Abstract: A solar and/or wind inverter that uses an ultracapacitor for grid stabilization. The ultracapacitor may be directly tied to, and placed between, a power source and an inverter. The ultracapacitor may supply power to a grid via the inverter during a reduction of power or a loss in power from the grid.

Abstract: A solar and/or wind inverter that uses an ultracapacitor for grid stabilization. The ultracapacitor may be directly tied to, and placed between, a power source and an inverter. The ultracapacitor may supply power to a grid via the inverter during a reduction of power or a loss in power from the grid.

Abstract: A solar and/or wind inverter that uses an ultracapacitor for grid stabilization. The ultracapacitor may be directly tied to, and placed between, a power source and an inverter. The ultracapacitor may supply power to a grid via the inverter during a reduction of power or a loss in power from the grid.

Abstract: A solar and/or wind inverter that uses an ultracapacitor for grid stabilization. The ultracapacitor may be directly tied to, and placed between, a power source and an inverter. The ultracapacitor may supply power to a grid via the inverter during a reduction of power or a loss in power from the grid.

Abstract: A solar cell regulator in a nanosatellite includes a pulse width modulated DC-DC boost converter and a peak power tracking controller for converting solar cell power to bus power for charging of system batteries and powering loads while the controller controls the pulse width modulation operation of the converter for sensing solar cell currents and voltages along a power characteristic curve of the solar cell for peak power tracking, for determining any power data point, including a peak power point, an open circuit voltage point, and a short circuit current point along the power characteristic curve of the solar cell, and for communicating the power data to a satellite processor for monitoring the performance of the solar cell during operational use of the satellite.

Abstract: An onboard solar cell array current and voltage characteristic determination method is preferably used on small spacecraft and determines the solar cell orientation relative to the sun by a comparison between prelaunch solar cell characteristics with on-orbit solar cell characteristics well suited for spin axis determinations and monitoring the degradation of on-orbit solar cells over the operational life of a picosatellite.

Abstract: A solar cell regulator in a nanosatellite includes a pulse width modulated DC-DC boost converter and a peak power tracking controller for converting solar cell power to bus power for charging of system batteries and powering loads while the controller controls the pulse width modulation operation of the converter for sensing solar cell currents and voltages along a power characteristic curve of the solar cell for peak power tracking, for determining any power data point, including a peak power point, an open circuit voltage point, and a short circuit current point along the power characteristic curve of the solar cell, and for communicating the power data to a satellite processor for monitoring the performance of the solar cell during operational use of the satellite.

Abstract: A solar cell regulator in a nanosatellite includes a pulse width modulated DC-DC boost converter and a peak power tracking controller for converting solar cell power to bus power for charging of system batteries and powering loads while the controller controls the pulse width modulation operation of the converter for sensing solar cell currents and voltages along a power characteristic curve of the solar cell for peak power tracking, for determining any power data point, including a peak power point, an open circuit voltage point, and a short circuit current point along the power characteristic curve of the solar cell, and for communicating the power data to a satellite processor for monitoring the performance of the solar cell during operational use of the satellite.

Abstract: A flexible inflatable hinge includes curable resin for rigidly positioning panels of solar cells about the hinge in which wrap around contacts and flex circuits are disposed for routing power from the solar cells to the power bus further used for grounding the hinge. An indium tin oxide and magnesium fluoride coating is used to prevent static discharge while being transparent to ultraviolet light that cures the embedded resin after deployment for rigidizing the inflatable hinge.

Abstract: An onboard solar cell array current and voltage characteristic determination method is preferably used on small spacecraft and determines the solar cell orientation relative to the sun by a comparison between prelaunch solar cell characteristics with on-orbit solar cell characteristics well suited for spin axis determinations and monitoring the degradation of on-orbit solar cells over the operational life of a picosatellite.

