Patents Assigned to United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • Patent number: 10907025
    Abstract: An aerogel and method of making the aerogel is disclosed. The aerogel is a polyimide/polyamide hybrid with a cross-linking agent that induces gelation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Jarrod C. Williams, Mary Ann B. Meador
  • Patent number: 10888487
    Abstract: A grasp assist system includes a glove having a glove palm and fingers, with the glove worn on a user's hand. A sensor measures flexion of the glove fingers, and thus a change of position and/or attitude of the fingers is determined. Finger saddles at least partially surround a phalange of a respective one of the user's fingers. The system uses one or more tendon actuators to pull on flexible tendons. Each tendon connects to a respective finger saddle. A controller is in communication with the actuators and sensor(s). The glove may use feedback from optional contact sensors to adjust tension, and may have a built-in restorative force. In executing a control method, the controller selectively applies tension to the tendons in response to finger flexion, via the tendon actuators, at a level sufficient for moving the user's fingers when the user executes a hand maneuver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Jonathan M. Rogers, Benjamin J. Peters, Evan Laske, Emily R. McBryan
  • Patent number: 10884012
    Abstract: The embodiments described herein include a method and system for determining velocity and a motor controller implementing such velocity determination. In one embodiment, a rotatable element has a digital encoder coupled thereto for determining discrete angular positions of the rotatable element. An amount of time for the rotatable element to rotate between two successive ones of the discrete angular positions is measured. The amount of time is converted to a rotational velocity determination of the rotatable element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Aaron M. Hulse, Harrison D. Pham, Stanley Lewis
  • Patent number: 10876024
    Abstract: A material that facilitates dissipation of heat is provided and includes hexagonal boron nitride and alumina.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Ching-Cheh Hung, Janet B. Hurst
  • Patent number: 10862189
    Abstract: An apparatus that combines an antenna and telescope to minimize system mass without compromising performance of either the antenna or telescope. The apparatus includes a sub-reflector placed before a prime focus feed of a hybrid reflector system. The apparatus also includes a radio frequency (RF) reflector is rigidly attached to a body of a spacecraft and an optical section is attached to a vibration isolation platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: Robert R. Romanofsky
  • Patent number: 10816420
    Abstract: A tension-measurement device configured to determine a tension in a line includes a body. The body includes a first portion, a second portion extending from the first portion of the body, and a third portion extending from the first portion of the body. The line is configured to extend at least partially through the second and third portions of the body. A first sensor is coupled to the body and is configured to measure a strain on the body when a first portion of the line is placed under tension. The tension in the first portion of the line is configured to be determined based at least partially upon the strain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Douglas A Litteken, Jared S Daum
  • Patent number: 10807912
    Abstract: Advanced environmental barrier coating bond coat systems with higher temperature capabilities and environmental resistance are disclosed. These bond coat systems can be applied to ceramic substrates such as SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composite substrates, and can provide protection from extreme temperature, mechanical loading and environmental conditions, such as in high temperature gas turbines. Example bond coat systems can include either an advanced silicon/silicide component, an oxide/silicate component, or a combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Dongming Zhu, Janet B. Hurst
  • Patent number: 10800883
    Abstract: Processes and precursors may be used to produce a highly porous, extremely large surface area polyimide aerogel with optical translucency and diminished heat transfer. The resulting material maintains or exceeds structural integrity and low thermal conductivity seen in the high opacity polyimide aerogels of similar porosity and density. The formulations used for fabrication of aerogels may include combinations of fluorinated dianhydride and diamine fractions and non-fluorinated dianhydrides and diamines with various aliphatic and aromatic bridgehead components as precursors to the condensation polymerization of polyimide aerogels with polyamide crosslinks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Stephanie L. Vivod, Mary Ann B. Meador, Andrew Shinko, Sadan C. Jana, Coleen Pugh
  • Patent number: 10787569
    Abstract: Polyamide aerogels and methods of making the same are discussed. One example method can include the act of creating a mixture of at least one diamine with at least one diacid chloride in a first solvent. The mixture can comprise a plurality of amine capped polyamide oligomers. Such a method can also include the acts of adding a cross-linking agent to the mixture to create a gel and performing one or more solvent exchanges to remove the first solvent. Additionally, such a method can include the act of subjecting the gel to supercritical drying to polyamide aerogel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Mary Ann B. Meador, Jarrod C. Williams
  • Patent number: 10784593
    Abstract: A dual-band patch antenna includes a first patch antenna for operation at a first frequency and a second patch antenna for operation at a second frequency that is an integer multiple of the first frequency. A dielectric support is provided on which the first and second patch antennas are mounted. A nearest distance defined between the first and second patch antennas is a function of the second frequency and a dielectric constant of the dielectric support. The dielectric support has a feed point adapted to have a transmission line electrically coupled thereto. Electrically-conducting paths are coupled to the dielectric support for electrically coupling the feed point to the first and second patch antennas where at least one such electrically-conducting path has an insertion loss that is greater than 0 dB and less than or equal to 3 dB.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: William Herbert Sims, III
