards without extensive reprogramming of the robot. In addition, in contrast to conventional robotic end effector physical pick and placement, there is virtually no possibility of damage to the components. The use of this technology also reduces the necessity for preventive maintenance and periodic adjustment of the end effector in comparison to conventional end effectors. These advantages result in increased robot utilization and production efficiency.
The applicants have a working prototype of the end effector. It has been used in a laboratory environment on a variety of electronic components with success.
Manager: Mitra Kiani 713-743-9925 |
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| 2301 Frame Multiresolution Analysis in Any Number of Dimensions, with Minimally Supported (in the Frequency Domain) Radial Function. |
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The invention is a prototype for an innovative class of ideal filters and associated multiresolution analysis for signals or data of any dimensionality, along with a new class of Fast Wavelet Transforms based on the Generalized Frame multiresolution analysis.
We construct a new class of frame multiresolution analysis in any desired number of dimensions, whose core subspace is defined by the integer translations of a finite set of frame scaling functions, which have minimal support in the frequency domain. (The Fourier transform of the time domain scaling function is the characteristic function on a specific frequency range.) This prototype is based on Papadakis's Generalized Frame Multiresolution Analysis.
The most apparent representative classes of all prototypes are the Frame multiresolutions defined by a single scaling frame function, whose Fourier transform is the characteristic or "indicator" function of the hypersphere (i.e., disk in two dimensions (2-D), sphere in three dimensions (3-D), hypersphere in higher dimensions (N-D)), centered at the origin of the coordinated system having radius 1/2 (so that 0,R,1/2). Since this scaling function has this form in the frequency domain, its associated low pass filter in the frequency domain will also be such a characteristic hypersphere (or "ball") d/2, with radius 1/4. A fundamental property of the obtained wavelets and filters is that they are the first ever, truly intrinsically non-separable wavelets and filters that can be realized in any number of dimensions.
Additionally, the Fourier transforms of the associated frame wavelets will be equal to the characteristic function of the "hyper-annulus" (the difference of the two disks D/s and D in (2-D), the difference of the two spheres D/2 in (3-D), the difference of two hyperspheres D/2 and D in (N-D)), modulated by a phase factor. For the 2-D case, we thus create up to four frame wavelets. Each of these wavelets defines a high-pass filter, or a similar form as a wavelet. In the time (or complementary) domain, both the scaling function and the wavelets can be constructed as linear combinations of Bessel functions. These constructions are based on dyadic dilations in the present realization. However, all other dilations are implicitly contained in our model, and their use only affects the shape of the low and high pass filters. For example, dilations induced by the quincunx matrices yield low and high pass filters of the same structure.
A unique merit of our construction is that it leads to the definition and realization of low and high pass filters which are intrinsically non-separable and isotropic to a degree that has never been achieved in the past and which is, in fact, the optimum possible. Our construction can be explicitly realized in any finite number of dimensions. The resulting scaling functions are interpolating in all cases. |
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