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FULL CURRICULUM VITAE
Duncan G. Cumming, Ph. D. (Camb.)
Expertise
- ITC Experience
- Power Supplies
- Electronic Hardware
- Embedded Control Systems
- GPS Systems
- Joystick Design (Games)
- RF Systems
Professional Summary
Dr. Duncan G. Cumming, Ph.D. (EE, Cambridge University, England,
1979) is the president of Emmanuel Avionics, Inc at San Pedro,
California. He has been in the business of electronic design since
1979. Dr. Cummings’ core business is the design of electronic
controls for the Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) market, including
inertial measurement, autopilots, electrical power controls, RF
systems and video technology. These technologies are mostly
applicable to the civilian market, although some UAVs do have
military applications. Dr. Cumming has a wide scientific background,
and is able to provide expert testimony and assess both the
performance and the newness of various technologies. While this is
primarily useful in Intellectual Property disputes, it has
occasional applications in other types of cases.
Employment History
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From:
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1996
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Emmanuel Avionics, Inc. |
| To: |
Present |
San Pedro, CA |
| |
Position: |
President – Electronic hardware
consulting. |
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From:
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1984
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Cambridge Electronic Design, Inc. |
| To: |
1996 |
San Pedro, CA |
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Position: |
Chief Executive Officer – Electronic
hardware consulting. |
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From:
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1982
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Unified Technologies, Inc. |
| To: |
1984 |
Los Angeles, CA |
| |
Position: |
Senior Systems Design Engineer.
Designed video game software and CRT display. |
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From:
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1979
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Hughes Aircraft Co. |
| To: |
1982 |
Los Angeles, CA |
| |
Position: |
Member of Technical Staff –
commissioned electron beam microfabrication system. |
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From:
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1979
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Cambridge University Engineering
Dept. |
| To: |
1979 |
Cambridge, UK |
|
Position: |
Postgraduate Research Student –
Researched revolutionary new e-beam imaging. |
WIDE EXPERTISE
Dr. Cumming has a wide range of expertise acquired over the
years. Clients have included everything from one man operations to
Fortune 500 companies. Some of the major clients are shown below:-
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From:
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1984
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Client:- Aero Vironment, Inc. |
| To: |
Present |
Simi Valley, CA |
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Duties: |
Design and construction of numerous
electronics packages for unmanned air vehicles. |
| |
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Embedded Control Systems including
Atmel and Motorola. Experienced using Integrated Development
Environments. |
| |
|
Switched Mode Power Supplies. Over
the years, Dr Cumming has worked on a wide variety of
switched mode power supplies. From computer card supplies
(5V) to high voltage (30kV), and some exotic supplies with
input voltages of less than a volt. He has used most supply
topologies at one time or another, for boost mode, buck mode
and both. |
| |
|
RF Systems including receiver
design, video transmitter design, digital control systems
and radio modems. |
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Transducers including
accelerometers, integrated gyros, conventional rate
gyros, pressure transducers, strain gauges and
magnetometers. |
| |
|
Inertial Measurement Units (IMU).
Both design from scratch, and utilization of commercially
available units. |
| |
|
Unmanned Air Vehicle Design,
including both fixed wing and rotary types, on all scales
from 6 inch wing span to 270 feet. |
| From: |
1983 |
Client:- Hughes Aircraft Co |
| To: |
1984 |
Torrance, CA |
| |
Duties: |
Enhancement and maintenance of electron
beam microfabrication system. |
| |
|
Magnetic Deflection Systems.
High resolution deflection systems for electron
beam microfabrication, raster mode and vector mode
deflection systems for cathode ray tubes, and one combined
system that did both raster and vector deflection
simultaneously. |
| From: |
2009 |
Client:- Sage Cheshire, Inc |
| To: |
2010 |
Lancaster, CA |
| |
Duties: |
Design and construction of space suit
chest pack for Red Bull Stratos high altitude parachuting
record attempt. |
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|
Global Positioning System.
Selection and interfacing of suitable GPS receivers for a
large variety of tasks, including supersonic speed
measurement using civilian GPS receivers. |
| From: |
1986 |
Client:- Applied Research
Associates, Inc. |
| To: |
1989 |
Albuquerque, NM |
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Duties: |
Design and construction of numerous
electronics packages for 70 foot unmanned surveillance
blimp. |
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Video Camera control
systems. Pan/tilt units, gyro stabilized camera mounts. |
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Autopilots. Dr Cumming
has designed autopilot systems for fixed wing, rotary,
blimp, and balloon systems. |
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|
Infra Red, Visible
Light, and Low Light video camera systems. |
| From: |
1984 |
Client:- Other |
| To: |
Present |
|
| |
Duties: |
Electronic Hardware Design Projects |
| |
|
RF design for
underground pipe detection, metal detection, and other low
frequency (VLF) applications. |
| |
|
Joystick Design and
human factors engineering, including force operated
joysticks, programmable joysticks, and “use in the air”
joysticks (i.e. not connected to any fixed object). |
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|
Pneumatic Control Systems.
