Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Elizabeth E. Leitereg
  • Patent number: 5811184
    Abstract: A particle getter is presented for protecting electronic circuitry from damage caused by particles or debris. An adhesive film is used to capture and retain particles, such as solder balls and wire trimmings, that pose a danger to the functioning of electronic circuitry, and thereby prevent short circuits and other malfunctions. The particle getter does not interfere with access to the circuitry, and thus may be used when conformal coating is not practicable. The particle getter is particularly useful for protecting electronic circuitry aboard a spacecraft, since particles that can cause a circuit malfunction float freely in the zero-gravity environment, where they can be captured and retained by the getter. The preferred adhesive film is space-qualified, and has outgassing properties that are within limits imposed by NASA specifications. The particle getter has applications in many places where debris is present, both in space and earthbound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1998
    Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Edward A. Anderson, Mitchell T. Hatai, Mehrdad Mohtasham
  • Patent number: 5810295
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for satellite station keeping is disclosed in which six thrusters are mounted on the anti-nadir face of a satellite with their direction of thrust passing through the center of mass (CM) of the satellite. The thrust lines of the north trio of thrusters and the south trio of thrusters make an angle .theta. with the satellite north-south axis in a northern and southern direction, respectively. The four outer thrusters are laterally separated and slewed by an angle .alpha. about the north-south axis. Each outer thruster produces three components of .DELTA.V, i.e. normal, tangential and radial (toward the Earth), thereby providing complete control of the three orbit vectors, inclination, eccentricity and mean motion. The north and south center thrusters are positioned in the Local-Vertical North-South plane and produce only normal and radial .DELTA.V components, providing control for momentum dumping and, in the event of failure, inclination control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1998
    Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Bernard M. Anzel
  • Patent number: 5806800
    Abstract: The present invention is a dual function deployable radiator and radiator cover for use on a communication satellite. A deployable radiator is folded or in a "stowed" configuration over a fixed radiator when a satellite is in a launch vehicle. The deployable radiator thereby serves as insulation for the satellite when heat rejection is not necessary. When heat rejection becomes necessary, the deployable radiators are deployed whereby unwanted heat is rejected from the satellite. The deployable radiators, therefore serve a dual purpose, functioning as insulators for part of a mission and radiators for the remainder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1998
    Inventor: Glenn N. Caplin
  • Patent number: 5807909
    Abstract: An article is a liquid or solid mixture of a plurality of particles and a binder. The article may be a paint or a freestanding film. The particles have a composition A?xAl(1-x)Ga!.sub.2 O.sub.4 (.delta.In), wherein A is zinc or cadmium, the value of x is from 0 to 1, and the value of .delta. is from 0 to about 0.2. In the liquid paint mixture, a paint vehicle is also typically present to impart the desired fluidity to the mixture. The solid paint or film made using this material is white, has very low solar absorptance, and may be made electrically conductive by doping the particles with indium or other appropriate dopant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1998
    Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: James F. Cordaro, Lynn E. Long
  • Patent number: 5808921
    Abstract: A system for testing an embedded control processor for a spacecraft comprises an Emulated Spacecraft Control Processor (24) which contains the embedded processor (26), a simulation engine (12), and a host computer (14). The Emulated Spacecraft Control Processor (24), executing embedded application software, provides an emulated input/output interface for the embedded processor (26) to communicate simulated sensor data, command data, actuator command data, and telemetry data to the simulation engine (12) and the host computer (14). The Emulated Spacecraft Control Processor (24) processes the simulated sensor data and the command data to form the actuator command data and the telemetry data. The simulation engine (12) processes the actuator command data from the Emulated Spacecraft Control Processor (24) to simulate the system dynamics of the spacecraft in real-time, and to thereby produce the simulated sensor data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1998
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey J. Gold, David L. Koza, Mike W. Tolmasoff, Steven R. Zammit
  • Patent number: 5806803
    Abstract: A heat pipe network for a satellite or spacecraft is disclosed. The network is constructed from formed and straight heat pipes securely connected together with a highly conductive material, such as Grafoil, serving as an interface gasket. The heat pipe network is interconnected to the subnadir panel and auxiliary panels, and thermally couples the North and South radiator panels. High thermal dissipating units can be mounted to heat pipes on panels attached to the main spacecraft radiator panels. The heat pipes transfer the thermal energy to the radiator panels where it is radiated to space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1998
    Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Keith P. Watts
  • Patent number: 5794892
    Abstract: A method and system of damping nutation of a spacecraft (20) having a desired spin axis along a first principal inertia axis utilizes a momentum source (28) oriented along a second principal inertia axis perpendicular to the first principal inertia axis. An angular rate of the spacecraft (20) is sensed along an axis transverse to both the first principal inertia axis and the second principal inertia axis. An angular rate signal representative of the angular rate is generated. The angular rate signal is processed to form a control signal representative of a desired torque to drive the momentum source. The desired torque has a first additive component proportional to a derivative of the angular rate to critically damp the nutation under an at least second order model of the spacecraft (20). The momentum source (28) is driven in dependence upon the control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1998
