Patents by Inventor Lifei Meng

Lifei Meng 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).

  • Fuel-free spacecraft propelling system based on spatial atomic oxygen and propelling method
    Patent number: 9796487
    Abstract: A fuel-free spacecraft propelling system having an open-ended outer cylinder of a propelling device and an atomic oxygen collecting device is disclosed. The latter is arranged at the forwardly-propelled front end of the outer cylinder and is hermetically connected with an RF generating device and an ion cyclotron wave heating device through a magnetic confinement device. A spiral wave discharge oxygen plasma inlet and a spiral wave discharge oxygen plasma outlet in the ion cyclotron wave heating device are respectively provided with another magnetic confinement device. The propulsion of the invention does not need to carry the propellant, which greatly reduces the launch costs, and enables a spacecraft to advantageously have an increased orbit life over existing spacecraft systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Beijing Institute of Spacecraft Environment Engineering
    Inventors: Zhong Yi, Chao Zhang, Lifei Meng, Haifu Jiang, Yenan Liu, Qi Xiao, Lixiang Jiang, Zhaoji Yu
  • Chemical-electromagnetic hybrid propeller with variable specific impulse
    Patent number: 9394889
    Abstract: A chemical-electromagnetic hybrid propeller with variable specific impulse. Fuel gas ejected out from a spraying tube of the chemical propeller through chemical propulsion enters an ionization chamber through a first magnetic mirror tube for ionization. The fuel gas after ionization is heated up by radio-frequency ion cyclotron waves in an ion cyclotron wave heating chamber so as to improve the kinetic energy. Then a second magnetic mirror tube is used, so that ions in the fuel gas after the ionization are heated up many times in a reciprocating manner between the magnetic mirror tubes, and ejected to generate forward propulsion force. By means of the propeller, the propulsion force and the specific impulse are greatly increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: Beijing Institute of Spacecraft Environment Engineering
    Inventors: Hua Zhao, Zhong Yi, Yuming Liu, Yenan Liu, Lifei Meng, Chao Zhang, Qi Xiao, Jipeng Sun, Yanlin Xu
  • Fuel-Free Spacecraft Propelling System Based on Spatial Atomic Oxygen and Propelling Method
    Publication number: 20150210406
    Abstract: A fuel-free spacecraft propelling system having an open-ended outer cylinder of a propelling device and an atomic oxygen collecting device is disclosed. The latter is arranged at the forwardly-propelled front end of the outer cylinder and is hermetically connected with an RF generating device and an ion cyclotron wave heating device through a magnetic confinement device. A spiral wave discharge oxygen plasma inlet and a spiral wave discharge oxygen plasma outlet in the ion cyclotron wave heating device are respectively provided with another magnetic confinement device. The propulsion of the invention does not need to carry the propellant, which greatly reduces the launch costs, and enables a spacecraft to advantageously have an increased orbit life over existing spacecraft systems.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2013
    Publication date: July 30, 2015
    Applicant: Beijing Institute of Spacecraft Environment Engineering
    Inventors: Zhong Yi, Chao Zhang, Lifei Meng, Haifu Jiang, Yenan Liu, Qi Xiao, Lixiang Jiang, Zhaoji Yu
  • CHEMICAL-ELECTROMAGNETIC HYBRID PROPELLER WITH VARIABLE SPECIFIC IMPULSE
    Publication number: 20150107219
    Abstract: A chemical-electromagnetic hybrid propeller with variable specific impulse. Fuel gas ejected out from a spraying tube of the chemical propeller through chemical propulsion enters an ionization chamber through a first magnetic mirror tube for ionization. The fuel gas after ionization is heated up by radio-frequency ion cyclotron waves in an ion cyclotron wave heating chamber so as to improve the kinetic energy. Then a second magnetic mirror tube is used, so that ions in the fuel gas after the ionization are heated up many times in a reciprocating manner between the magnetic mirror tubes, and ejected to generate forward propulsion force. By means of the propeller, the propulsion force and the specific impulse are greatly increased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2013
    Publication date: April 23, 2015
    Applicant: Beijing Institute of Spacecraft Environment Engineering
    Inventors: Hua Zhao, Zhong Yi, Yuming Liu, Yenan Liu, Lifei Meng, Chao Zhang, Qi Xiao, Jipeng Sun, Yanlin Xu