Vanguard Space Technologies, Inc.

Creative Electron, Inc.

Matthew Wrosch

Theodore G Stern

Fadel Hernandez

Eric McNaul

Miguel Albert Capote

Alan Grieve

Janet Fox, Legal Representative

A method of fabricating an airfoil, and the airfoil or airfoil skin so fabricated, including a solar cell array arranged on the surface of the airfoil by providing and utilizing an assembly fixture having a smooth, concave surface. An uncured supporting film composed of a composite material (such as a carbon fiber composite) is mounted directly on the back side of the solar cells; and the film of composite material is co-cured on the assembly fixture so that the array of interconnected solar cells is bonded to the supporting film. The bonded and cured film of composite material and an array of interconnected solar cells is then removed from the assembly fixture.

Assembly and mounting of solar cells on airfoils

A method of fabricating a solar cell array on the surface of a support by providing an assembly fixture having a smooth, concave surface; mounting a film composed of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) directly on the surface of the fixture; mounting a film composed of a non-crosslinked silicone pressure sensitive adhesive directly over the ETFE film; mounting an array of interconnected solar cells directly over the adhesive film. An uncured supporting film composed of a composite material is mounted directly on the back side of the solar cells; and the film of composite material is co-cured so that the array of interconnected solar cells is bonded to the supporting film. The bonded and cured film of composite material and an array of interconnected solar cells with the ETFE film is then removed from the assembly fixture.

A thermally conductive adhesive composition includes a powder of a high melting point metal or metal alloy, a powder of a low melting point metal or metal alloy, and a polymerizable fluxing polymer matrix composition having a polyepoxide polymer resin and a low-melting solid or liquid acid-anhydride and a polymer diluent or diluents with carbon carbon double bonds and/or functional hydroxyl groups. The ratio by weight of the low melting point powder to high melting point powder ranges from about 0.50 to about 0.80, and may range from about 0.64 to about 0.75, and may be 0.665. Heretofore unpredicted substantially higher thermal conductivity improvements in performance have been found using these ratios of low melting point powder to high melting point powder.

Growing community of inventors

San Diego, CA, United States of America

Matthew Wrosch