Automatic braking and throttle control systems.
Investigation of “sudden acceleration” problems. |
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|
Autonomous Vehicle Design.
Dr. Cumming developed the interface units for a vehicle that
entered the DARPA Grand Challenge, a government sponsored
unmanned ground vehicle competition. |
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Rocket Payload Systems.
Both sub-orbital and near-space systems. |
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|
Power Electronics. Dr
Cumming has designed 400Hz harmonic reduction systems for
the Boeing 747 aircraft, high power oscillators (1MHz,
10kW), motor control systems, and heater control systems. |
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|
Magnetic Levitation Systems.
Dr Cumming has designed everything from a simple overhead
solenoid system to a complete levitation system operating
entirely from below a flat table top, with no visible
sensors. |
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High Voltage Pulsed Systems.
Dr Cumming has worked with a 10kV, 3Amp, 50nS pulsed system
for field emission cathodes. |
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High voltage DC systems.
Dr Cumming has worked with a number of high voltage control
systems in the electron beam microfabrication industry, up
to 30kV. He is also familiar with the use of
thermionic tubes in such control systems, one of
the few surviving uses of the thermionic tube today. |
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Vacuum Systems. Dr
Cumming has experience with both diffusion pumped high
vacuum systems and ultra high vacuum ion pumped systems. He
has worked with tungsten, LaB6, and field emission cathodes
and the associated high voltage equipment. |
Litigation Support Experience
| Date: |
1996 |
|
| |
Case: |
Cambridge Electronic Design, Inc. |
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Project: |
Testified as the defendant in a
contractual dispute with Cambridge Electronic Design, Inc.
This involved a successful petition to compel arbitration in
superior court, and testimony (using telephone conference
calls) for the ensuing binding arbitration. |
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Status: |
Case closed, no damages awarded. |
| Date: |
2010 |
|
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Matter: |
International Trade Commission Action |
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Project: |
Acted as a Consulting Expert Witness in a
patent validity case involving power supplies. |
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Status: |
My involvement complete, but case ongoing
as of October, 2010 |
| Date: |
2011 |
|
| |
Matter: |
International Trade Commission Action |
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Project: |
Acted as a Testifying Expert Witness in a
patent validity case involving marine autopilots. |
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Status: |
Case settled on favorable terms following
my testimony at deposition |
| Date: |
2012 |
|
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Matter: |
Product Liability Case - Superior Court
Of The State Of California |
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Project: |
Acted as a Testifying Expert Witness
against a luxury automobile manufacturer in a product
liability case involving an automotive braking system. |
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Status: |
Jury verdict against the auto
manufacturer in March, 2012 |
| Date: |
2012 |
|
| |
Matter: |
International Trade Commission Action |
| |
Project: |
Acted as a Consulting Expert Witness in a
patent validity case involving computers. |
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Status: |
Case dropped prior to first deposition. |
| Date: |
2012 |
|
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Matter: |
Patent Infringement Case - Delaware
District Court |
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Project: |
Acted as a Consulting Expert Witness in
patent validity matters involving LCD displays and docking
computers. |
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Status: |
My involvement complete, but case ongoing
as of October, 2012 |
Patents
| Patent Number |
Date Issued |
Title |
| 7013.001 |
May 24, 1996 |
Cordless Free Floating Joystick
(Provisional) |
| 13/741,558 |
Pending |
Method For Generating Tidal Energy
Utilizing The Scalar Gravitational Potential of Celestial
Bodies |
Education
| Year |
College/University |
Degree |
| 1979 |
Cambridge
University, England |
Ph. D., Electrical Engineering |
| 1978 |
Cambridge
University, England |
M.A. |
| 1974 |
Cambridge
University, England |
B.A. |
Publications
Cumming, A.D.G. “A Method For Determining The Geometry Of Field
Emitters” Optik, 49 No.1 (1977) 17-23.
Bishop, J.F., Cumming, A.D.G., Ferrari, R.L., Miller K.J. “Cambridge
University Vatnajokull Expedition, 1977” Polar Record, 19 No.
118 (1978) 51-57.
Cumming, A.D.G., Smith, K.C.A. “Energy Spread And Fluctuations In
Field Emitted Electron Beams” Microcircut Engineering ed. H. Ahmed,
W.C. Nixon © Cambridge University Press (1980) 575-579
Cumming, A.D.G. “A High Speed, Noise Tolerant Edge Detection
Algorithm Using A Low Bandwidth Signal Chain for E-Beam
Registration” Microcircuit Engineering (Feb 1981)
Cumming, A.D.G. “A High Performance, Low Cost, Isolated Electron
Current Amplifier” Scanning © G. Witzstrock Publishing House Inc.,
2, (1979) 104-109
Professional Associations and Achievements
Member, IEEE
Fellow of Cambridge Philosophical Society
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