Solar Thermal Hybrid Rocket Beam Alignment for Spacecraft Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Light-weight solar mirrors in spacecrafts face dimensional instability, leading to potential damage from misaligned energy beams, and there is a need for active control systems to compensate for these changes.
Innovation Solution
Implementing robust sensors, such as imaging cameras and fine wire grids, to monitor and adjust optical elements, and using protective shutters to block or redirect energy beams, ensuring rapid response times to prevent damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If light-weight concentrating mirrors are used to collect solar energy, then energy collection efficiency is improved, but dimensional stability deteriorates causing beam wander
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an active control system that dynamically adjusts the position of optical elements (mirrors, lenses) in real-time to compensate for dimensional changes in light-weight structures. Sensors continuously monitor beam position and feedback signals drive actuators to reposition optical elements, maintaining stable energy beam concentration despite structural drift.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs closed-loop feedback control where sensors detect beam wander caused by dimensional instability, generate error signals, and feed these back to control actuators that adjust optical element positions. This continuous feedback cycle corrects beam deviation and maintains accurate energy concentration on the target.
2Stability of the object's composition
If active control systems are implemented to compensate for dimensional changes, then beam alignment stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is designed to be largely autonomous, with sensors automatically detecting beam position, processors independently calculating correction requirements, and actuators self-adjusting optical element positions without continuous human intervention. The system monitors and corrects its own alignment issues in real-time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms with a combination of optical sensing and electronic control. Instead of purely mechanical systems for alignment adjustment, the invention uses optical sensors to detect misalignment and electronic actuators to correct it, reducing mechanical complexity while improving precision.
3Reliability
If protective shutters are used to block misaligned beams, then spacecraft safety is improved, but energy collection efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Protective shutters are positioned and configured to block misaligned energy beams before they can reach and damage spacecraft structures. The shutters are pre-positioned in the beam path and activated only when misalignment is detected, preventing harmful beams from reaching sensitive components while allowing aligned beams to pass through unobstructed for energy collection.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Prevents unintended damage to spacecraft structures by accurately aligning and controlling energy beams, maintaining system integrity and safety.
Implementation Method 1
The first method employs imaging cameras that view small amounts of visible energy which is inadvertently scattered from nominally well-polished optical surfaces
Implementation Method 2
The second method places a fine wire grid across the path of an energy beam and measures resistance changes in the wires due to thermal heating
Implementation Method 3
a solar absorber configured to: absorb the solar energy beam thereby heating the solar absorber
Implementation Method 4
collect solar energy from the sun, generate an energy beam from the collected sunlight
Data Source
AI summary
Solar thermal and chemical hybrid rocket configurations for mining and other space applications are disclosed. One aspect is a rocket propulsion system configured to provide rocket thrust, including a solar absorber, a rocket nozzle, and a solar power collection system configured to collect solar energy from the sun, generate an energy beam from the collected sunlight, heat the solar absorber to transfer heat to one or more pressurized propulsive gases, and expel the heated pressurized propulsive gases through a rocket nozzle. A solar absorber can be formed from a granular collection or agglomeration of solids (e.g., of beads), which can be layered with more transparent layer(s) above and more absorbing layer(s) below to create a temperature profile in propellant(s) flowing through the absorber. A hybrid motor can provide an energy (e.g., solar) absorber for absorbing and transferring radiative energy as well as a combustion area. Multiple propellants can be present in a single chamber and be forced from a nozzle to produce thrust. Pressure in a rocket can be achieved from heating inert gasses, and alternatively or simultaneously, from mixing and igniting non-inert gasses.