Patents by Inventor Timothy Lofquist

Timothy Lofquist 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: 11718422
    Abstract: A satellite includes a plurality of thrusters disposed about the satellite, each of the plurality of thrusters having a minimum thruster firing time, and a control circuit connected to the plurality of thrusters. The control circuit is configured to identify violations of the minimum thruster firing time in a non-compliant thruster firing pattern selected to achieve a specified movement, generate a plurality of compliant thruster firing patterns by replacing each of the violations of the non-compliant thruster firing pattern by zero and a minimum time in different combinations, select a compliant thruster firing pattern from the plurality of compliant thruster firing patterns to produce a satellite movement that is within a predetermined range of the specified movement, and cause the plurality of thrusters to fire according to the compliant thruster firing pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Maxar Space LLC
    Inventors: Haifei Cheng, Timothy Lofquist
  • Publication number: 20220097873
    Abstract: A satellite includes a plurality of thrusters disposed about the satellite, each of the plurality of thrusters having a minimum thruster firing time, and a control circuit connected to the plurality of thrusters. The control circuit is configured to identify violations of the minimum thruster firing time in a non-compliant thruster firing pattern selected to achieve a specified movement, generate a plurality of compliant thruster firing patterns by replacing each of the violations of the non-compliant thruster firing pattern by zero and a minimum time in different combinations, select a compliant thruster firing pattern from the plurality of compliant thruster firing patterns to produce a satellite movement that is within a predetermined range of the specified movement, and cause the plurality of thrusters to fire according to the compliant thruster firing pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Applicant: Maxar Space LLC
    Inventors: Haifei Cheng, Timothy Lofquist
  • Patent number: 10780998
    Abstract: A spacecraft includes a body, a plurality of separate units, and a first auxiliary radiator panel. The body includes a plurality of sidewalls, at least a first sidewall of the plurality of sidewalls including an outboard-facing radiator surface having optical solar reflectors disposed thereon. A first subset of the plurality of units is thermally coupled with the outboard-facing radiator surface of the first sidewall. A second subset of the plurality of units is thermally coupled with the first auxiliary radiator panel and is isolated from at least conductive thermal heat transfer with the outboard-facing radiator surface of the first sidewall. The first subset of units is spatially proximate to the second subset of units and is configured to operate in a first temperature range. The second subset of units is configured to operate in a second temperature range, the second temperature range being different from the first temperature range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: Space Systems/Loral, LLC
    Inventors: Gordon Wu, Timothy Lofquist