Novel winding solar cell array

Abstract

The utility model relates to a novel winding solar cell array, which comprises a fixed support, a winding shaft, a shell, a winding type substrate, a thin film solar cell and a packaging layer, the shell comprises a bottom plate and a sleeve, an opening penetrating through the wall of the sleeve is formed in the sleeve, and the bottom plate is connected to one side of the opening; the two ends of the sleeve are connected with the fixing supports, the winding shaft is located in the sleeve, and the two ends of the winding shaft are rotatably connected to the fixing supports. One end of the winding type base plate is wound on the winding shaft, the other end of the winding type base plate penetrates out of the opening, and the section of the winding type base plate is in an arc shape; the thin film solar cell is connected to the upper surface of the winding type substrate, and the packaging layer is connected to the upper surface of the thin film solar cell. The novel winding solar cell array has the advantages of light weight, high efficiency, high surface density, capability of realizing passive unfolding and the like, and has a wide application prospect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of solar cell array technology, and more specifically, to a novel wound solar cell array. Background Technology

[0002] As the energy source for spacecraft, the safety and reliability of solar arrays are crucial. Currently, space solar arrays can be classified into rigid solar arrays, semi-rigid solar arrays, and flexible solar arrays based on their array structure. With the increasing demands for power-to-weight ratio and power-to-area ratio in spacecraft, flexible solar arrays, with their advantages of being lightweight, efficient, having high areal density, and being able to achieve integrated structural and functional design, have become the main form of solar arrays used in new spacecraft.

[0003] Flexible solar cell arrays can be broadly classified into three types according to their structural form: folded unfolding type, fan-shaped unfolding type, and rolled unfolding type. Foldable deployable solar arrays fold in a "Z" shape, with typical applications including the International Space Station, my country's space station, and the LM2100 satellite platform solar array. They use a composite layer of flexible polyimide and glass fiber as the substrate and rigid solar cells as the array surface. Compared to traditional rigid solar arrays, their solar array surface density (including the solar array structure and battery circuitry) is significantly improved. However, due to the large mass of the truss-type deployment mechanism, this type of solar array is only suitable for applications requiring higher power (above 100KV). Fan-shaped deployable solar arrays consist of several independent triangular solar blankets as basic components, which are then combined to form a near-circular solar array. This type of solar array has been used in several satellites and spacecraft, including the Perseverance rover, Orion, and Lucy. It uses a composite layer of flexible polyimide and glass fiber as the substrate and rigid or thin-film solar cells with a thinned substrate as the array surface. Compared to foldable deployable solar arrays, its solar cell surface density (0.8 kg / m²) is significantly higher. 2 -1.3kg / m 2 The quality of the unfolding mechanism has also been greatly improved.

[0004] Compared to foldable and fan-shaped deployable solar arrays, roll-up solar arrays utilize strain energy stored in thin-walled extension rods for on-orbit deployment, eliminating the need for hinges and deployment drive mechanisms. Furthermore, their compact size when folded makes them better suited to future spacecraft applications due to their significant structural and functional advantages. For example, the roll-up solar array developed by the United States for the International Space Station features two retractable C-shaped roll-up rods made of resin-based composite materials as its two main support rods. When deployed, these rods are approximately 5.4 meters long and 1.7 meters wide. During deployment, the two C-shaped rods utilize their elastic energy as a drive mechanism; after deployment and locking, they serve as support mechanisms, providing a power-to-weight ratio of approximately 200 W / m. 2 -400 W / m 2 The use of elastic extension, such as C-shaped rods, for passive space-driven deployment has been adopted in large space antennas and other structures. For example, the micro-nano CubeSat developed by the UK uses C-shaped rods as the support structure for its magnetometer extension rods. The total deployed length is 1.5m, the diameter is 20mm, the C-shaped opening is 224°, the rod thickness is 0.3mm, and it is molded from plain weave fabric, epoxy prepreg, and carbon fiber composite material.

[0005] With advancements in high-efficiency thin-film solar cell technology, it has become possible for solar cells to participate in the folding and rolling of solar arrays. To further improve the power-to-weight ratio and retractability of rolled solar arrays, given the excellent rigidity and stability of C-shaped rods after unfolding and locking, as well as their numerous advantages such as on-orbit assembly, modular application, and good replaceability, a new type of rolled solar array is urgently needed.

