Satellite energy harvesting system based on spatially charged particle collection

Abstract

The application relates to a satellite energy acquisition system based on space charged particle collection, belonging to the technical field of spacecraft power supply. The application aims at solving the problem that the discharge phenomenon of the space charged particles deposited on the surface of a satellite can cause physical damage to materials. The application comprises a collection capacitor used for capturing the space charged particles, forming a high-voltage electrostatic field through the accumulated charges of the space charged particles; an energy-taking conversion circuit used for converting the high-voltage electrostatic field energy stored in the collection capacitor into low-voltage electrostatic field energy and transferring the low-voltage electrostatic field energy to an energy storage capacitor; the energy storage capacitor is used for storing the low-voltage electrostatic field energy, setting a target electric field energy according to the working requirement of a rear-end load, and discharging after the target electric field energy is reached; and a switch voltage stabilizing circuit used for adjusting the discharging output voltage of the energy storage capacitor, realizing constant voltage power supply for the rear-end load. The application can reduce the charging and discharging fault risk of the surface of the satellite by collecting the particles radiated to the satellite and controllably transferring and utilizing the particles.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a satellite energy harvesting system based on the collection of charged particles in space, belonging to the field of spacecraft power technology. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, satellites primarily obtain energy in orbit through solar cells. The photoelectric effect is the phenomenon where sunlight causes a potential difference between different parts of a non-uniform semiconductor or a semiconductor-metal junction. When light of a suitable frequency shines on a PN junction, an electromotive force, or photovoltage, is generated within the semiconductor due to the built-in electric field. If the PN junction is short-circuited, a current will flow. This photoelectric effect caused by the built-in field is called the photovoltaic effect. Solar cells generate electricity using the photovoltaic effect, where semiconductors absorb light to produce charge carriers; therefore, they are also called photovoltaic cells. Solar cells mainly include silicon-based solar cells, multi-component compound thin-film solar cells, and perovskite solar cells, among other new types of solar cells.

[0003] Due to the space radiation environment, solar cells degrade relatively quickly. Furthermore, due to Earth's shading, power generation from solar cells in near-Earth orbit involves alternating periods of sunlight and shadow, resulting in unstable energy harvesting.

[0004] The Earth's radiation belts refer to regions in near-Earth space where high-intensity, high-energy charged particles are trapped by the Earth's magnetic field; they are also known as geomagnetic trapping radiation belts or Van Allen radiation belts. Based on their structure and spatial distribution, the Earth's radiation belts can be divided into inner and outer radiation belts.

[0005] The inner radiation belt is the region closest to Earth where charged particles are captured. Its central region is approximately 1.5 Earth radii away from the Earth's center and consists mainly of high-energy protons and electrons, with a small amount of heavy ions. The spatial extent of the inner radiation belt is roughly L = 1.2–2.5, at an altitude of approximately 600 km–10000 km on the equatorial plane. The central location varies depending on the particle's energy; generally, the center of lower-energy particles is farther from Earth, while the center of higher-energy particles is closer. Here, L is the magnetic shell parameter.

[0006] The outer radiation belts are regions far from Earth that trap charged particles. The main components of the outer radiation belts are electrons and protons. Protons have very low energy, typically a few MeV, and their intensity decreases rapidly with increasing energy. At geosynchronous altitude, the flux of protons with energies greater than 2 MeV is an order of magnitude lower than the flux of galactic cosmic rays. The outer radiation belts are primarily electron belts. The spatial extent of the outer radiation belts is L = 3.0–8.0, approximately 10,000–60,000 km above the equator, with magnetic latitude boundaries of ±55–±70 degrees. The central region of the outer radiation belts is approximately 3.5 Earth radii away from the Earth's center.

[0007] Combination Figures 5 to 7As shown, simulations of the near-Earth orbit radiation environment at different altitudes reveal the relationship between the energy level distribution of electrons and protons and orbital altitude over the same time interval. The energy range of protons is primarily from 0.1 MeV to 400 MeV, while that of electrons ranges from 0.1 MeV to 7 MeV. For a 1500 km orbit, the electron flux per second is... The proton flux per second is As we can see, the electron flux is much greater than the proton flux, so a spacecraft will carry a negative potential after being exposed to particle radiation for a long time.