  • Patent number: 10780514
    Abstract: A process for forming a single crystal superalloy wave spring is provided. In one embodiment, the process may include machining a wave spring from a single crystal superalloy slab after optimizing its orientation using diffraction techniques so that the wave spring will exhibit optimal spring properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Jeffrey J. DeMange, Frank J. Ritzert, Michael V. Nathal, Patrick H. Dunlap, Jr., Bruce M. Steinetz
  • Patent number: 10738373
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for creating shapes (e.g., letters, numbers, characters, symbols, or a combination thereof) using shape memory alloy (SMAs) component. The SMA components shaped into formed shapes that can then be distorted to obscure the original formed shaped. The original formed shape can be restored upon exposure to a heat source, magnetic field, or upon load removal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Othmane Benafan, Eunice E. Arvizu
  • Patent number: 10731237
    Abstract: Advanced ultra high temperature ceramic (UHTC) systems with higher temperature capabilities, particularly an integrated ceramic coating and ceramic matrix composite (ICC-CMC). Also disclosed are coating and/or ceramic matrix composites and architecture arrangements to achieve ultra-high temperature and heat flux capability, resistance to oxidation, combustion, and a wide range of spectrum wavelength and charged particle radiation environments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Dongming Zhu, Janet B. Hurst
  • Patent number: 10732161
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with gas detecting sensors. According to one embodiment, a gas sensor includes a metal layer, a barrier interlayer, a substrate layer, a first insulating layer, a conduction path, a contact pad, and a second insulating layer. The conduction path connects the metal layer to the contact pad. The second insulating layer prevents diffusion through the contact pad, the conduction path, or the metal layer. The sensor includes a wire bonded electrical connection to the contact pad such that voltage can be determined and/or applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Jennifer Xu, Gary W. Hunter
  • Patent number: 10723857
    Abstract: A polyimide aerogel and method of making the aerogel is disclosed. The polymer backbone of the aerogel includes a cardo-diamine. The disclosed polyimide aerogel is less susceptible to temperature induced shrinkage than a polyimide aerogel that does not include a cardo-diamine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Rocco P. Viggiano, Mary Ann B. Meador
  • Patent number: 10728426
    Abstract: Methods and systems for analyzing and processing digital data comprising a plurality of infra-red (IR) video images acquired by a pulse thermography system are used to compute video data from the raw and smoothed video data acquired for the performance of non-destructive evaluation. New video data types computed may include but are not limited to contrast evolution data such as normalized contrast, converted contrast and normalized temperature contrast. Additionally, video data types computed comprise surface temperature, surface temperature rise and temperature simple contrast.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: Ajay M. Koshti
  • Patent number: 10724030
    Abstract: The present invention provides a system for delivering a time-varying stimulation field to a subject. In the system, a power source, a control component and a transmission component operate as a stimulation field generator to provide a predetermined time-varying stimulation field to up-regulate or down-regulate an expression level of human genes. The present invention also provides a wearable apparatus for delivering the time-varying magnetic field to mammalian cells associated with bone formation in a subject. The wearable apparatus contains the stimulation field generator in a housing. The resulted modification on gene regulation of these genes and mammalian cells promotes the retention, repair of and reduction of compromised mammalian cartilage, bone, and associated tissue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Thomas J. Goodwin, Linda C. Shackelford
  • Patent number: 10689986
    Abstract: A film cooled component is provided that includes a body having a cavity defined therein, wherein a coolant is supplied to the cavity cooling apertures having at least one channel defined on an inside surface. The coolant exits the cavity through the plurality of cooling apertures thereby providing a cooling effect to the body and the channel creates an air flow such that the air coolant moves towards the body upon exiting the plurality of cooling apertures. The film cooled component may include cooling apertures configured to reverse blow coolant air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Ali A. Ameri, Vikram Shyam
  • Patent number: 10675781
    Abstract: Shape memory alloys (SMAs) may be used for static rock splitting. The SMAs may be used as high-energy multifunctional materials, which have a unique ability to recover large deformations and generate high stresses in response to thermal loads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Othmane Benafan, Ronald D. Noebe
  • Patent number: 10673146
    Abstract: A communications system includes a radio frequency (“RF”) antenna. The RF antenna includes a RF reflector and a RF feed axially spaced from the RF reflector. The communications system also includes an optical telescope sharing an axis with the RF antenna. The optical telescope includes primary and secondary reflectors centered at the axis. A mounting structure mechanically couples a housing of the primary reflector to the secondary optical reflector. The mounting structure includes a plurality of truss struts extending the entirety of an axial distance between the primary and secondary optical reflectors and a plurality of support rings interconnecting the plurality of truss struts at various locations on the central axis at or between the primary and secondary optical reflectors. Each of the plurality of support rings and truss struts is structured to minimize the cross section of the support rings along radials originating at the RF feed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: Adam Wroblewski