[0006] The preceding description is intended to provide general background information and does not necessarily constitute prior art. Utility Model Content

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide a novel wound solar cell array, which features lightweight, high efficiency, high surface density, and passive deployment capabilities, and has broad application prospects.

[0008] This utility model provides a novel wound solar cell array, including a fixed bracket, a winding shaft, a housing, a wound substrate, a thin-film solar cell, and an encapsulation layer. The housing includes a base plate and a sleeve. The sleeve has an opening penetrating the sleeve wall, and the base plate is connected to one side of the opening. The fixed bracket is connected to both ends of the sleeve. The winding shaft is located in the sleeve, and both ends of the winding shaft are rotatably connected to the fixed bracket. One end of the wound substrate is wound on the winding shaft, and the other end of the wound substrate extends out from the opening. The cross-section of the wound substrate is arc-shaped. The thin-film solar cell is connected to the top of the wound substrate, and the encapsulation layer is connected to the top of the thin-film solar cell.

[0009] Furthermore, the novel rolled solar cell array also includes a lower adhesive layer and an upper adhesive layer; the lower adhesive layer is located between the rolled substrate and the thin-film solar cell, and the upper adhesive layer is located between the thin-film solar cell and the encapsulation layer.

[0010] Furthermore, the winding shaft also includes a rotating shaft, with the rotating shaft connected to both ends of the winding shaft. A shaft hole is provided on the fixed bracket, and the rotating shaft is located in the shaft hole. The axes of the winding shaft, the sleeve, the rotating shaft, and the shaft hole are the same.

[0011] Furthermore, the length of the wound substrate is 1.2-2.2m and the thickness is 0.1-1mm.

[0012] Furthermore, the thin-film solar cell is a gallium arsenide solar cell with a photoelectric conversion efficiency ≥30% and an areal density of 0.1-0.3 kg / m³. 2 .

[0013] Furthermore, the optical transmittance of the upper adhesive layer is ≥90%, and the tensile strength of the lower adhesive layer is ≥60MPa.

[0014] Furthermore, the material of the encapsulation layer is a thin glass cover or a transparent polyimide film, the optical transmittance of the encapsulation layer is ≥90%, and the thickness of the encapsulation layer is ≤0.1mm.

[0015] This invention provides a novel rolled solar array that achieves simultaneous rolling of the deployment mechanism and energy function (solar cells), resulting in a higher storage ratio. Compared to the ROSE-style dual-bar driven deployment, the solar cell structure containing only a single bistable carbon fiber composite material superimposed thin-film solar cell does not require simultaneous twin-arm operation, exhibiting better stiffness and deployment fundamental frequency, and improved reliability. Compared to folded, fan-shaped, and bidirectional driven deployment solar cell arrays represented by Rosa, the integrated rolled solar cell array offers greater scalability, replaceability, and on-orbit maintainability in its horizontal arrangement after deployment, facilitating the composition of large-scale arrays. This invention uses a rolled substrate as the supporting mechanism for the solar cells after deployment and locking, attaching thin-film solar cells to the surface of the rolled substrate. The resulting novel rolled solar cell array has an efficiency ≥29% and an areal density ≥190W / kg. The prepared space solar cell array is lightweight, highly efficient, has high areal density, and can achieve passive deployment, demonstrating broad application prospects. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a novel wound solar cell array provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the outer shell of a novel spiral-wound solar cell array.

[0018] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure combining the fixing bracket and the outer shell of the new type of wound solar cell array.

[0019] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the spiral-wound substrate of the novel spiral-wound solar cell array.

[0020] Figure 5 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of a novel rolled solar cell array, comprising a rolled substrate, a lower adhesive layer, thin-film solar cells, an upper adhesive layer, and an encapsulation layer.

[0021] Figure 6 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the disassembled structure of a novel spiral-wound solar cell array.

