Patents by Inventor Siegfried W. Janson

Siegfried W. Janson 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: 11439567
    Abstract: A thermal display module configured to create a thermal pattern discerned by a visually impaired user to determine his or her surroundings. The thermal display module includes a plurality of thermoelectric modules, each of which are configured to cool or heat a pixel plate in close proximity to a user's skin. The cooling or heating of each of the thermoelectric modules create the thermal pattern discernable by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: THE AEROSPACE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Siegfried W. Janson
  • Publication number: 20200289359
    Abstract: A thermal display module configured to create a thermal pattern discerned by a visually impaired user to determine his or her surroundings. The thermal display module includes a plurality of thermoelectric modules, each of which are configured to cool or heat a pixel plate in close proximity to a user's skin. The cooling or heating of each of the thermoelectric modules create the thermal pattern discernable by the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Inventor: Siegfried W. JANSON
  • Publication number: 20190300206
    Abstract: A control algorithm that determines one or more deviations in an orbit of a companion satellite, and control the companion satellite to minimize effects of perturbing forces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2017
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: Chia-Chun Chao, Victor Shiaw-Jong Lin, Siegfried W. Janson
  • Patent number: 10427806
    Abstract: A control algorithm that determines one or more deviations in an orbit of a companion satellite, and control the companion satellite to minimize effects of perturbing forces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: The Aerospace Corporation
    Inventors: Chia-Chun Chao, Victor Shiaw-Jong Lin, Siegfried W. Janson
  • Publication number: 20180162558
    Abstract: A control algorithm that determines one or more deviations in an orbit of a companion satellite, and control the companion satellite to minimize effects of perturbing forces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2017
    Publication date: June 14, 2018
    Inventors: Chia-Chun Chao, Victor Shiaw-Jong Lin, Siegfried W. Janson
  • Patent number: 9998206
    Abstract: A plurality of spacecraft may be dispersed into a ring constellation or structure. Data may be wirelessly relayed between spacecraft similar to data flowing in a ring network. The ring structure minimizes inter-spacecraft velocities and tracking angle motion to allow use of fixed high-gain radio frequency (RF) antennas or medium-divergence lasers for crosslinks. Data may flow between spacecraft to be downloaded by the next spacecraft that will be passing over a ground station. This reduces data latency when a single ground station is used, and significantly reduces data latency when more than one ground station is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: THE AEROSPACE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Siegfried W. Janson
  • Patent number: 9941967
    Abstract: A system for reducing the cost and increasing the rate and reliability of data transmission from space to ground includes a network of relay satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). Each relay satellite is configured to receive data from one or more client satellites, and configured to transmit data from LEO to ground using optical communications. The system may also include multiple optical ground stations configured to receive the data and transmit the received data using terrestrial networks to client locations. The network may provide an alternative to downlinking large amounts of data for new satellite operators without an existing ground network and for established satellite operators seeking higher data rates, lower latency, or reduced ground system operating costs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: THE AEROSPACE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Richard P. Welle, Siegfried W. Janson, Roger Yang, John Serafini
  • Patent number: 9694917
    Abstract: A deployment algorithm that populate a group of companion satellites around a center satellite, and a control algorithm for maintaining the companion satellites in close formation around the center satellite.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: The Aerospace Corporation
    Inventors: Chia-Chun Chao, Brian E. Kirkpatrick, Victor Shiaw-Jong Lin, Siegfried W. Janson
  • Publication number: 20160269116
    Abstract: A system for reducing the cost and increasing the rate and reliability of data transmission from space to ground includes a network of relay satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). Each relay satellite is configured to receive data from one or more client satellites, and configured to transmit data from LEO to ground using optical communications. The system may also include multiple optical ground stations configured to receive the data and transmit the received data using terrestrial networks to client locations. The network may provide an alternative to downlinking large amounts of data for new satellite operators without an existing ground network and for established satellite operators seeking higher data rates, lower latency, or reduced ground system operating costs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2016
    Publication date: September 15, 2016
    Inventors: Richard P. WELLE, Siegfried W. JANSON, Roger YANG, John SERAFINI
  • Publication number: 20160269098
    Abstract: A plurality of spacecraft may be dispersed into a ring constellation or structure. Data may be wirelessly relayed between spacecraft similar to data flowing in a ring network. The ring structure minimizes inter-spacecraft velocities and tracking angle motion to allow use of fixed high-gain radio frequency (RF) antennas or medium-divergence lasers for crosslinks. Data may flow between spacecraft to be downloaded by the next spacecraft that will be passing over a ground station. This reduces data latency when a single ground station is used, and significantly reduces data latency when more than one ground station is used.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2016
    Publication date: September 15, 2016
    Inventor: Siegfried W. JANSON
  • Patent number: 9041135
    Abstract: Under one aspect of the present invention, a monolithic sun sensor includes a photosensor; a spacer material disposed over the photosensor; and a patterned mask disposed over the spacer material and defining an aperture over the photosensor. The spacer material has a thickness selected such that the patterned mask casts a shadow onto the photosensor that varies as a function of the monolithic sun sensor's angle relative to the sun. The sun sensor may further include a substrate in which the photosensor is embedded or on which the photosensor is disposed. The spacer material may be transparent, and may include a layer of inorganic oxide, or a plurality of layers of inorganic oxide. The patterned mask may include a conductive material, such as a metal. The aperture may be lithographically defined, and may be square. The sun sensor may further include a transparent overlayer disposed over the patterned mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: The Aerospace Corporation
    Inventor: Siegfried W. Janson
  • Publication number: 20140264700