[0008] Spacecraft charging effect: Charged particles in space deposit on or inside the materials of a spacecraft, accumulating charge until the potential difference or local field strength between different components reaches the material's breakdown threshold, leading to discharge. The sparks and pulses generated by the discharge cause physical damage to the spacecraft materials, interfere with electronic signals, and in severe cases, even cause the entire satellite to fail. This is the spacecraft charging and discharging effect. Spacecraft charging is divided into absolute charging and unequal charging. Absolute charging refers to the spacecraft being uniformly charged as a whole, forming a potential difference with the external environment; unequal charging refers to different parts of the spacecraft having different charging conditions, creating potential differences between these parts. Summary of the Invention

[0009] To address the problem of physical damage to materials caused by the discharge phenomenon of space charged particles deposited on the satellite surface, this invention provides a satellite energy harvesting system based on the collection of space charged particles.

[0010] The present invention discloses a satellite energy harvesting system based on space charged particle collection, comprising:

[0011] The collecting capacitor is used to capture charged particles in space and form a high-voltage electrostatic field by accumulating the charge carried by the charged particles in space.

[0012] The energy harvesting and conversion circuit is used to convert the high-voltage electrostatic field energy stored in the collecting capacitor into low-voltage electrostatic field energy and transfer it to the energy storage capacitor.

[0013] The energy storage capacitor is used to store the low-voltage electrostatic field energy, and to set the target electric field energy according to the working requirements of the back-end load, and to discharge after the target electric field energy is reached.

[0014] A switching regulator circuit is used to adjust the discharge output voltage of the energy storage capacitor to achieve constant voltage power supply to the downstream load.

[0015] The satellite energy harvesting system based on space charged particle collection according to the present invention further includes:

[0016] The particle deflection device, located at the front end of the collecting capacitor, is used to guide protons and electrons from charged particles in space to the two ends of the collecting capacitor, respectively, based on electromagnetic principles.

[0017] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention designs a satellite power supply by harvesting energy in orbit, and provides usable direct current to the satellite by collecting charged particles in space and converting their energy.

[0018] This invention collects charged particles in space based on the electrostatic effect, converting the particle charge into satellite operating energy, providing a new approach to satellite energy harvesting. By collecting, controlling, and utilizing particles radiated onto the satellite, the risk of charging and discharging failures on the satellite surface can be reduced. Because the particle radiation is spatially more uniform, there are no illuminated or shaded areas like in traditional photovoltaic cells, resulting in more stable energy harvesting.

[0019] By designing multi-stage series collection circuits, the total voltage at the collection terminals can be increased, thereby increasing the collection power, while keeping the device's collection threshold voltage constant. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a circuit block diagram of the satellite energy harvesting system based on space charged particle collection as described in this invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a circuit block diagram of the satellite energy harvesting system based on space charged particle collection described in this invention, including a particle deflection device.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a circuit diagram of a satellite energy harvesting system based on the collection of charged particles in space, where the collecting capacitor and energy conversion circuit are in a single-stage form.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a circuit diagram of a satellite energy harvesting system based on the collection of charged particles in space, where the collecting capacitor and the energy conversion circuit are in a multi-stage series configuration.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a graph showing the relationship between electron flux at each energy level and orbital height.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a graph showing the relationship between proton flux and orbital altitude at each energy level;

[0026] Figure 7 This is a graph showing the relationship between the total number of particles and the orbital altitude. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] Specific Implementation Method 1: Combination Figure 1 As shown, this invention provides a satellite energy harvesting system based on space charged particle collection, comprising:

[0029] The collecting capacitor is used to capture charged particles in space and form a high-voltage electrostatic field by accumulating the charge carried by the charged particles in space.

[0030] The energy harvesting and conversion circuit is used to convert the high-voltage electrostatic field energy stored in the collecting capacitor into low-voltage electrostatic field energy and transfer it to the energy storage capacitor.

[0031] The energy storage capacitor is used to store the low-voltage electrostatic field energy, and to set the target electric field energy according to the working requirements of the back-end load, and to discharge after the target electric field energy is reached.

[0032] A switching regulator circuit is used to adjust the discharge output voltage of the energy storage capacitor to achieve constant voltage power supply to the downstream load.

[0033] In this embodiment, the collecting capacitor needs to have high voltage resistance. Since the current generated by charged particles is extremely small and cannot directly supply power to the load, an energy conversion circuit is needed to transfer the charge in the collecting capacitor to the energy storage capacitor for storage.

