Patents Assigned to Space
  • Patent number: 11909506
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a satellite communication system includes a satellite constellation including a plurality of satellites in non-geosynchronous orbit (non-GEO), wherein at least some of the plurality of satellites travel in a first orbital path at a first inclination, and an end point terminal having an earth-based geographic location, the end point terminal having an antenna system defining a field of regard for communicating with the satellite constellation, wherein the field of regard is a limited field of regard, wherein the field of regard is tilted from a non-tilted position to a tilted position, and wherein the tilt angle of the tilted position is a function of the latitude of the geographic location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Duncan E. Adams, David Milroy, Jonathan François Cornelis Herman, Jessica D. Johnson
  • Patent number: 11906250
    Abstract: Systems and methods of manufacture of radiator fins. In one embodiment, a radiator fin made of carbon fiber is provided. In one aspect, the radiator fin is made of carbon fibers forming an interlaced pattern. In another aspect, the interlaced carbon fiber radiator fin is attached directly to a heat pipe, the heat pipe connected to a heat source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Atomos Nuclear and Space Corporation
    Inventors: Sandra Pitzak, Vanessa Jane Clark
  • Patent number: 11904998
    Abstract: The system can include: a vehicle 100 and a stabilizer 200. However, the system can additionally or alternatively include any other suitable set of components. The system functions to facilitate vehicular transport (e.g., via a cabin). Additionally, the system can provide impact attenuation and/or mitigate rebound of the vehicle during a water landing. Additionally or alternatively, the system can function to provide aquatic stabilization of the vehicle and/or cabin thereof. However, the system 100 can provide any other suitable functionalities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Space Perspective Inc.
    Inventors: Royce Fernandes, John Zaniel Maccagnano, Taber MacCallum, Ryon Warren, Daniel James Window, Rodger Farley
  • Patent number: 11905937
    Abstract: A magnetic pole structure for a Hall thruster is provided. The magnetic pole structure includes: multiple wide-envelope outer magnetic pole components, a magnetic bridge, a pagoda-shaped inner magnetic pole component, a top plate, and a bottom plate, where the multiple wide-envelope outer magnetic pole components are arranged on an outer edge of the Hall thruster, symmetrical about the pagoda-shaped inner magnetic pole component, and enclose a semi-open structure; the magnetic bridge is located between each of the wide-envelope outer magnetic pole components and the pagoda-shaped inner magnetic pole component; the bottom plate is attached to a bottom part of each of the wide-envelope outer magnetic pole components and a bottom part of the pagoda-shaped inner magnetic pole component; and the top plate is attached to an upper part of each of the wide-envelope outer magnetic pole components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: SHANGHAI INSTITUTE OF SPACE PROPULSION
    Inventors: Zhen Zhao, Jiabing Cheng, Xiaolu Kang, Yanan Wang, Leichao Tian, Zhiyuan Zhang, Qingqing Jia, Caixia Qiao, Guanrong Hang
  • Patent number: 11907335
    Abstract: A system and method for facilitating autonomous target selection through neural networks is disclosed. The method includes receiving a request from a user to select a target from one or more targets for an agent to perform one or more activities and receiving one or more input parameters. The method further includes generating an expected reward value for each of the one or more targets and determining a desired target among the one or more targets based on the generated expected reward or empirical estimation. Further, the method includes generating one or more actions to be executed by the agent corresponding to the desired by using a trained policy network based ANN model and outputting the determined one or more actions to at least one of: the agent and one or more user devices associated with the user for performing the one or more activities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Cognitive Space
    Inventor: Guy de Carufel
  • Publication number: 20240051682
    Abstract: Provided are a spacecraft control system, a spacecraft control method, and a server device capable of quickly transmitting control data to a spacecraft. The spacecraft system includes: a plurality of spacecrafts; a plurality of small communicators that transmit control data related to imaging operations of the spacecrafts to the spacecrafts; and at least one ground station that receives, from the spacecrafts, captured image data related to images captured by the spacecrafts and space position data for the spacecrafts, and transmits identification data for the small communicators to the spacecrafts, in which each of the spacecrafts includes at least a first reception device that receives the control data transmitted from the small communicators, a control device that controls an imaging operation of the spacecraft on the basis of the control data received by the first reception device, and an imaging device that executes the imaging operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Applicant: Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc.
