Patents by Inventor Martin E. Frederick

Martin E. Frederick 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: 5327071
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for efficiently controlling the power output of a solar cell array string or a plurality of solar cell array strings to achieve a maximum amount of output power from the strings under varying conditions of use. Maximum power output from a solar array string is achieved through control of a pulse width modulated DC/DC buck converter which transfers power from a solar array to a load or battery bus. The input voltage from the solar array to the converter is controlled by a pulse width modulation duty cycle, which in turn is controlled by a differential signal comparing the array voltage with a control voltage from a controller. By periodically adjusting the control voltage up or down by a small amount and comparing the power on the load or bus with that generated at different voltage values a maximum power output voltage may be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 5, 1994
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics & Space Administration
    Inventors: Martin E. Frederick, Joel B. Jermakian