    Assignee: Hughes Electronics
    Inventor: Jeremiah O. Salvatore
  • Patent number: 5786107
    Abstract: A battery system includes a battery cell having a cylindrical battery cell housing and a housing support external to the battery cell housing. The housing support is formed of an electrical insulator layer contacting the cylindrical external surface of the battery cell housing, and a heat conductor formed of heat-conducting fibers overlying and contacting the electrical insulator layer and aligned generally parallel to the cylindrical axis of the battery cell housing. The heat-conducting fibers are made of high-thermal-conductivity graphite and have a sink end. A fiber-reinforced composite structural support layer is applied overlying the heat-conducting fibers to force the electrical insulator layer into contact with the battery cell housing without the presence of an adhesive between the electrical insulator and the battery cell housing. A thermal sink is in thermal contact with the sink ends of the plurality of heat-conducting fibers at a first end of the cylindrical battery cell housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 28, 1998
    Assignee: Hughes Electronics
    Inventors: John P. Stafford, Walter Rex Oswald, Susan K. Ferer, Steven J. Stadnick
  • Patent number: 5784030
    Abstract: A communication payload system for a satellite having a beam forming network, an amplifier associated with each output port of the beam forming network, and a plurality of hybrid matrices and a calibration pick-up antenna. Each hybrid matrix has a plurality of inputs connected to selected amplifiers and a corresponding number of outputs. One output of each hybrid matrix is connected to a power absorber adapted to function as an output calibration port producing a calibration sample and the remaining outputs connected to feed radiating elements. A calibration system applies power to selected output ports and calculates calibration corrections in response to the values of the calibration samples and the values of the power radiated by each feed radiating element which are applied to the beam forming network to maintain the calibration of the payload system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1998
    Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Steven O. Lane, Douglas T. Bell, Kary L. O'Connor
  • Patent number: 5784033
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for providing an antenna feed (10) operative at different microwave frequency bands employ a circular waveguide (14) interconnecting an orthomode transducer (20) to a feed horn (16) thereby providing a feed (10) suitable for illuminating the reflector (54) of an antenna (12). The orthomode transducer provides for a coupling of waves in the first frequency band with both vertical and horizontally polarized waves. Included within the feed is a coupler assembly (26) of waves of the second frequency band operative via a sidewall of the circular waveguide. The coupler assembly includes plural identical coupling sections (28) each having a rectangular waveguide section contiguous and parallel to the circular waveguide with a row of apertures for coupling power into and out of the circular waveguide. Pairs of the coupling sections are disposed in orthogonal planes so as to introduce two linearly polarized waves which are perpendicular to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1998
    Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Frank Boldissar, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5780581
    Abstract: An adhesive is provided for bonding cyanate ester composite parts together which is also plateable with metal once chemically etched. The adhesive comprises a polymeric matrix and a filler of cyanate ester polymer. The polymeric matrix comprises at least one polyepoxide resin and a curing agent, while the cyanate ester polymer filler is present in the adhesive as a powder. In practice, the present adhesive is applied to the surface of cyanate ester composite articles to be bonded and is allowed to cure at room temperature. Thereafter, the surface of the assembly is chemically etched and then plated with metal. The present adhesive enable the complete coverage of the cyanate ester composite assembly with the plated metal, including the adhesive bondlines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 14, 1998
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventors: Ralph D. Hermansen, Brian M. Punsly, Wai-Cheng Seetoo
  • Patent number: 5774018
    Abstract: Complex additional feed-forward error sensor loops and error correction loops are replaced in a high-frequency multi-carrier signal amplifier system with simple signal predistortor structures. In addition, less costly error amplifiers are facilitated and system efficiency increased by the introduction of error predistortor structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1998
    Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Paul A. Gianfortune, Thomas M. Straus
  • Patent number: 5770269
    Abstract: An article includes a substrate having a thermal control coating formed of 1 part by weight of a silicone polymeric matrix having from about 3 to about 4 parts by weight aluminum-doped zinc oxide pigment particles distributed therein. The article may be either relatively thick or flexibly thin, and the coating may be greater than 0.0015 inches thick so as to have a low solar absorptance. The coating has an absorptance of about 0.2-0.3 and an emittance of about 0.9, and is sufficiently electrically conductive to dissipate electrostatic charges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1998
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventors: Lynn E. Long, Joan L. Lum
  • Patent number: 5765784
