University of Missouri

Sunlase, Inc.

Other

The University of Texas System

Sunsave, Inc.

William C Nunnally

John Michel Gahl

Timothy Renkoski

An aircraft is disclosed that comprises a fuselage with first and second wings non-rotatably secured to and extending from sides of the fuselage. Inner and outer tracks are secured to and encircle the fuselage, and airfoils are operably secured between the inner and outer tracks. Means are provided for rotating the airfoils. The means for rotating the airfoils may be comprised of first and second drive coils, and first and second alternators may be operably coupled to the first and second drive coils, respectively, to provide redundant power supplies. Permanent magnets in the rotor hub may be arranged in a Halbach array or may be arranged to provide a series of alternating, opposite magnetic poles. Separate drive and suspension coils may be provided in the stator. The concept may find further application in a lift fan or tail section of conventional aircraft. In that regard, a lift fan or tail section may be provided in which a stator magnetically levitates a lift fan rotor or tail rotor. The stator may include suspension coils and drive coils to eliminate the need for a drive shaft and gears to power the lift fan rotor or tail rotor.

Aircraft and hybrid with magnetic airfoil suspension and drive

A microwave frequency deflection cell analog to digital converter is provided. The phase velocity of an optical wave is effectively reduced to that of a microwave frequency electro-magnetic signal in an optical deflector. The electro-optic effect is used for a controlled deflection of an optical beam. The angle of beam deflection varies in accordance with an applied voltage, which may be a signal in the microwave frequency range. A device of the invention includes a birefringent crystal having transmission line conductors arranged to create an electric field in the crystal in response to an applied voltage, and mirrors arranged to create a multi-bounce path through the crystal for a light beam directed into the crystal on an entrance path that is non parallel to the mirrors. The multi-bounce path effectively slows the velocity of the optical wave to that of the voltage wave, permitting deflection or modulation of the beam by microwave frequency electrical signals.

Microwave frequency electro-optical beam deflector and analog to digital conversion

In the invention, an analog signal is converted to an optical deflection. In preferred embodiments, an N-bit parallel output is obtained. A particularly preferred embodiment patterns the light beam with a spatial filter into an N-bit binary light pattern that is then collected and sensed by optical detectors.

Electro-optical analog to digital conversion method and device

The charge of pixels in a FPA array is retrieved by propagating an optical wave through a waveguide to interact with pixel charges from the FPA. An optical detector receives an optical wave altered by the respective pixel charges as it travels. The optical wave is sensed after passing through the waveguide. In a preferred embodiment, separate waveguides interact separate optical waves with charge from FPA pixels. Information concerning the charge is obtained with separate optical waves in the separate waveguides. In a preferred example of an N&times;M array according to an embodiment of the invention, a complete frame of data includes only N&plus;M data values. A direct memory is also provided, where the pixel charges are held by maintaining an electric field to the pixels making the charge retrievable by an optical wave multiple times until the electric field is removed or reduced.

Focal plane array optical data extraction and memory

An aircraft de-icing system is disclosed in which a laser beam generator is positioned on an aircraft, a beam of radiant energy is generated and directed toward the critical surfaces of the aircraft to create a footprint upon the surface of the aircraft, and the beam is manipulated so that the footprint is moved about the aircraft surface for removing ice, snow or water from the critical aircraft surfaces. One or more laser beam generators are preferably disposed remotely from the area to be de-iced, and the beams are preferably reflected from one or more mirrors so that the mirrors may be adjusted to enable the beams to illuminate the critical surfaces of the aircraft. The laser beams preferably have a wavelength that is preferentially reflected by the aircraft surface and absorbed by ice, snow and water, so that the beam heats and removes ice, snow and water from the aircraft surface as the beam's footprint is moved thereabouts.

Onboard aircraft de-icing using lasers

A first projectile is fired from an airborne platform aimed at a sensor point on the surface of the earth. At first projectile impact, acoustic energy is released instigating a shock wave which propagates along the earth's surface around the sensor point. Optical sensors on the airborne platform detect surface movement due to the propagating shock wave, and process the detected movement to locate and perhaps identify buried objects. Also at impact with the surface of the earth, the first projectile injects wide-band electromagnetic radiation into the earth in the form of waves propagating through the earth surface around the sensor point. Electromagnetic sensors on the airborne platform detect reflections of the propagating electromagnetic radiation, and process the received reflections to locate and perhaps identify buried objects. Once a buried object has been located, the airborne platform fires a second, explosive, projectile at the determined location to neutralize the found buried object.

Buried object detection and neutralization system

A battery system and method of operation are shown. The battery system utilizes a microparticle fuel slurry containing microparticle spheres surrounded by active electrochemical material. In the operation of the battery system, the microparticle spheres are attracted to battery-cell electrode plates and held there by a magnetic field. The core of the microparticle spheres and battery-cell electrode plates may be permanently magnetic or ferromagnetic in nature. The magnetic field may originate from permanently magnetic materials or be induced using magnetic field windings or the like. The battery system may be recharged by replacing spent microparticle fuel slurry with unspent slurry. In some applications, such as when used to power an electro-motive vehicle, a reserve of unspent microparticle fuel slurry may be stored on-board the vehicle and used to periodically replace spent microparticle fuel slurry during operation. In such applications, when the on-board storage of unspent fuel slurry has been spent, the battery system may be refueled with a new supply of unspent fuel slurry without interrupting operation of the battery.

Magnetic slurry fueled battery system

An aircraft ice detection and de-icing system is disclosed in which an aircraft is positioned remotely from a laser beam generator, a beam of radiant energy is reflected from a mirror so that the beam impinges upon and creates a footprint upon a surface of the aircraft and the mirror is manipulated to move the footprint about the aircraft surface. The beam has a wavelength that is preferentially reflected by the aircraft surface and absorbed by ice, snow and water, so the beam heats and removes ice, snow and water from aircraft surfaces as the beam's footprint is moved thereabouts. A remote thermal monitoring system may also be used to monitor temperatures at the aircraft surface for detecting regions experiencing temperature rises at relatively increased rates as the regions are treated with the beam, thereby indicating the presence of ice, snow or water. A visible light may also be used simultaneously to track and indicate movement of the footprint of the treating beam about the aircraft surface.

Aircraft ice detection and de-icing using lasers

An electro-optical system is provided for the high speed storage and retrieval of digital information. In an exemplary embodiment, the system comprises pairs of closely coupled optical waveguides, with an intervening boundary storage layer. Data may be written to the storage layer during fabrication or by an external laser process. Data is read by injecting an input optical pulse which is lightly coupled through the storage layer to the data waveguide, where it may exit as an optical pulse train. This output may be converted to electrical signals.

Growing community of inventors

Columbia, MO, United States of America

William C Nunnally