Abstract: A thin film solar cell thermal radiator configuration uses an embedded power bus to collect vertically migrating waste heat from electronic devices mounted on a thin film multilayer printed circuit board. The waste heat is vertically collected, horizontally spread, and vertically rejected through the a top coverglass glass layer around the side of a top silver contact of conventional thin film solar cells. The thermal radiator configuration enables the collection and rejection of the electronic component waste heat for maintaining thin film solar cells within desired temperature ranges.

Abstract: One or more thin film battery cells are embedded in a multilayer thin film flexible circuit board supporting electronic devices, such as power regulators, for forming an integrated battery and circuit module. The module can be made using conventional thin film processes. The module is well suited for applications where size and space limitations, such as on spacecraft or credit cards, require the use of ultra thin power sources integrated with respective electronic devices and printed circuits.

Abstract: A conductive hinge is made of a superelastic shape memory alloy such as nitinol (NiTi) having a large elastic strain limit for enabling the hinge to bend to a small radius during stowage and flexible return to a trained rigid hinge position by training the shape memory alloy to assume a predetermined deployed configuration when released from a stowage configuration. The hinge is trained by forging at a temperature above a training temperature. The hinge is stowed and released in the superelastic state to deploy solar cell panels as the hinges unfold to the trained deployed configuration.

Abstract: An inflatable structure includes a plurality of inflation cells each have a respective internal gas generator connected to an external control processor for sequential inflation of the inflatable structure. Power and control lines feed through the inflation cells for powering the internal gas generator and for communicating control signals between the gas generators and the external control processor. A method of sequence inflation can use various types of exemplar gas generators, such as cellular containment evaporation gas generators and laser ablation gas generators.

Abstract: An inflatable structure includes a plurality of inflation cells each have a respective internal gas generator connected to an external control processor for sequential inflation of the inflatable structure. Power and control lines feed through the inflation cells for powering the internal gas generator and for communicating control signals between the gas generators and the external control processor. A method of sequence inflation can use various types of exemplar gas generators, such as cellular containment evaporation gas generators and laser ablation gas generators.

Abstract: An inflatable structure includes a plurality of inflation cells each have a respective internal gas generator connected to an external control processor for sequential inflation of the inflatable structure. Power and control lines feed through the inflation cells for powering the internal gas generator and for communicating control signals between the gas generators and the external control processor. A method of sequence inflation can use various types of exemplar gas generators, such as cellular containment evaporation gas generators and laser ablation gas generators.

Abstract: A thin film solar cell thermal radiator configuration uses an embedded power bus to collect vertically migrating waste heat from electronic devices mounted on a thin film multilayer printed circuit board. The waste heat is vertically collected, horizontally spread, and vertically rejected through the a top coverglass glass layer around the side of a top silver contact of conventional thin film solar cells. The thermal radiator configuration enables the collection and rejection of the electronic component waste heat for maintaining thin film solar cells within desired temperature ranges.

Abstract: One or more thin film battery cells are embedded in a multilayer thin film flexible circuit board supporting electronic devices, such as power regulators, for forming an integrated battery and circuit module. The module can be made using conventional thin film processes. The module is well suited for applications where size and space limitations, such as on spacecraft or credit cards, require the use of ultra thin power sources integrated with respective electronic devices and printed circuits.

Abstract: An inflatable structure includes a plurality of inflation cells each have a respective internal gas generator connected to an external control processor for sequential inflation of the inflatable structure. Power and control lines feed through the inflation cells for powering the internal gas generator and for communicating control signals between the gas generators and the external control processor. A method of sequence inflation can use various types of exemplar gas generators, such as cellular containment evaporation gas generators and laser ablation gas generators.

Abstract: A conductive hinge is made of a superelastic shape memory alloy such as nitinol (NiTi) having a large elastic strain limit for enabling the hinge to bend around a small radius during stowage and flexible return to a trained rigid hinge position. The hinge is conductive enabling use of the hinge as a conductor for routing power through multiple solar cell panels interconnected by the hinges forming a hinged solar cell array that is deployed when the hinges are released from the bent stowed configuration to the rigid deployed configuration when the hinges further function as latches to lock the panels in place.