Patents by Inventor Daniel Andrew Fluitt

Daniel Andrew Fluitt has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11524459
    Abstract: A spacecraft includes an additive manufacturing (A/M) subsystem and one or both of a thermal control arrangement and a contamination control arrangement. The A/M subsystem includes an A/M tool, feedstock and a workpiece and is configured to additively manufacture the workpiece using material from the feedstock. The thermal control arrangement is operable, in an on-orbit space environment characterized by near vacuum pressure and near zero-g force, to maintain temperature of at least one of the A/M tool, the feedstock, and the workpiece within respective specified ranges. The contamination control arrangement is operable, in the on-orbit space environment, to control outgassing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Space Systems/Loral, LLC
    Inventors: John Scott Higham, Gordon Wu, Daniel Andrew Fluitt, Elijah Zebadiah Gurnee, Jude Zils
  • Patent number: 11014303
    Abstract: A spacecraft includes an additive manufacturing (A/M) subsystem and one or both of a thermal control arrangement and a contamination control arrangement. The A/M subsystem includes an A/M tool, feedstock and a workpiece and is configured to additively manufacture the workpiece using material from the feedstock. The thermal control arrangement is operable, in an on-orbit space environment characterized by near vacuum pressure and near zero-g force, to maintain temperature of at least one of the A/M tool, the feedstock, and the workpiece within respective specified ranges. The contamination control arrangement is operable, in the on-orbit space environment, to control outgassing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Space Systems/Loral, LLC
    Inventors: John Scott Higham, Gordon Wu, Daniel Andrew Fluitt, Elijah Zebadiah Gurnee, Jude Zils
  • Patent number: 10730643
    Abstract: A spacecraft includes a main body structure and a plurality of deployable modular reflector elements, the spacecraft being reconfigurable from a launch configuration to an on-orbit configuration. In the launch configuration, the modular reflector elements are disposed in a storage system that includes an arrangement for supporting the modular reflector elements with respect to dynamic launch loads. In the on-orbit configuration, in some implementations, an assembly of the plurality of modular reflector elements forms a large-aperture, offset fed, reflector, the reflector being coupled with a boom or yoke with the main body structure by way of a two or three axis positioning mechanism configured to steer the reflector with respect to the main body structure. In some implementations, in the on-orbit configuration, the plurality of modular reflector elements are assembled to form a large aperture reflective surface that is self-supporting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Space Systems/Loral, LLC
    Inventors: Jude Zils, Daniel Andrew Fluitt, Carey Graham Hijmans, Douglas William Dietz
  • Patent number: 10573949
    Abstract: A spacecraft includes a feed array that includes a plurality of unitary modules, each module including a respective plurality of radio frequency (RF) waveguides structurally coupled together with at least one connecting feature. For each unitary module, the at least one connecting feature and a wall structure defining the respective plurality of waveguides are co-fabricated using an additive manufacturing process. The plurality of unitary modules includes a first unitary module including a first plurality of waveguides and a second unitary module including a second plurality of waveguides. The first unitary module and the second unitary module are configured to be integrated together so as to electrically couple at least one of the first plurality of waveguides with at least one of the second plurality of waveguides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Space Systems/Loral, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Andrew Fluitt, Jeanine Olson, Gregory Pettey
  • Patent number: 10407189
    Abstract: A spacecraft includes a structural interface adapter for mating to a launch vehicle, at least one radiator panel, at least one interior equipment panel and a 3-D truss structure. The 3-D truss structure is mechanically coupled with the structural interface adapter, the at least one radiator panel, and the at least one interior equipment panel, and at least a portion of the 3-D truss structure is disposed between the radiator panel and the interior panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Space Systems/Loral, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Paul Freestone, Daniel Andrew Fluitt, Stephen Mark Schlocker
  • Publication number: 20190036193
    Abstract: A spacecraft includes a feed array that includes a plurality of unitary modules, each module including a respective plurality of radio frequency (RF) waveguides structurally coupled together with at least one connecting feature. For each unitary module, the at least one connecting feature and a wall structure defining the respective plurality of waveguides are co-fabricated using an additive manufacturing process. The plurality of unitary modules includes a first unitary module including a first plurality of waveguides and a second unitary module including a second plurality of waveguides. The first unitary module and the second unitary module are configured to be integrated together so as to electrically couple at least one of the first plurality of waveguides with at least one of the second plurality of waveguides.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2017
    Publication date: January 31, 2019
    Inventors: Daniel Andrew Fluitt, Jeanine Olson, Gregory Pettey