Thomas George Weller

US Patent:

6657518, Dec 2, 2003

Filed:

Jun 6, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/164949

Inventors:

Thomas M. Weller - Lutz FL
Matthew C. Smith - Largo FL
James W. Culver - Seminole FL

Assignee:

Raytheon Company - Lexington MA

International Classification:

H01P 1203

US Classification:

333204, 333202, 333 33, 333133, 385131, 385129, 257453, 257 76, 257245

Abstract:

According to one embodiment of the invention, a notch filter circuit includes a coplanar waveguide that includes a silicon substrate and at least one shunt stub bent at an angle to the coplanar waveguide. The notch filter circuit also includes at least one capacitor bridging at least one discontinuity of the shunt stub.

US Patent:

6750736, Jun 15, 2004

Filed:

Jul 12, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/193982

Inventors:

Thomas M. Weller - Lutz FL
Matthew C. Smith - Largo FL
James W. Culver - Seminole FL
Jason N. Naylor - Largo FL

Assignee:

Raytheon Company - Waltham MA

International Classification:

H01P 5107

US Classification:

333 26, 333 33

Abstract:

According to one embodiment of the invention, a planar transmission line transition system includes a coplanar waveguide transmission line that includes a first electrical path and a second electrical path. The planar transmission line transition system also includes a transmission line stub electrically connected in series to the first electrical path of the coplanar waveguide transmission line, wherein a signal output at a first connection of the transmission line stub is phase delayed approximately 180 degrees with respect to a signal input at a second connection of the transmission line stub. The planar transmission line transition system further includes a transmission line electrically connected to the second electrical path of the coplanar waveguide transmission line and the first connection of the transmission line stub.

US Patent:

7003744, Feb 21, 2006

Filed:

Apr 18, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/249565

Inventors:

Thomas Weller - Lutz FL, US
John Capwell - Tampa FL, US

Assignee:

University of South Florida - Tampa FL

International Classification:

G06F 17/50

US Classification:

716 4, 716 5, 716 1

Abstract:

The present invention is a substrate dependent circuit modeling system for substrate-mounted components. The height and dielectric constant of a substrate have a significant impact on the frequency response of such components, and these effects cannot be treated independently from the circuit model. The equivalent circuit parameters in the model must be made to vary in accordance with changes in the substrate. The invention includes the steps of selecting a substrate mounted electrical circuit component for which an equivalent circuit model is desired, determining equivalent circuit model input parameters, wherein some of which are dependent upon characteristics of the substrate upon which the component is mounted, for the selected component, representing the selected electrical circuit component mounted upon the substrate as an equivalent electrical circuit, formulating mathematical expressions based upon the input parameters, and creating a unique equivalent circuit model for the component mounted upon the given substrate, the unique equivalent circuit model representing the mounting of the component upon the given substrate wherein the equivalent circuit model provides behavior and performance predictions of the component based upon the given substrate characteristics.

US Patent:

7091918, Aug 15, 2006

Filed:

Oct 25, 2004

Appl. No.:

10/904121

Inventors:

Shekhar Bhansali - Tampa FL, US
Kenneth Buckle - Tampa FL, US
D. Yogi Goswami - Gainesville FL, US
Elias Stefanakos - Tampa FL, US
Thomas Weller - Lutz FL, US

Assignee:

University of South Florida - Tampa FL

International Classification:

H01Q 13/10

US Classification:

343767, 343850, 343860

Abstract:

In accordance with the present invention, an aperture rectenna is provided where the substrate is transparent and of sufficient mechanical strength to support the fabricated structure above it. An aperture antenna is deposited on the transparent substrate and a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) diode is constructed on top of the aperture antenna. There is an insulating layer between the aperture antenna metal and the metal ground plane optimized to maximize the collection of incident radiation. The top of the structure is capped with a metal ground plane layer, which also serves as the DC connection points for each rectenna element.

US Patent:

7259641, Aug 21, 2007

Filed:

Feb 28, 2005

Appl. No.:

10/906626

Inventors:

Thomas Weller - Lutz FL, US
Balaji Lakshminarayanan - Tampa FL, US

Assignee:

University of South Florida - Tampa FL

International Classification:

H01P 1/18

US Classification:

333161, 333156

Abstract:

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for a monolithic device utilizing cascaded, switchable slow-wave CPW sections that are integrated along the length of a planar transmission line. The purpose of the switchable slow-wave CPW sections elements is to enable control of the propagation constant along the transmission line while maintaining a quasi-constant characteristic impedance. The device can be used to produce true time delay phase shifting components in which large amounts of time delay can be achieved without significant variation in the effective characteristic impedance of the transmission line, and thus also the input/output return loss of the component. Additionally, for a particular value of return loss, greater time delay per unit length can be achieved in comparison to tunable capacitance-only delay components.

US Patent:

7274278, Sep 25, 2007

Filed:

Sep 9, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/162421

Inventors:

Thomas Weller - Lutz FL, US
Balaji Lakshminarayanan - Tampa FL, US
Srinath Balachandran - Tampa FL, US

Assignee:

University of South Florida - Tampa FL

International Classification:

H01P 1/10
H01P 3/08

US Classification:

333262, 333105

Abstract:

The present invention provides a monolithic inductor developed using radio frequency micro electromechanical (RF MEMS) techniques. In a particular embodiment of the present invention, a tunable radio frequency microelectromechanical inductor includes a coplanar waveguide and at least one direct current actuatable contact switch positioned to vary the effective width of a narrow inductive section of the center conductor of the CPW line upon actuation the DC contact switch.

US Patent:

7386289, Jun 10, 2008

Filed:

Feb 3, 2005

Appl. No.:

10/906114

Inventors:

Thomas Weller - Lutz FL, US
David Fries - St. Petersburg FL, US
Thomas Ketterl - Tampa FL, US

Assignee:

University of South Florida - Tampa FL

International Classification:

H04B 7/00
H04B 1/06
G08C 19/22

US Classification:

455254, 455256, 455333, 4552261, 455359, 34087007

Abstract:

The invention is a microminiature wireless environmental sensor that has integrated both sensor and transmitter functions into one function. The basic operating principle for the device is that variable components of an RF circuit can be interfaced to the outside world environmental signals resulting in proportional changes in the transmission characteristics or transmission of data/bits from the RF transmitter circuit. This utilization of environmentally sensitive variable elements within a wireless transceiver circuit permits the fusion of both sensor and communications function into an integrated single function.

US Patent:

7463123, Dec 9, 2008

Filed:

Nov 21, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/561952

Inventors:

Thomas Weller - Lutz FL, US
Thomas Ketterl - Tampa FL, US

Assignee:

University of South Florida - Tampa FL

International Classification:

H01P 1/10
H01P 5/00

US Classification:

333262, 333105

Abstract:

The present invention describes nano-scale fabrication technique used to create a sub-micron wide gap across the center conductor of a coplanar waveguide transmission line configured in a fixed-fixed beam arrangement, resulting in a pair of opposing cantilever beams that comprise an electro-mechanical switch. Accordingly, a nanometer-scale mechanical switch with very high switching speed and low actuation voltage has been developed. This switch is intended primarily for application in the RF/microwave/wireless industry.