The Boeing Company

Hughes Electronics Corporation

Russell K Jones

Stephen P Shaffer

Robert Erik Grip

Douglas Ralph Jungwirth

James H Ermer

Michael F Stoia

Shailesh Atreya

Tina Stoia

Emilio Quezada

Gregory Alexander Campbell

Robert L Sendall

Tim Gallagher

Timothy L Gallagher

A solar cell testing apparatus may include an illuminator for directing light energy on a solar cell under test. The solar cell testing apparatus may also include a device for selectively positioning different filters of a multiplicity of filters in an optical path between the illuminator and the solar cell under test to at least one of measure performance and detect any defects in the solar cell. The multiplicity of filters may include a first set of filters and a second set of filters. Each filter of the first set of filters is adapted for passing a predetermined percentage of intensity of the light energy from the illuminator onto the solar cell under test. The second set of filters being adapted for testing the solar cell under different spectrums of light.

Solar cell testing apparatus and method

In one embodiment, a method of assembling optical elements is provided. At least a portion of each optical element is disposed against at least a portion of a high precision surface. A structural frame is disposed adjacent the optical elements. At least two portions of the structural frame are aligned relative to each other and to the high precision surface with high precision. Adhesive is applied to adhere the structural frame to the optical elements. The adhesive is cured. In other embodiments, optical element assemblies are provided.

Solar collector devices and methods of assembly

An aerospace platform includes a structure having a cavity and a light-transmissive portion that exposes the cavity to sunlight. The aerospace platform further includes a fluid heating system. The fluid heating system includes a fluid-carrying, thermally absorptive structure within the cavity, and a solar collector for collecting light transmitted through the light-transmissive portion and focusing the collected light onto the absorptive structure. The thermally absorptive structure has a high surface absorptivity that retains thermal energy when exposed to solar irradiance and heats fluid contained therein.

Solar-thermal fluid heating for aerospace platforms

The present system provides a thermal imaging device including a detector array responsive to thermal infrared radiation. The detector array has a linearly-arrayed plurality of spaced-apart detector elements defining cooperatively a length dimension for the detector array. Each of the plurality of detector elements provides a corresponding individual electrical signal indicative of the thermal infrared radiation incident thereon. The detector elements vary from one another in the plurality of detector elements, and the thermal imaging device responsively provides a visible-light image replicating a viewed scene. The thermal imaging device includes a scanning device scanning the viewed scene across the plurality of detector elements in a direction generally perpendicular to the length dimension. The scanning device includes a first portion scanning the viewed scene across the entire plurality of the plurality of detector elements, and a second portion scanning the viewed scene across the plurality of detector elements with transposition of the viewed scene such that a portion of the viewed scene scanned by the first portion across a certain detector element is scanned across a detector element next-adjacent to the certain detector element.

Thermal imaging device

A thermal imaging device (10) includes a detector (50) having a linearly-arrayed plurality of spaced apart detector elements (50') upon which portions of a viewed scene are sequentially scanned by a scanner (22) in order to capture image information from the scene. A display device (22, 62, 66) similarly includes a first linear array of plural spaced apart light emitting diodes (LEDs) (62') which provide light scanned by the same scanner (22) to a user of the thermal imaging device (10) to provide an image replicating the viewed scene. The LEDs (62') of the display (22, 62, 66) are configured so that sequential portions of the image are interlaced and partially overlapped by the scanner (22) to provide a flat visual field which is free of raster lines. The display device (22, 62, 66) includes a second linearly-arrayed plurality of symbology LEDs (198) which are configured and positioned relative to the first plurality of LEDs (62') so that light from these LEDs is interlaced but not overlapped and so that symbology imagery presented by the second plurality of LEDs (198) is superimposed on the scene image presented to the user of the thermal imaging device (10).

Thermal imaging device with scanned light emitting diodes (LEDs) having

A thermal imaging device (10) includes a light emitting diode (LED) display (62) providing an image replicating a viewed scene. The LED display (62) also includes an array of symbology LEDs (198) providing symbology superimposed on the image of the viewed scene. A video driver circuit (214) and a symbology driver circuit (202) are time-sequenced so that a reticle pattern or symbology provided by the symbology-LEDs (198) is superimposed at the desired location of the visible image provided by the scene-LEDs (62').

Growing community of inventors

Manhattan Beach, CA, United States of America

Russell K Jones