Satellite solar generator wing and satellite

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9573704-B2
Application number	US-201514669619-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2015
Priority date	Mar 27, 2014
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

Satellite solar generator wing including solar panels having at least two fixed solar panels and at least one semi-fixed solar panel. The solar panels are connected to one another in order to assume an operating position and a transport position, and, in the transport position, the solar panels are retained on top of one another and the semi-fixed solar panel is arranged in a freely oscillating manner between the two fixed solar panels.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A satellite solar generator wing comprising:
solar panels including at least two fixed solar panels and at least one semi-fixed solar panel,
wherein the solar panels are connected to one another in order to assume an operating position and a transport position, and
wherein, in the transport position, the solar panels are retained on top of one another, and the semi-fixed solar panel is connected to one of the at least two fixed solar panels via a joint arranged at a first edge of the semi-fixed solar panel and is decoupled from the at least two fixed solar panels between the first edge and at least one second edge different from the first edge, so that the semi-fixed solar panel can oscillate between the at least two fixed solar panels.

2. The satellite solar generator wing according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one coupling unit that is structured and arranged to be releasable to assume the operating position, and is structured and arranged to couple the two fixed solar panels to one another in the transport position.

3. The satellite solar generator wing according to claim 1 , wherein the at least two fixed solar panels are oscillation-coupled to one another in the transport position.

4. The satellite solar generator wing according to claim 3 , wherein the at least two fixed solar panels are oscillation-coupled to one another in the transport position by at least one coupling unit.

5. The satellite solar generator wing according to claim 2 , wherein the semi-fixed solar panel comprises at least one opening located in a region of the at least one coupling unit that is dimensioned so that at least one segment of the at least one coupling unit extends through the opening without binding the semi-fixed solar panel to the at least one coupling unit.

6. The satellite solar generator wing according to claim 1 , further comprising movement restrictors structured and arranged to limit movement amplitude of the semi-fixed solar panels relative to the fixed solar panels.

7. The satellite solar generator wing according to claim 6 , wherein at least the fixed solar panels comprise the movement restrictors.

8. The satellite solar generator wing according to claim 7 , wherein, in the transport position, a gap is present between the movement restrictors and a corresponding contact surface on an opposing component, in order to allow oscillation of the solar panels relative to one another.

9. The satellite solar generator wing according to claim 8 , wherein the movement restrictors and the corresponding contact surfaces are embodied so as to limit movements of the semi-fixed solar panel relative to the fixed solar panels on the panel plane.

10. The satellite solar generator wing according to claim 9 , wherein, in the transport position, the movement restrictors and the corresponding contact surfaces are engageable with one another and secure the semi-fixed solar panel against a lateral deflection between the fixed solar panels.

11. The satellite solar generator wing according to claim 1 , further comprising reinforcing elements on the at least one semi-fixed solar panel.

12. The satellite solar generator wing according to claim 11 , wherein the reinforcing elements have contact surfaces arranged to face movement restrictors in order to limit a movement amplitude of the semi-fixed solar panel.

13. The satellite solar generator wing according to one of claim 12 , wherein the reinforcing elements form at least one frame for the semi-fixed solar panel.

14. The satellite solar generation wing according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one semi-fixed solar panel comprises two semi-fixed solar panels arranged to lie directly on top of one another in the transport position and arranged in a freely oscillating manner between two fixed solar panels in the transport position.

15. The satellite solar generator wing according to claim 14 , wherein at least one of the two semi-fixed solar panels comprises movement restrictors structured and arranged to limit an amplitude of the movement relative to the other of the two semi-fixed solar panel.

16. The satellite solar generator wing according to claim 1 , wherein the two fixed solar panels and the at least one semi-fixed solar panel form a solar panel system.

17. The satellite solar generator wing according to claim 16 , comprising a plurality of the solar panel systems.

18. A satellite comprising at least one satellite solar generator wing according to claim 1 .

19. A method for deploying a satellite that assumes a transport position and operating position, the method comprising:
connecting solar panels of a satellite solar generator wing, which include at least two-fixed panels and at least one semi-fixed panel, to one another; and
arranging the solar panels in the transport position so that the solar panels are arranged one on top of the other,
wherein the at least one semi-fixed solar panel is connected to one of the at least two fixed solar panels via a joint arranged at a first edge of the at least one semi-fixed solar panel and is decoupled from the at least two fixed solar panels between the first edge and at least one second edge different from the first edge, so that the at least one semi-fixed solar panel can oscillate manner between the at least two fixed solar panels.

20. The method according to claim 19 , further comprising releasing the solar panels from the transport position so that the satellite solar wing generator assumes an operating position.

Assignees

• Airbus Ds Gmbh

Inventors

• Zimmermann Claus
• Meurer Rene
• Pfefferkorn Thomas
• Birkel Jens

Classifications

• B64G1/2222

  Folding · CPC title

• B64G1/443 Primary

  Photovoltaic cell arrays · CPC title

• B64G1/222

  for deploying structures between a stowed and deployed state · CPC title

• B64G1/44 Primary

  using radiation, e.g. deployable solar arrays · CPC title

• Y02E10/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] energy · CPC title