Patents by Inventor Jon F. Lawrence

Jon F. Lawrence 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: 5131955
    Abstract: A deployable/retractable photovoltaic concentrator solar array assembly for space applications that includes a plurality of solar array panels that are carried by a pantograph arm arrangement that is deployable to position the panels in a predetermined canted arrangement for receipt of solar radiation. Each panel includes a plurality of spaced cylindrical off axis parabolic mirrors that concentrate the reflected light on a line that falls upon a series of photovoltaic cells arranged longitudinally along the back of each mirror. The cylindrical parabolic mirrors are aligned with the cylindrical axis perpendicular to the axis about which the panels are canted, so that such canting causes no loss of focus. The array panels may be hardened to resist perceived threats and the pantograph arm arrangement is operable to position the array panels in a preferred orientation according to the nature of the threat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1992
    Assignee: General Dynamics Corporation/Space Systems Division
    Inventors: Theodore G. Stern, Mickey Cornwall, Jon F. Lawrence, David M. Peterson