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:
Mar. 13, 2001
Filed:
Dec. 01, 1997
Paul S. Wilke, San Jose, CA (US);
Conor D. Johnson, Belmont, CA (US);
CSA Engineering, Inc., Mountain View, CA (US);
Abstract
Excitations from engines of the launch vehicles and the aerodynamics of flight produce large vibrations which are very detrimental to spacecraft during launch. Whole-spacecraft vibration isolation systems that greatly reduce the transmitted structure-borne vibrations to the spacecraft are disclosed. The disclosed devices, when combined together into an isolation system, provide vibration isolation for the complete spacecraft and are the only connection between the spacecraft and the launch vehicle. Devices that provide isolation in the axial (thrust) direction are disclosed. These devices consist of an arrangement of damped metallic flexures and machined springs, which provide relative flexibility in the desired direction. Passive damping is provided by compressing and shearing viscoelastic materials.