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

我们提出了三明治概念的太阳能卫星(SPS)，它由一个三明治结构的发电机/发射机和大型反射器组成。三明治概念的主要好处是减少了重型长传输线和旋转接头，因为太阳能电池直接和短时间连接到高功率放大器。大型反射器具有充气结构，非常轻。因此，推出和生产成本可以大大降低，三明治SPS的概念看起来非常合理，可以实现。我们已经开发并制作了夹层SPS的总工作模型，并在休斯顿世界空间大会上展出。1.充气反射器充气反射器具有结构紧凑、重量轻的优点，足以实现实用的SPS。该SPS模型中的反射器由充气管构成，由三轴编织复合材料的碳纤维制成，并在薄膜上涂覆铝。该组件由25个太阳能电池和16个发射器组件组成。发射机模块上安装了F级或逆F级放大器、移相器、导频信号相位检测电路和4个缝隙天线。F级和逆F级放大器可以有效地将光伏产生的直流电功率转换为微波功率，转换效率高达50%。3.整流我们新开发了只由金属和二极管组成的条形和同轴整流管。它们由偶极天线、输入滤波器、用于整流的二极管、输出滤波器组成。这些整流管非常简单、廉价和坚固。测得阵列式整流管的射频-直流效率超过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%.