    Abstract: Systems (10, 10a) and a methods (40) that employ a spin-stabilized spacecraft (12) in combination with a support and deployment module (14) to carry a plurality of probes (16) containing scientific instruments that are to enter a planet's atmosphere and/or are to be landed on a planet (19) that is to be explored. The spacecraft (12) functions as a probe carrier using the support and deployment module (14), and near the planet (19), it functions as an orbiting communications satellite (12) that relays data and commands between the aerocraft (16) and Earth. The support and deployment module (14) secures the probes (16) and is interposed between the spacecraft (12) and the launch vehicle (11). The support and deployment module (14) passes all structural loads due to the added mass of the aerocraft (16) directly to the launch vehicle (11), which is designed (nominally) for the total launch mass, and does not impose any structural loads on the satellite (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1998
    Assignee: Hughes Electronics
    Inventor: Uldis E. Lapins
  • Patent number: 5768266
    Abstract: A mobile, satellite-based communication system includes a defined signaling arrangement developed from an analysis of factors including movement of the mobile terminals, movement of the satellite, beam discrepancies and duration of the call to the mobile terminal to set up a frame assignment plan for time division multiple access (TDMA) carriers and identifying permissible frame offset which can be accommodated throughout the entire transmission. As a result, timing and frequency references from a mobile to mobile command (MMC) may be provided from a reference source along with receive and transmit data communications without losing the command signals or the communication information and providing highly efficient use of each carriers time slots for receiving transmitting communication signals. Similarly, the signaling arrangement permits an efficient frame structure and a time slot assignment plan that does not require enhanced equipment at the mobile terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1998
    Assignee: Hughes Electronics
    Inventors: James D. Thompson, Mohammad Soleimani, Jeffrey E. Outwater
  • Patent number: 5765780
    Abstract: A method of simultaneously performing a translational maneuver of a spacecraft by a thruster and dumping momentum from the spacecraft during a time period P. The method entails aligning the thruster along a thrust vector which is fixed during the time period P, wherein the thrust vector is aligned with the center of mass of the spacecraft at a time P/2, and firing the thruster throughout the time period P.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1998
    Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Michael F. Barskey, John F. Yocum, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5763118
    Abstract: A battery system includes a battery cell having a battery cell housing, and a housing support external to the battery cell housing. The housing support is formed of at least two split shell segments. Each split shell segment includes a heat conductor inner layer having a plurality of heat-conducting fibers with heat sink ends, and a structural support outer layer overlying the heat conductor inner layer. The structural support layer is made of a fiber-reinforced composite material. A layer of a structural adhesive bonds the respective heat conductor inner layer of each split shell segment to the battery cell housing. A thermal sink is in thermal contact with the sink ends of the plurality of heat-conducting fibers of each of the split shell segments, and the structural support outer layer of each split shell segment is joined to a structural base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 9, 1998
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventors: John P. Stafford, Walter Rex Oswald, Susan K. Ferer, Matt H. Russell, Patrick B. Cooke, Michael Langmack, Robert K. Taenaka
  • Patent number: 5760667
    Abstract: A bandpass filter having 4-degrees of freedom includes a plurality of resonant cavities having respective Qs where at least one of the Qs is different. A plurality of main couplings couple successive resonant cavities to establish a main signal path that provides a first degree of freedom for controlling the shape of the filter's frequency response over its passband. A plurality of bridge couplings couple pairs of the resonant cavities so that the cavities are connected in a canonical circuit topology. The bridge couplings provide second and third degrees of freedom for controlling the sharpness of the frequency response 's transition between its passband and stopband and controlling the linearity of its phase, respectively. The cavities' non-uniform Qs provide a fourth degree of freedom for controlling the amplitude of the filter's frequency response in the passband so that the amplitude is within a predetermined tolerance of a desired passband shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1998
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Co.
    Inventors: Frederick A. Young, Richard L. Bennett, Keith N. Loi
  • Patent number: 5755406
    Abstract: A space module has a base and one or more side walls attached to the base. A top panel is attached to the one or more side walls so that the base, the one or more side walls and the top panel enclose an interior volume of space which is physically divided into a first area and a second area which are thermally and structurally segregated from one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1998
    Assignee: Hughes Electronics
    Inventors: Richard W. Aston, David B. Esposto, James J. Peterka, III
  • Patent number: 5754118
    Abstract: A switch matrix having internal redundancy by combining outputs of two internal channels to form one single internally redundant channel. 1 by N, M by 1 and M by N switch matrices may be constructed using the principles of the present invention. Each input signal line is coupled between a signal input and a terminating resistor and each output signal line is coupled between a signal output and a terminating resistor. Switching nodes are formed that comprise an input line, a plurality of output lines, and a plurality of pairs of couplers that are respectively interconnected by way of respective switches used to select the input line and couple it to a respective output line. Pairs of output signal lines are connected to a single signal output to form internally redundant channels. The nodes may include a second serially coupled switch connected between the input and output couplers to provide redundancy if either one of the switches fail in a closed state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 19, 1998
    Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Robert A. Brunner