NEWPORT – Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport engineer David Tonn said his idea to simplify a submarine antenna controller hit while he was mowing the lawn one weekend.
The resident of Charlestown then went inside and began sketching out his idea, so he wouldn’t forget.
Building a Strong Data Foundation in the Age of AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a key priority in the boardroom and across management —…
Learn More
“It really, truly does come when you least expect it,” said Tonn, a member of the Undersea Warfare Electromagnetic Systems Department, in a statement. “Sometimes they’re the result of a deliberate engineering process, but sometimes it’s just an idea that comes to you out of the blue that pans out.”
Tonn and Jean-Paul Nasser, an associate counselor NUWC Division Newport’s Office of Counsel, who is a resident of Fall River, won the 2018 Vice Adm. Harold G. Bowen Award for Patent Inventions. They were given the award recently, according to NUWC.
Both Tonn and Nasser received a plaque and a cash award.
Tonn’s idea has been used on 64 U.S. Navy submarines, saving the fleet more than $15 million. The invention, which reduces the complexity of the antenna controller unit, according to NUWC, saves about $230,000 per installation.
In all, Tonn has 28 patents in his nearly 25-year career at NUWC Division Newport.
Susan Shalhoub is a PBN contributing writer.
