Sunlight Photonics Inc.

Sunlight Aerospace Inc.

Lucent Technologies Inc.

USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

At&t Bell Laboratories

At+t Corp.

Inplane Photonics, Inc.

Other

American Telephone & Telegraph Co., At&t Bell Laboratories

Agere Systems Guardian Corp.

Agere Systems Optoelectronics Guardian Corp.

Sunlight Products Inc.

Allan James Bruce

Sergey V Frolov

Michael Cyrus

John Peter Moussouris

Joseph Shmulovich

Jasbinder Singh Sanghera

Jesse A Frantz

Vinh Q Nguyen

Ishwar Dayal Aggarwal

Yiu-Huen Wong

Robel Y Bekele

David John DiGiovanni

Ya-Hong Xie

Tek-Ming Shen

Amy Wong

Alexei Glebov

John William Osenbach

Herman M Presby

Kenneth L Walker

Paul Francis Wysocki

James William Fleming

Jason D Myers

Gerald Nykolak

Eliezer M Rabinovich

Henry Miles O'Bryan

William James Minford

Vincent George Lambrecht, Jr

William Henry Grodkiewicz

Douglas A Herr

Matthijs M Broer

Jerry R Bautista

Philippe C Becker

Embodiments of methods and apparatus for close formation flight are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of operating aircraft for flight in close formation includes establishing a communication link between a first aircraft and a second aircraft, assigning to at least one of the first aircraft or the second aircraft, via the communication link, initial positions relative to one another in the close formation, providing flight control input for aligning the first and second aircraft in their respective initial positions, tracking, by at least one aircraft in the close formation, at least one vortex-generated by at least one other aircraft in the close formation, and based on the tracking, providing flight control input to adjust a relative position between the first aircraft and the second aircraft.

Flight control methods for operating close formation flight

Embodiments of methods and apparatus for providing distributed airborne wireless communications are provided herein. In some embodiments, an airborne wireless service area includes: an airborne fleet, comprised of a plurality of aircraft, wherein the airborne fleet is configured to transmit a plurality of first beams at a first radio frequency (RF), wherein the plurality of first beams are characterized by corresponding first frequency band, channel, bandwidth, transmission format, uneven angular field intensity distribution, and boundaries, wherein neighboring first beams have an overlap region, and wherein at least one of the following characteristics is different between the neighboring first beams: frequency band, channel, or transmission format; and a plurality of first communication cells defined by respective boundaries of the plurality of first beams, wherein each of the first communication cells are characterized by their size, shape, and position.

Distributed airborne wireless communication services

A method and apparatus for the thermal energy management of systems of electrically powered vehicles (EVs), which enhance the mission capabilities, or performance. The method includes an approach in which thermal energy harvesting, dissipation, storage, and distribution operate in concert. The method concurrently enables, immediate and longer-term management, including storage of thermal energy for subsequent use. The apparatus, includes the multi-functional integration of thermal energy storage, for the benefit of enhanced EV form, capabilities or performances. The apparatus includes connecting elements which provide selective, thermal conduction pathways, which link the management system. The thermal conductive pathways may be actuated in response to temperature, or by other activation means. Thermally managed systems which require persistent heating, or cooling or maintenance within a specified range, are addressed.

Methods and apparatus for thermal energy management in electric vehicles

A mobile system includes a self-supporting platform, a tunable reflective skin or film disposed on and secured to the mobile platform, one or more actuators and a controller. The tunable reflective skin or film includes one or more layers that are at least partially reflective to optical energy at one or more optical wavelengths. The skin or film is substantially flexible and/or stretchable and has an optical reflectivity to incident electromagnetic radiation of a given wavelength which is selectively variable when flexed and/or stretched. The actuators are able to flex and/or stretch the skin or film in response to receipt of a control signal. The controller generates the control signal based on a measured value of the optical reflectivity of the skin or film to the incident electromagnetic radiation of the given wavelength.

Mobile system incorporating flexible and tunable optically reflective skin and method of use

A degradation-resistant photovoltaic device is provided. The device includes an active area and at least one photovoltaic cell located in the active area. The photovoltaic cell has an elongated shape with a characteristic width and a characteristic length. The characteristic length is greater than the characteristic width and an average distance from the photovoltaic cell to any edge of the active area is greater than the characteristic width.

Degradation-resistant photovoltaic devices

A stretchable photovoltaic device, a stretchable photovoltaic module and a carrier for facilitating formation of a stretchable photovoltaic device and/or module are provided. The stretchable photovoltaic device includes a stretchable part, at least one photovoltaic cell and a surface over which that at least one photovoltaic cell is disposed. The stretchable part has a given length that is operable to change in response to a force being applied to the device. The given length may, for example, elongate when the force causes the device to elongate. Alternative and/or additionally, the given length may compress when the force causes the device to compress.

