Sheet-like structure, shape estimation method, and spacecraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11512944-B2
Application number	US-201816627095-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2018
Priority date	Jul 11, 2017
Publication date	Nov 29, 2022
Grant date	Nov 29, 2022

Abstract

To provide a sheet-like structure capable of highly accurately estimating a sheet-like shape.A sheet-like structure includes a sheet-like member and a plurality of detection sensors. The sheet-like member extends along an in-plane direction orthogonal to a thickness direction and receives light incident on the sheet-like member. The plurality of detection sensors are dispersedly arranged on the sheet-like member along the in-plane direction and are for detecting an incident angle of the light with respect to the sheet-like member at each arrangement position of the plurality of detection sensors.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sheet-like structure, comprising:
a sheet-like member that extends along an in-plane direction orthogonal to a thickness direction and receives light incident on the sheet-like member, wherein the sheet-like member is composed of bendable material; and
a plurality of detection sensors that are dispersedly arranged on the sheet-like member along the in-plane direction and are for detecting an incident angle of the light with respect to a normal direction of the sheet-like member at each arrangement position of the plurality of detection sensors,
wherein each detection sensor of the plurality of detection sensors comprises a detection region that receives the light and is arranged along the in-plane direction, and
wherein light shielding is omitted from the detection region of each detection sensor, such that an entirety of the detection region of each detection sensor receives the light.

2. The sheet-like structure according to claim 1 , wherein
the light includes sunlight, and
the plurality of detection sensors include a thin-film solar cell.

3. The sheet-like structure according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of detection sensors include a temperature sensor.

4. The sheet-like structure according to claim 1 , wherein
a maximum dimension of a planar shape of the sheet-like member is 1000 times larger than a thickness of the sheet-like member.

5. The sheet-like structure according to claim 1 ,
wherein the detection sensors of the plurality of detection sensors are dispersedly arranged in such a way that a distance between adjacent detection regions is larger than a maximum dimension of any detection region.

6. A spacecraft, comprising:
a sheet-like structure; and
a main body connected to the sheet-like structure, the sheet-like structure including
a sheet-like member that extends along an in-plane direction orthogonal to a thickness direction and receives light incident on the sheet-like member, wherein the sheet-like member is composed of bendable material; and
a plurality of detection sensors that are dispersedly arranged on the sheet-like member along the in-plane direction and are for detecting an incident angle of the light with respect to a normal direction of the sheet-like member at each arrangement position of the plurality of detection sensors,

wherein each detection sensor of the plurality of detection sensors comprises a detection region that receives the light and is arranged along the in-plane direction, and
wherein light shielding is omitted from the detection region of each detection sensor, such that an entirety of the detection region of each detection sensor receives the light.

7. The spacecraft according to claim 6 , wherein
the light includes sunlight, and
the main body includes a sun sensor that detects an incident direction of the sunlight.

Assignees

• Japan Aerospace Exploration

Inventors

• Mori Osamu
• Boden Ralf Christian
• Hernando Ayuso Javier

Classifications

• B64G1/244

  Spacecraft control systems · CPC title

• B64G1/443

  Photovoltaic cell arrays · CPC title

• B64G1/407

  Solar sailing · CPC title

• B64G1/281

  Spin-stabilised spacecraft · CPC title

• G01B11/245 Primary

  using a plurality of fixed, simultaneously operating transducers ({G01B11/2408 - G01B11/2425, } G01B11/255 take precedence) · CPC title