[0034] Combination Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment also includes:

[0035] The particle deflection device, located at the front end of the collecting capacitor, is used to guide protons and electrons from charged particles in space to the two ends of the collecting capacitor, respectively, based on electromagnetic principles.

[0036] Because the space radiation environment changes slowly and the electron charge is fixed, collecting electrons through a conductor of a certain area allows the charge accumulation to be approximated as a constant current. This implementation captures charged particles in space using a collecting capacitor. Taking a 1500km orbit as an example, the electron flux per second is... Charge accumulation current for:

[0037] ,

[0038] In the formula For the total charge, For time, The total number of electrons, For electron charge, , For coulomb, To collect the effective surface area of ​​the capacitor.

[0039] Therefore, for a 1500km orbit, the accumulated current per unit area is... for:

[0040] .

[0041] This implementation differs from existing photovoltaic-based solar cells; instead, it harvests satellite energy by collecting charged particles in space based on the electrostatic effect. It converts the high-voltage electrostatic field accumulated over a period of time into low-voltage direct current that can be used for satellite payload operation by collecting and storing these charged particles.

[0042] Furthermore, the energy harvesting and conversion circuit is a flyback converter circuit, which uses a transformer to convert high-voltage electrostatic field energy into low-voltage electrostatic field energy. In this embodiment, energy is transferred from the primary to the secondary winding through a transformer, converting the high-voltage electrostatic field in the collecting capacitor into the low-voltage electrostatic field in the energy storage capacitor during the process.

[0043] A large-capacity energy storage capacitor is used to collect the charge energy. Once the collected energy is sufficient for the downstream load to operate once, it discharges to the load, and the output voltage is regulated by a switching voltage regulator circuit.

[0044] Considering the influence of protons among space particles, a particle deflection device based on electromagnetic principles is added to the front end of the collecting capacitor to guide protons and electrons to their respective ends. Figure 2 As shown, this can improve charge collection efficiency. Specific Implementation Example 1:

[0046] Combination Figure 3 As shown, SRC represents the constant current source equivalent to the electron charge transfer of charged particles in space; Indicates the collection capacitance; with capacitance ,resistance ,diode Switching transistor ,transformer and diodes Construct a flyback converter circuit; collect the capacitor The high-voltage static electricity is converted into low-voltage direct current to charge the energy storage capacitor; This refers to a storage capacitor for storing charge; and a switching transistor. Switching transistor and inductor The circuit structure of the satellite energy harvesting system is as follows: (This is part of a switching regulator circuit.)

[0047] Constant current source SRC and collector capacitor Parallel connection, collecting capacitance One end is connected to a capacitor One end of the capacitor The other end is connected to a diode cathode, diode anode connection switch tube The drain of the switching transistor Source-collector capacitor The other end; resistor With capacitor Parallel connection; capacitor One end is connected to the transformer Primary terminal with the same name, transformer Primary-side diode with different name connection anode; transformer The secondary side is connected to a diode. anode, diode Cathode connected to energy storage capacitor One end, energy storage capacitor The other end is connected to the transformer Secondary terminal; energy storage capacitor One end is connected to the switching transistor The drain of the switching transistor Source connection inductor One end, the switching transistor Source connection to switch transistor The drain of the switching transistor Source-connected transformer Secondary terminal with the same name; inductor The other end is connected to the switching transistor Output voltage between the sources It provides constant voltage power to the back-end load.

[0048] When the energy storage capacitor Once the medium-charge capacity reaches the target electric field energy, it is converted to a constant voltage output by a switching regulator circuit to charge the battery pack or supply power for short-term load operation. The switching regulator circuit is a step-down circuit.

[0049] Figure 3 As shown, when collecting capacitor The stored electrical energy is W when the voltage rises from 0 to the collection threshold voltage U, and the charging time is t:

[0050] , ,

[0051] In the formula The charge accumulation current of the constant current source SRC is related to the charge flux of space particles and the collection area; the collection threshold voltage U is related to the collection capacitor and the device withstand voltage of the energy extraction and conversion circuit.

[0052] Collecting capacitor The collection power P is: .

