The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 03, 2024
Filed:
Oct. 05, 2018
Applicant:
Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama, for and on Behalf of the University Of Alabama IN Huntsville, Huntsville, AL (US);
Inventors:
Kunning Gabriel Xu, Brownsboro, AL (US);
Ryan Patrick Gott, Summerville, SC (US);
Assignee:
Attorneys:
Primary Examiner:
Assistant Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
F03H 1/00 (2006.01); B64G 1/40 (2006.01); H01J 1/02 (2006.01);
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
F03H 1/0087 (2013.01); B64G 1/405 (2013.01); F03H 1/0018 (2013.01); H01J 1/025 (2013.01);
Abstract
The present disclosure generally pertains to devices and methods for generating thrust in vehicles, for instance in space applications. A heaterless, insertless hollow cathode utilizes AC and pulsed DC electric fields to ionize the propellant gas and generate a plasma plume. The cathode uses an argon microplasma generated in a quartz tube with a tungsten filament and brass ion collector. Free electrons are then drawn from the plasma plume and supplied to a thruster engine.