    Abstract: Under one aspect of the present invention, a monolithic sun sensor includes a photosensor; a spacer material disposed over the photosensor; and a patterned mask disposed over the spacer material and defining an aperture over the photosensor. The spacer material has a thickness selected such that the patterned mask casts a shadow onto the photosensor that varies as a function of the monolithic sun sensor's angle relative to the sun. The sun sensor may further include a substrate in which the photosensor is embedded or on which the photosensor is disposed. The spacer material may be transparent, and may include a layer of inorganic oxide, or a plurality of layers of inorganic oxide. The patterned mask may include a conductive material, such as a metal. The aperture may be lithographically defined, and may be square. The sun sensor may further include a transparent overlayer disposed over the patterned mask.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: The Aerospace Corporation
    Inventor: Siegfried W. JANSON
  • Patent number: 8829334
    Abstract: A thermo-photovoltaic power generator for efficiently converting thermal energy into electric energy including a selective thermal emitter for receiving thermal energy and emitting thermal radiation with black body emissivity over a range of wavelengths, low-bandgap photovoltaic cells responsive to thermal radiation at wavelengths within a particular band of said range of wavelengths and operative to convert such thermal radiation to electric energy, and a band pass filter disposed between the thermal emitter and the photovoltaic cells for transmitting thermal radiation from the emitter at wavelengths within the particular band to the photovoltaic cells, and for reflecting thermal radiation from the emitter at wavelengths outside the particular band back to the emitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: The Aerospace Corporation
    Inventor: Siegfried W. Janson
  • Patent number: 8538606
    Abstract: Certain embodiments of the invention may include systems, methods, and apparatus for sensing flight direction of a spacecraft. According to an example embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for determining flight direction of a spacecraft. The method includes providing at least one imaging detector associated with a spacecraft; imaging at least a portion of a celestial body onto the at least one imaging detector; acquiring, by the at least one imaging detector, sequential images of at least a portion of the celestial body; and determining the spacecraft flight direction relative to the celestial body based at least in part on processing the sequential images, wherein the processing is performed by one or more computer processors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: The Aerospace Corporation
    Inventors: Siegfried W. Janson, Jerome K. Fuller
  • Patent number: 8336826
    Abstract: Propulsion systems and methods utilize one or more propellant masses in the form of smart propellant devices to move a spacecraft or other object through outer space and/or substantially airless environments. A spacecraft maneuver, for example, is facilitated by forces imparted on the spacecraft resulting from the ejection of one or more smart propellant devices from the spacecraft and/or the recapture of one or more of the propellant masses at the spacecraft. The smart propellant devices are each programmed to return to the spacecraft along a particular trajectory and to impact the spacecraft at a particular time and place. The spacecraft is provided with ejection devices and recovery devices that eject and recover, respectively, the one or more smart propellant devices. The recovery devices can also be configured to capture kinetic energy from incoming smart propellant devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: The Aerospace Corporation
    Inventor: Siegfried W. Janson
  • Publication number: 20120109425
    Abstract: Certain embodiments of the invention may include systems, methods, and apparatus for sensing flight direction of a spacecraft. According to an example embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for determining flight direction of a spacecraft. The method includes providing at least one imaging detector associated with a spacecraft; imaging at least a portion of a celestial body onto the at least one imaging detector; acquiring, by the at least one imaging detector, sequential images of at least a portion of the celestial body; and determining the spacecraft flight direction relative to the celestial body based at least in part on processing the sequential images, wherein the processing is performed by one or more computer processors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2010
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Applicant: THE AEROSPACE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Siegfried W. Janson, Jerome K. Fuller
  • Publication number: 20120023948
    Abstract: Propulsion systems and methods utilize one or more propellant masses in the form of smart propellant devices to move a spacecraft or other object through outer space and/or substantially airless environments. A spacecraft maneuver, for example, is facilitated by forces imparted on the spacecraft resulting from the ejection of one or more smart propellant devices from the spacecraft and/or the recapture of one or more of the propellant masses at the spacecraft. The smart propellant devices are each programmed to return to the spacecraft along a particular trajectory and to impact the spacecraft at a particular time and place. The spacecraft is provided with ejection devices and recovery devices that eject and recover, respectively, the one or more smart propellant devices. The recovery devices can also be configured to capture kinetic energy from incoming smart propellant devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Inventor: Siegfried W. Janson
  • Patent number: 8068278
    Abstract: Photostructurable glass and ceramic materials in slabs are processed into pixelized screens having opaque baffles therein for defining therebetween light pipes in the material through which pixel light is passed and directed with limited fields of view and for stereoscopic viewing, the screens being made using various manufacturing processes included focused UV light exposure and baking of the photostructurable material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: The Aerospace Corporation
    Inventors: Siegfried W. Janson, Margaret Abraham
  • Patent number: 7861538
    Abstract: A refrigerator apparatus includes a housing with an interior chamber, thermoelectric devices that are thermally coupled to the interior chamber, and dual redundant electronics configured to generate and apply input power to the thermoelectric devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: The Aerospace Corporation
    Inventors: Richard P. Welle, Siegfried W. Janson
  • Publication number: 20090073087
    Abstract: Photostructurable glass and ceramic materials in slabs are processed into pixelized screens having opaque baffles therein for defining therebetween light pipes in the material through which pixel light is passed and directed with limited fields of view and for stereoscopic viewing, the screens being made using various manufacturing processes included focused UV light exposure and baking of the photostructurable material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2007
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Inventors: Siegfried W. Janson, Margaret Abraham