    Inventor: Masahiko Uetsuhara
  • Patent number: 11899120
    Abstract: A navigation processing system includes at least one processor configured to execute operational instructions that cause the at least one processor to perform operations that include generating navigation data. A data stream is generated based on the navigation data and a data channel spreading sequence. A pilot stream is generated based on a pilot channel spreading sequence. A navigation signal is generated based on applying a bandwidth-efficient modulation scheme to the data stream and the pilot stream. The navigation is signal is broadcast via a navigation signal transmitter for receipt by at least one client device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Xona Space Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Martin Grayson, Andrew Michael Neish, Joshua Earl McGhee
  • Patent number: 11901916
    Abstract: A method of soft-decision decoding including training a machine learning agent with communication signal training data; providing to the trained machine learning agent a signal that has been received via a communications channel; operating the machine learning agent to determine respective probabilities that the received signal corresponds to each of a plurality of symbols; and, based on the determined probabilities, performing soft decision decoding on the received signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space Limited
    Inventor: Terence Dodgson
  • Patent number: 11897635
    Abstract: Provided are a method for maintaining Walker constellation formation and a terminal device. The method comprises: determining a first offset amount of each satellite within a simulation time period according to parameters of a Walker constellation; performing first offset on each satellite according to the first offset amount to obtain a Walker constellation after the first offset; determining a second offset amount of each satellite within the simulation time period according to parameters of the Walker constellation after the first offset; and superimposing the first offset amount and the second offset amount, and performing second offset on each satellite so as to maintain the formation of the Walker constellation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Space Engineering University
    Inventors: Min Hu, Jiuyang Li, Xuyu Wang, Yongjing Ruan, Feifei Li, Xianjun Pan, Tianyu Sun, Ge Zhang
  • Patent number: 11896910
    Abstract: A system and method may detect cheating in a computer game, by receiving inputs to a computer game from an entity (which may be a cheater or bot; or a human), comparing the inputs from the entity to data related to inputs to a computer game from human players, and based on the comparing, determining if the entity is a human player or a cheater. The comparing may be based on performance metrics derived from the inputs, and may be by statistical analysis or, comparing a statistical distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: State Space Labs, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Desimone, David J. Heeger, Wayne E. Mackey
  • Patent number: 11901599
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a waveguide assembly includes a first waveguide portion having a first end, a second end, and a first waveguide channel extending between the first end and the second end, and a second waveguide portion having a first end, a second end, and a second waveguide channel extending between the first end and the second end, wherein the first waveguide portion and the second waveguide portion are configured to connect such that the first waveguide channel and the second waveguide channel form a combined channel, wherein the combined channel includes a gap interface between the first waveguide channel and the second waveguide channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Anders Jensen, Samuel T. Reineman, Robert D. Giglio
  • Patent number: 11899062
    Abstract: A basic logic element includes: a calculation unit configured to perform calculation processing; a self-diagnosis unit configured to self-diagnose whether or not there is an abnormality in a result of the calculation output from the basic logic element; a management unit configured to determine whether or not to retain authority to output the result of the calculation based on a result of the diagnosis performed by the self-diagnosis unit and output a result of the determination as an authority signal; and an output control unit configured to control whether or not to output the result of the calculation performed by the calculation unit based on whether or not the authority to output data is retained by the management unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: NEC SPACE TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroki Hihara
  • Patent number: 11902499
    Abstract: Simulation sighting binoculars include a camera, a screen, a pair of lenses which are arranged to face the screen, and electronic circuitry which is configured to: obtain a video frame from the camera; transmit, to a simulation platform, geolocation information and orientation information for the camera; receive simulation graphical elements and spatial positioning information for corresponding virtual objects; carry out a two-dimensional rendering of the virtual objects, in order to display them in a projection window E2; superimpose the two-dimensional rendering of the virtual objects in the projection window E2 and the video frame in a projection window E3; obtain a mixed-reality stereoscopic image using a pair of virtual cameras reproducing binocular vision which is adapted to the pair of lenses; and carry out, on the screen, a right-eye and left-eye display of the obtained mixed-reality stereoscopic image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space SAS
    Inventors: Hervé Biran, Christophe Lartillot
  • Patent number: 11901606
