Apparatus and methods to provide a surface having a tunable emissivity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016341857-A1
Application number	US-201615226694-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 2, 2016
Priority date	Jan 3, 2012
Publication date	Nov 24, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Apparatus and methods to provide a surface having a tunable emissivity are disclosed. An example method includes tuning a characteristic of one or more resonators in a material to change an absorption of radiation by the one or more resonators and to change an amount of destructive interference caused by the material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising:
tuning a characteristic of one or more resonators in a material to change an absorption of radiation by the one or more resonators and to change an amount of destructive interference caused by the material.

2 . A method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising restricting emissions of radiation from the material in infrared wavelengths.

3 . A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the destructive interference comprises destructive interference occurring between radiation reflecting from the one or more resonators and radiation reflecting from a ground plane.

4 . A method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising positioning the one or more resonators a distance from a ground plane such that first radiation reflected from the one or more resonators experiences destructive interference with second radiation reflected from the ground plane based on the characteristic.

5 . A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein tuning the characteristic comprises applying an electrical signal to a resistive layer of the material to change an impedance of the resistive layer adjacent the one or more resonators.

6 . A method as defined in claim 5 , further comprising identifying a condition, wherein tuning the characteristic is in response to identifying the condition, the condition being at least one of: a temperature change in a structure adjacent the material, a change in an incident angle of radiation relative to the material, a change in intensity of radiation at the material, or a change in conditions external to the material.

7 . A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein tuning the characteristic of the one or more resonators comprises tuning at least one of a geometry of one or more resonators, an arrangement of two or more resonators, a static impedance of the one or more resonators, or a conductive channel between physically separated elements of at least one of the resonators.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Davis Keith J

Classifications

• G02B1/002

  made of materials engineered to provide properties not available in nature, e.g. metamaterials · CPC title

• G02B5/281 Primary

  designed for the infrared light · CPC title

• G02B17/004

  Systems comprising a plurality of reflections between two or more surfaces, e.g. cells, resonators (multipass arrangements for optical cuvettes G01N21/031; laser resonators H01S3/05) · CPC title

• G02B5/288

  comprising at least one thin film resonant cavity, e.g. in bandpass filters · CPC title

• G02F1/17

  based on variable-absorption elements not provided for in groups G02F1/015 - G02F1/169 · CPC title