Photovoltaic device having a stretchable carrier

Embodiments of an airborne synthetic phased antenna array include a plurality of airborne antennas and phase shifters for the antennas. The antennas are operated coherently, and constant phase shifts between the antennas are maintained. In addition, methods for providing wireless communication services include providing a plurality of airborne platforms, providing RF antennas for wireless communication services and phase shifters for the RF antennas on at least two airborne platforms, and operating the phase shifters to maintain synchronous operation of the RF antennas.

Methods and apparatus for airborne synthetic antennas

A hydro-thermal exchange unit (HTEU) for desalinating feed water in accordance with a humidification-dehumidification includes feed water, fresh water and gas conduit circuits for transporting feed water, fresh water, and gas, respectively. The unit also includes an evaporator through which a portion of the feed water conduit and the gas conduit pass. The evaporator causes evaporation of a portion of the feed water to produce vapor that is transported through the gas conduit. The unit also includes a condenser through which a portion of the gas conduit and the fresh water conduit pass. The condenser has input and output ports for coupling the gas and fresh water conduit circuits. The condenser extracts moisture from the vapor transported therethrough by the gas conduit. The extracted moisture is discharged through the fresh water conduit. The unit also includes a heat exchanger through which a portion of the fresh water conduit and the feed water conduit pass to thereby extract residual heat from the fresh water such that the residual heat heats the feed water.

Solar desalination system employing a humidification-dehumidification process

Embodiments of methods and apparatus for close formation flight are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of sensing three dimensional (3D) airflow by an aircraft includes: collecting measurements characterizing airflow near the aircraft; analyzing the collected measurements; creating, by a processor, a computer model predicting one or more 3D airflow patterns parameter values based on the analyzing; obtaining one or more additional measurements characterizing airflow near an aircraft of the plurality of aircraft, and evaluating an error between an airflow parameter value predicted by the computer model and the one or more additional measurement.

Methods of airflow vortex sensing and tracking

A method for forming a high purity, copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) bulk material is disclosed. The method includes sealing precursor materials for forming the bulk material in a reaction vessel. The precursor materials include copper, at least one chalcogen selected from selenium, sulfur, and tellurium, and at least one element from group IIIA of the periodic table, which may be selected from gallium, indium, and aluminum. The sealed reaction vessel is heated to a temperature at which the precursor materials react to form the bulk material. The bulk material is cooled in the vessel to a temperature below the solidification temperature of the bulk material and opened to release the formed bulk material. A sputtering target formed by the method can have an oxygen content of 10 ppm by weight, or less.

Synthesis of high-purity bulk copper indium gallium selenide materials

Embodiments of methods and apparatus for close formation flight are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method for establishing situational awareness during formation flight includes exchanging transponder signals between at least two aircraft, establishing two-way communication links between the at least two aircraft, exchanging telemetry data between the at least two aircraft, and assigning the roles of a leader and a follower to the aircraft.

Methods for situational awareness during formation flight

A photovoltaic device includes a plurality of photovoltaic cells disposed in an array in which each cell is adjacent to another cell. Each of the cells includes first and second photovoltaic modules. The first photovoltaic module of each cell is configured to convert a first part of light energy incident thereon into electrical energy and to reflect to the second photovoltaic module of an adjacent cell at least some of a remaining portion of light energy incident thereon. The second photovoltaic module of each cell is configured to convert into electrical energy the remaining portion of the light energy received from the first photovoltaic module of an adjacent cell.

Aligned bifacial solar modules

An ice resistant structure is provided which includes a self-supporting, structural platform, a retaining, protective layer and a subsurface anti-icing (AI) and/or de-icing (DI) layer. The retaining, protective layer is disposed over the self-supporting, structural platform. The subsurface anti-icing (AI) and/or de-icing (DI) layer is located between the self-supporting, structural platform and the retaining, protective layer. The subsurface Al and/or DI layer is a functional layer such that an Al and/or DI agent is released to a surface of the retaining protective layer by an activation mechanism responsive to a change in an environmental condition.

Multi-layer de-icing skin for aircraft platforms: failure resistant, energy efficient and extended lifetime method of use

Methods and apparatus to harvest renewable energy are provided herein. In some embodiments, a wind-powered aircraft includes an airframe suitable for untethered flight in an open airspace; and an airborne kinetic energy conversion system attached to the airframe, the airborne kinetic energy conversion system comprising a turbine, a generator connected to the turbine, and an electrical storage means connected to the generator.

Airborne kinetic energy conversion system

Growing community of inventors

Scotch Plains, NJ, United States of America

Allan James Bruce