[0053] Therefore, given a fixed spacecraft orbit, increasing the effective surface area A of the collecting capacitor and the voltage rating of the device can improve the collecting power P. Specific Implementation Example 2:

[0055] The harvesting capacitor and energy conversion circuit are arranged in a multi-stage series configuration. This configuration can increase the total voltage at the harvesting terminals while keeping the device's harvesting threshold voltage constant, thereby increasing the harvesting power. Figure 4 As shown.

[0056] Furthermore, the collecting capacitor includes n individual capacitors connected in series; each individual capacitor transfers the collected electricity to the energy storage capacitor through a corresponding flyback converter circuit, and the energy storage capacitor adjusts the discharge output voltage through a switching regulator circuit.

[0057] Combination Figure 4 As shown, n individual capacitors Series-connected, single capacitors The corresponding flyback converter circuit consists of a capacitor. ,resistance ,diode Switching transistor ,transformer and diodes Composition; SRC represents the constant current source equivalent to the electron charge transfer of charged particles in space;

[0058] One end of the constant current source SRC is connected to a single capacitor. One end of the constant current source SRC is connected to the other end of a single capacitor. The other end; single-cell capacitor One end is connected to a capacitor One end of the capacitor The other end is connected to a diode cathode, diode anode connection switch tube The drain of the switching transistor The source-to-collector capacitor The other end; resistor With capacitor Parallel connection; capacitor One end is connected to the transformer Primary terminal with the same name, transformer Primary-side diode with different name connection anode; transformer The secondary side is connected to a diode. anode, diode Cathode and Transformer The secondary winding's corresponding terminal serves as the output terminal of the flyback converter circuit and is connected to the energy storage capacitor.

[0059] by Represents the energy storage capacitor; represented by the switching transistor. Switching transistor and inductor Form a switching regulator circuit;

[0060] diode Cathode connected to energy storage capacitor One end, energy storage capacitor The other end is connected to the transformer Secondary terminal; energy storage capacitor One end is connected to the switching transistor The drain of the switching transistor Source connection inductor One end, the switching transistor Source connection to switch transistor The drain of the switching transistor The source is connected to the energy storage capacitor. The other end; inductor The other end is connected to the switching transistor Output voltage between the sources It provides constant voltage power to the back-end load.

[0061] Figure 4 In the middle, capacitor ,resistance ,diode Switching transistor ,transformer and diodes This forms the second-stage flyback converter circuit, along with a single-cell capacitor. Corresponding; capacitor ,resistance ,diode Switching transistor ,transformer and diodes To form the nth stage flyback converter circuit, with a single capacitor Correspondingly, the energy storage capacitor is connected in parallel at the output of the n-stage converter circuit. The circuit charges the battery, storing the charge. Then, a step-down circuit converts the charge into a constant voltage output.

[0062] Furthermore, the energy transfer process from each individual capacitor to the energy storage capacitor includes:

[0063] Constant current source SRC for single-cell capacitor Charging occurs when the voltage of a single capacitor reaches a set threshold, causing the switching transistor to... On, single capacitor Energy in the transformer After the energy transfer is complete, the switch is turned off. ,transformer Energy in the diode Energy storage capacitor Charge.

[0064] While the invention has been described herein with reference to specific embodiments, it should be understood that these embodiments are merely examples of the principles and applications of the invention. Therefore, it should be understood that many modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments, and other arrangements can be designed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It should be understood that different dependent claims and features described herein can be combined in ways different from those described in the original claims. It is also understood that features described in conjunction with individual embodiments can be used in other described embodiments.

Claims

1. A satellite energy harvesting system based on space charged particle collection, characterized in that, include: The collecting capacitor is used to capture charged particles in space and form a high-voltage electrostatic field by accumulating the charge carried by the charged particles in space. The energy harvesting and conversion circuit is used to convert the high-voltage electrostatic field energy stored in the collecting capacitor into low-voltage electrostatic field energy and transfer it to the energy storage capacitor. The energy storage capacitor is used to store the low-voltage electrostatic field energy, and to set the target electric field energy according to the working requirements of the back-end load, and to discharge after the target electric field energy is reached. A switching regulator circuit is used to adjust the discharge output voltage of the energy storage capacitor to achieve constant voltage power supply to the downstream load.

