Development of the verification model on the sandwich type of the Solar Power Satellite

我们提出了太阳能动力卫星（SPS）的三明治的概念，它包括一个发电机/发射机的三明治结构和大型反射器。夹层概念的主要好处是减少了沉重的长输电线路和旋转接头，因为太阳能电池直接且短时间地连接到高功率放大器。大型反射器有一个充气结构，非常轻。因此，发射和生产成本可以大大降低，三明治SPS概念看起来非常合理，足以实现。我们已经开发和制造了三明治SPS的总体工作模型，并在休斯顿的世界空间大会上展出。1.充气反射器充气反射器具有足够轻和紧凑的结构，以实现实用的SPS。在这个SPS模型中的反射器构造与充气管，由CFRP的三轴编织织物复合材料，并涂有铝薄膜。反射器可以有效地将太阳光集中在三明治模块的太阳能电池上。2.发电机/发射器三明治模块由25个太阳能电池和16个发射器模块组成。在发射模块上安装F类或逆F类放大器、移相器、检测导频信号相位的电路和4个缝隙天线。F类和反F类放大器可以有效地将光伏发电产生的直流电功率转换为微波功率，转换效率高达50%。3.整流天线我们新开发了仅由金属和二极管组成的条形和同轴整流天线。它们由一个偶极天线、一个输入滤波器、一个整流二极管和一个输出滤波器组成。这些整流天线非常简单、便宜和坚韧。阵列式整流天线的射频-直流转换效率超过70%。

We have proposed the Solar Power Satellite (SPS) of the sandwich concept, which consists of a power generator/transmitter of the sandwich structure and large reflectors. The major benefit of the sandwich concept is that heavy long power transmission lines and a rotary joint are reduced, because the solar cells are directly and shortly connected to high power amplifiers. And the large reflectors have an inflatable structure and are very light. Thus, the cost for launch and production can be reduced very much and the sandwich SPS concept looks very reasonable enough to realized. We have developed and fabricated the total working model of the sandwich SPS, which was displayed at World Space Congress in Houston.1.Inflatable reflectorThe Inflatable reflectors have an advantage of a light and compact structure enough to realize the practical SPS. The reflectors in this SPS model are constructed with inflatable tubes, made from the CFRP of triaxial woven fabric composite, and thin film coated with aluminum. The reflectors can effectively concentrate the sunlight on the solar cells of the sandwich module.2.Power generator/transmitterThe sandwich module consists of 25 solar cells and 16 transmitter modules. A F-class or inverse F-class amplifier, a phase shifter, the circuit to detect phases of pilot signal, and 4 slot antennas are mounted on a transmitter module. The F-class and inverse F-class amplifiers can effectively convert electric DC power generated by photovoltics into microwave power at a high efficiency of 50%.3.RectennaWe have newly developed the bar-type and coaxial rectennas, which are composed only of metal and diode. They consist of a dipole antenna, an input filter, a diode for rectification, an output filter. These rectennas are very simple, cheap and tough. The RF-DC efficiency of arrayed rectennas is measured over 70%.