Patents by Inventor Norman Urton Huffmaster

Norman Urton Huffmaster 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).

  • Backup wheel for a three axis reaction wheel spacecraft
    Patent number: 3999729
    Abstract: Three-axis attitude control of a substantially zero momentum satellite is achieved by a control system which includes three mutually orthogonal reaction wheels and a fourth backup reaction wheel. The backup wheel is mounted on an axis which is skewed with respect to the axes of the three mutually perpendicular wheels. Spacecraft attitude is normally maintained by torques developed by the mutually orthogonal wheels. If one and only one of the orthogonal wheels should fail to correct the attitude error on its associated axis, the backup wheel is caused to rotate and develop a torque to maintain spacecraft attitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1975
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1976
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventors: Ludwig Muhlfelder, Norman Urton Huffmaster