Patents by Inventor James C. Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Aministration, with respect to an invention of Fletcher

James C. Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Aministration, with respect to an invention of Fletcher 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).

  • Sun direction detection system
    Patent number: 4018532
    Abstract: A sun direction detection system is disclosed. It includes a housing with a slit, through which a line image of the sun is directed into the housing in a first direction. Placed in the housing is a substrate on which at least one pair of detectors are deposited in a direction perpendicular to the first direction. One of the detectors is an illumination detector consisting of two spaced apart elongated strips with a strip of cadmium sulphide (CdS) deposited therebetween. Whenever the line image impinges the CdS strip, the resistance between the two other strips is relatively low, while being high when the line image is outside the field of view of the illumination detector. Also included is a sun angle detector which consists of a vapor deposited resistor strip connected at one end to +10v and at the other end to -10v. Spaced apart from the resistor strip is an elongated strip of low resistance material acting as an output strip, with a CdS strip between the two strips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1975
    Date of Patent: April 19, 1977
    Inventors: James C. Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Aministration, with respect to an invention of Fletcher, Louis F. Schmidt, George D. Pace, Jr.