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. 05, 2000
Filed:
Jul. 21, 1999
James Michael Schaff, Jamestown, ND (US);
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
A solar powered air drying system which maintains a dry atmosphere inside a sealed volume. The system uses electricity produced by a solar panel to regenerate daily a desiccant. The desiccant drys the air in a sealed volume which includes the waveguide run and antenna for a Radio Frequency target. The system comprises a solar powered air dryer which operates in conjunction with the natural diurnal temperature cycle. During morning hours, the air volume in the sealed volume is heated by naturally increasing daytime temperatures and the sun and expands, forcing air out of the sealed volume into the solar powered air dryer. The forced air then travels through a desiccant column which includes the desiccant prior to being vented into the environment. Simultaneously, the solar panel provides electrical current to an electric heater which heats the desiccant driving off its stored water. The forced air from the sealed volume then carries the desiccant's moisture with it into the environment. During the afternoon hours, a sun shade begins reducing the solar panel's electrical output, allowing the desiccant to cool to near ambient temperatures. The sealed volume container also cools, drawing in cooler, moister air from the environment through the desiccant column. Since the air first travels through the desiccant, the air is dried before it enters the sealed volume. This regeneration process repeats itself daily.