2. The satellite energy harvesting system based on space charged particle collection according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The particle deflection device, located at the front end of the collecting capacitor, is used to guide protons and electrons from charged particles in space to the two ends of the collecting capacitor, respectively, based on electromagnetic principles.

3. The satellite energy harvesting system based on space charged particle collection according to claim 1, characterized in that, The energy conversion circuit is a flyback converter circuit, which uses a transformer to convert high-voltage electrostatic field energy into low-voltage electrostatic field energy.

4. The satellite energy harvesting system based on space charged particle collection according to claim 3, characterized in that, Let SRC represent the constant current source equivalent to the electron charge transfer of charged particles in space; Indicates the collection capacitance; with capacitance ,resistance ,diode Switching transistor ,transformer and diodes To form a flyback converter circuit; Indicates energy storage capacitor; With switching transistor Switching transistor and inductor The circuit structure of the satellite energy harvesting system is as follows: (This is part of a switching regulator circuit.) Constant current source SRC and collector capacitor Parallel connection, collecting capacitance One end is connected to a capacitor One end of the capacitor The other end is connected to a diode cathode, diode anode connection switch tube The drain of the switching transistor Source-collector capacitor The other end; resistor With capacitor Parallel connection; capacitor One end is connected to the transformer Primary terminal with the same name, transformer Primary-side diode with different name connection anode; transformer The secondary side is connected to a diode. anode, diode Cathode connected to energy storage capacitor One end, energy storage capacitor The other end is connected to the transformer Secondary terminal; energy storage capacitor One end is connected to the switching transistor The drain of the switching transistor Source connection inductor One end, the switching transistor Source connection to switch transistor The drain of the switching transistor Source-connected transformer Secondary terminal with the same name; inductor The other end is connected to the switching transistor Output voltage between the sources It provides constant voltage power to the back-end load.

5. The satellite energy harvesting system based on space charged particle collection according to claim 3, characterized in that, The collecting capacitor and energy conversion circuit are in a multi-stage series configuration.

6. The satellite energy harvesting system based on space charged particle collection according to claim 5, characterized in that, The collecting capacitor comprises n individual capacitors connected in series; each individual capacitor transfers the collected charge to the energy storage capacitor through a corresponding flyback converter circuit, and the energy storage capacitor adjusts the discharge output voltage through a switching regulator circuit.

7. The satellite energy harvesting system based on space charged particle collection according to claim 6, characterized in that, n individual capacitors Series-connected, single capacitors The corresponding flyback converter circuit consists of a capacitor. ,resistance ,diode Switching transistor ,transformer and diodes Composition; SRC represents the constant current source equivalent to the electron charge transfer of charged particles in space; One end of the constant current source SRC is connected to a single capacitor. One end of the constant current source SRC is connected to the other end of a single capacitor. The other end; single-cell capacitor One end is connected to a capacitor One end of the capacitor The other end is connected to a diode cathode, diode anode connection switch tube The drain of the switching transistor The source-to-collector capacitor The other end; resistor With capacitor Parallel connection; capacitor One end is connected to the transformer Primary terminal with the same name, transformer Primary-side diode with different name connection anode; transformer The secondary side is connected to a diode. anode, diode Cathode and Transformer The secondary winding's corresponding terminal serves as the output terminal of the flyback converter circuit and is connected to the energy storage capacitor.

8. The satellite energy harvesting system based on space charged particle collection according to claim 7, characterized in that, by Indicates energy storage capacitor; With switching transistor Switching transistor and inductor Form a switching regulator circuit; diode Cathode connected to energy storage capacitor One end, energy storage capacitor The other end is connected to the transformer Secondary terminal; energy storage capacitor One end is connected to the switching transistor The drain of the switching transistor Source connection inductor One end, the switching transistor Source connection to switch transistor The drain of the switching transistor The source is connected to the energy storage capacitor. The other end; inductor The other end is connected to the switching transistor Output voltage between the sources It provides constant voltage power to the back-end load.

9. The satellite energy harvesting system based on space charged particle collection according to claim 7, characterized in that, The energy transfer process from each individual capacitor to the energy storage capacitor includes: Constant current source SRC for single-cell capacitor Charging occurs when the voltage of a single capacitor reaches a set threshold, causing the switching transistor to... On, single capacitor Energy in the transformer After the energy transfer is complete, the switch is turned off. ,transformer Energy in the diode Energy storage capacitor Charge.

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