Patent application number | Description | Published |
20150059988 | RETRACTABLE SHADE AND METHOD SEALING AN OVER-WING EXIT IN AN AIRCRAFT - A heated roller shade system is provided. The heated roller shade system includes a roller located in a cavity defined between an inner wall of a vehicle and an outer wall of the vehicle. The roller shade system also includes a shade coupled to the roller. The roller is configured to selectively move the shade between a deployed position and an open position. The roller shade system also includes a heating mechanism coupled to at least one of the roller and the shade. The heating mechanism facilitates increasing a temperature of at least one of the roller and the shade. | 03-05-2015 |
20150096293 | SMART SUSCEPTOR FOR A SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY (SMA) ACTUATOR INDUCTIVE HEATING SYSTEM - A system for heating a shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator may include an SMA actuator, a smart susceptor, a plurality of induction coils, and a control module. The SMA actuator may have at least one layup. The SMA actuator may be selectively heated to a transition temperature. The smart susceptor may be in thermal contact with the at least one layup of the SMA actuator. The induction heating coils may be configured to receive an alternating current and generate a magnetic field based on the alternating current. The magnetic field may create an eddy current in at least one of the SMA actuator and the smart susceptor to heat the SMA actuator to the transition temperature. The control module may be configured to drive the alternating current supplied to the induction heating coils. | 04-09-2015 |
20150217508 | RADIUS FILLER AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SAME - A method of manufacturing a radius filler may include providing a plurality of fibers, braiding the plurality of fibers into a braided preform, shaping the braided preform into a braided radius filler, and cutting the braided radius filler to a desired length. | 08-06-2015 |
20150240793 | TEMPERATURE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR SHAPE-MEMORY ALLOY - Described herein is an apparatus for controlling an actuator made from a shape-memory alloy includes a first layer made from a thermally conductive material and a second layer. The second layer is made from a thermally conductive material. The apparatus also includes at least one thermoelectric heater positioned between the first and second layers. Additionally, the apparatus includes at least one thermoelectric cooler positioned between the first and second layers. | 08-27-2015 |
20150296565 | Aircraft Window Heating System - A method and apparatus for managing heating of a window system. The apparatus comprises a dimmable window panel and a heating system. The dimmable window panel has an inner portion and an outer portion around the inner portion. The heating system is thermally connected to the outer portion of the dimmable window panel. | 10-15-2015 |
20150321441 | THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITE STRUCTURES EMBEDDED WITH AT LEAST ONE LOAD FITTING AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURING SAME - Manufacturing a thermoplastic composite tubular structure embedded with a first load fitting comprising the steps of braiding a first plurality of inner layers of thermoplastic composite material around a soluble, expandable mandrel. A first load fitting is positioned on the first plurality of inner layers of thermoplastic composite material. A second plurality of outer layers of thermoplastic composite material is braided around the first load fitting and the mandrel so as to form an overbraided mandrel embedded with the first load fitting. The overbraided mandrel is installed into a matched tooling assembly and heated at a specified heating profile in order to consolidate the first plurality of inner layers of thermoplastic composite material and the second plurality of outer layers of thermoplastic composite material with the first load fitting so as to form a thermoplastic composite tubular structure embedded with the first load fitting. A second load fitting may be positioned on the first plurality of inner layers of thermoplastic composite material. | 11-12-2015 |
20150328877 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REPAIRING COMPOSITE MATERIALS - A method of bonding materials may comprise defining a bond interface between two materials in a cure zone on a surface of an object, and non-conductively heating the bond interface without directly heating the surface outside of the cure zone. Non-conductively heating the bond interface may involve applying microwave radiation to the bond interface. | 11-19-2015 |
20150362402 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DETERMINING OPTICAL PROPERTIES FOR LIGHT TRANSMITTED MEDIUMS - Methods and systems for determining optical properties for light transmitted mediums are provided. One method includes acquiring one or more measured values indicative of a reflectance for a material, acquiring one or more measured values indicative of a transmittance for the material, and determining a set of calculated values for an index of refraction coefficient and an extinction coefficient from the one or more measured values indicative of reflectance and transmittance, respectively. The method includes identifying a calculated value from the set of calculated values for the index of refraction coefficient and a calculated value from the set of calculated values for the extinction coefficient that are within a threshold determined by the difference between the one or more measured values indicative of the reflectance or transmittance and a predicted reflectance or transmittance, respectively. The method includes determining a reflectance and transmittance for the material using the calculated values. | 12-17-2015 |