Optical membrane heating and temperature control method and apparatus
First Claim
1. A membrane section, comprising:
- a frame;
a composite membrane, including;
a membrane substrate, wherein the membrane substrate includes diffractive elements; and
an electrically conductive layer, wherein the composite membrane is held within a perimeter of the frame;
at least two bus bars, wherein the at least two bus bars are electrically connected to the electrically conductive layer of the composite membrane.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and systems for heating a space deployed membrane assembly are provided. The membrane assembly can include one or more framed sections. Each section can include a composite membrane having a membrane substrate and a transparent, electrically conductive resistive coating. The composite membrane is held within a frame. Electrically conductive bus bars are provided and are placed in intimate electrical contact with the resistive coating. The electrically conductive bus bars are generally arranged, on opposite sides of the perimeter of the membrane. A controller passes current between selected bus bars, with different bus bars operative to pass current between them at different times. The magnitude of the voltage applied to the bus bars, the location of the bus bars, the operational sequence of powering the bus bars, and the time over which current is passed between a selected pair of bus bars, are selected to provide substantially uniform time averaged heating of the membrane.
32 Citations
13 Claims
-
1. A membrane section, comprising:
-
a frame; a composite membrane, including; a membrane substrate, wherein the membrane substrate includes diffractive elements; and an electrically conductive layer, wherein the composite membrane is held within a perimeter of the frame; at least two bus bars, wherein the at least two bus bars are electrically connected to the electrically conductive layer of the composite membrane. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. A method for heating a section of a membrane assembly, comprising:
-
passing an electrical current across at least a first portion of a composite membrane included in the section during a first period of time between at least first and second bus bars electrically connected to the composite membrane, wherein the composite membrane includes diffractive elements, wherein the composite membrane is electrically conductive, and wherein passing an electrical current across at least the first portion of the composite membrane raises a temperature of the first portion of the composite membrane; passing an electrical current across at least a second portion of the composite membrane included in the section during a second period of time between at least third and fourth bus bars electrically connected to the composite membrane, wherein passing an electrical current across at least the second portion of the composite membrane raises a temperature of the second portion of the composite membrane. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
-
Specification