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a pan/tilt assembly for an antenna apparatus having a housing enclosing antenna components and a leg extending from the housing includes a first actuator for rotating a first gear, a second actuator for rotating a second gear, a third gear coupled to the leg and engaged by the first and second gears, and a tee having a first portion substantially transverse to a second portion, wherein the first portion has a first end rotatably received within the first gear and a second end rotatably received within the second gear, and wherein the second portion is rotatably received within the third gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Erik N. Littleton, Duncan Edwin Adams
  • Publication number: 20240043143
    Abstract: The invention relates to the transport of goods by means of an unmanned aerial vehicle (3) and a transport container (2), as well as to the possibility of the receipt of the goods by means of a goods station (29). In order to be able to transport the goods flexibly and easily to a destination, it is envisaged in accordance with the invention that the unmanned aerial vehicle (3), and/or the transport container (2), and/or the goods station (29), comprise data storage devices (4, 6) and are configured to exchange data from the data storage devices (4, 6) with one another, or with a transport logistics server.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2021
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Applicant: THETA-SPACE GmbH
    Inventor: Marcel WANNOWSKY
  • Patent number: 11892271
    Abstract: A counter-swarm firework includes a shell casing, multiple streamers positioned in the shell casing, a burst charge positioned in the shell casing and configured to disperse the multiple streamers from the shell casing when discharged, a pusher plate positioned in the shell casing between the burst charge and the multiple streamers, a fire suppressant layer positioned between the burst charge and the pusher plate, and a kick charge configured to launch the shell casing and its contents prior to discharging the burst charge. The fire suppression layer may be configured to suppress heat generated by the discharge of the burst charge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignees: UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY SPACE DYNAMICS LABORATORY, FIREWORKS WEST INTERNATIONALE INC
    Inventors: Morgan Davidson, Dustin Burch
  • Publication number: 20240038039
    Abstract: An antitheft apparatus includes: a mechanism for acquiring first event information related to an alert mode; a mechanism for controlling the alert mode in accordance with the first event information; a mechanism for monitoring movement of an object when the alert mode is enabled; and a mechanism for outputting an alarm when the alert mode is enabled and movement of the object is detected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2023
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Applicant: Space Power Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki TAKABAYASHI, Minoru FURUKAWA
  • Publication number: 20240033996
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods and systems for printing a three-dimensional part. The method comprises: receiving in computer memory a digital model of said three-dimensional object; using one or more computer processors to partition said digital model of said three-dimensional part into a plurality of partitions, wherein a given partition of said plurality of partitions comprises a plurality of slices, and wherein a given slice of said plurality of slices comprises a plurality of segments; receiving, from a user, one or more parameters that specify a printing configuration for at least one segment of said plurality of segments; and generating printing instructions based at least in part on said one or more parameters, which printing instructions are usable by a print head to print said three-dimensional object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2023
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Applicant: Relativity Space, Inc.
    Inventors: Elad Taig, Forrest Pieper, Mario Barrenechea
  • Patent number: 11888230
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a parabolic antenna assembly includes a main reflector, a feed system in RF communication with the main reflector including a horn and a dielectric portion, and a sub-reflector in RF communication with the feed assembly, wherein the sub-reflector includes a body portion and a stem portion mechanically coupled to one another, wherein a reflecting surface of the sub-reflector is defined by at least a portion of the body portion and at least a portion of the stem portion, wherein the dielectric portion spaces the sub-reflector from the horn, and wherein the sub-reflector includes an axially-symmetric choke for providing virtual continuity at the reflecting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Anders Jensen, Jinfay Yuan, Sean Holt, Samuel T. Reineman
  • Publication number: 20240027580
    Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a learning model, a signal processor, a flying object, and a program that enable appropriate observation of the situation of an observed object or the environment around the observed object. The learning model is learned by using teaching data with a first received signal as input, the first received signal being based on a reflected electromagnetic wave that is an electromagnetic wave emitted to a first target area and then reflected, and with first meta-information as output, the first meta-information corresponding to the first received signal and having a predetermined item, so as to input a second received signal based on a reflected electromagnetic wave that is an electromagnetic wave emitted to a second target area and then reflected, and to output second meta-information corresponding to the second received signal and having a predetermined item.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2022
    Publication date: January 25, 2024
    Applicant: Space Shift, Inc.
    Inventors: Naruo KANEMOTO, Shigeki KUZUOKA, Ryo SAITO