[0022] The reference numerals and components involved in the accompanying drawings are shown below:

[0023] 1. Fixed bracket; 11. Shaft hole; 2. Winding shaft

[0024] 21. Shaft; 3. Outer shell; 31. Base plate

[0025] 32. Sleeve; 33. Opening; 4. Roll-up substrate

[0026] 5. Thin-film solar cell; 6. Encapsulation layer; 7. Underlying adhesive layer.

[0027] 8. Top layer adhesive Detailed Implementation

[0028] The specific embodiments of this utility model will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. The following examples are used to illustrate this utility model, but are not intended to limit its scope.

[0029] The terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," etc., used in the specification and claims of this utility model are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0030] Example 1

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a novel wound solar cell array provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the outer shell of a novel spiral-wound solar cell array. Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure combining the fixing bracket and the outer shell of a novel wound solar cell array. Figure 4 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the spiral-wound substrate of a novel spiral-wound solar cell array. Figure 5 for Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of the combined structure of a novel rolled-up solar cell array, comprising a rolled-up substrate, a lower adhesive layer, thin-film solar cells, an upper adhesive layer, and an encapsulation layer. Figure 6 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the disassembled structure of a novel rolled-up solar cell array. Please refer to... Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 The novel wound solar cell array provided in this embodiment includes a fixed bracket 1, a winding shaft 2, a housing 3, a wound substrate 4, a thin-film solar cell 5, and an encapsulation layer 6. The housing 3 includes a base plate 31 and a sleeve 32. The sleeve 32 has an opening 33 penetrating through the wall of the sleeve 32, and the base plate 31 is connected to one side of the opening 33. The fixed bracket 1 is connected to both ends of the sleeve 32. The winding shaft 2 is located in the sleeve 32, and both ends of the winding shaft 2 are rotatably connected to the fixed bracket 1. One end of the wound substrate 4 is wound on the winding shaft 2, and the other end of the wound substrate 4 extends out from the opening 33. The cross-section of the wound substrate 4 is arc-shaped. The thin-film solar cell 5 is connected to the top of the wound substrate 4, and the encapsulation layer 6 is connected to the top of the thin-film solar cell 5.

[0032] It should be noted that, due to the photoelectric effect, the current generated by the solar cell is collected and combined through a flat cable and transmitted to the spacecraft. The roll-up substrate 4, the thin-film solar cell 5, and the adhesive used to bond and encapsulate the thin-film solar cell 5 to the roll-up substrate 4 and the encapsulation layer 6 are all connected.

[0033] This novel rolled solar array achieves simultaneous winding of the deployment mechanism and the energy function (solar cells), resulting in a higher storage ratio. Compared to the ROSE-style dual-bar driven deployment, the solar cell structure containing only a single bistable carbon fiber composite material superimposed thin-film solar cell does not require synchronization of the two arms, resulting in better stiffness and deployment fundamental frequency, and improved reliability. Compared to folded deployment, fan-shaped deployment, and bidirectional driven deployment solar cell arrays represented by Rosa, the integrated rolled solar cell array offers greater scalability, replaceability, and on-orbit maintainability in its horizontal arrangement after deployment, facilitating the composition of large-scale arrays.

[0034] This invention uses a roll-up substrate 4 as the support mechanism for solar cells after unfolding and locking. Thin-film solar cells 5 are attached to the surface of the roll-up substrate 4. The resulting novel roll-up solar cell array has an efficiency of ≥29% and an areal density of ≥190W / kg. The resulting space solar cell array is lightweight, efficient, has a high areal density, and can be unfolded passively, thus having broad application prospects.

[0035] Further reference Figure 5 The novel wound solar cell array of this utility model further includes a lower adhesive layer 7 and an upper adhesive layer 8; the lower adhesive layer 7 is located between the wound substrate 4 and the thin-film solar cell 5, and the upper adhesive layer 8 is located between the thin-film solar cell 5 and the encapsulation layer 6.

[0036] Further reference Figure 2 The winding shaft 2 of this utility model also includes a rotating shaft 21. The rotating shaft 21 is connected to both ends of the winding shaft 2. A shaft hole 11 is provided on the fixed bracket 1, and the rotating shaft 21 is located in the shaft hole 11. The axes of the winding shaft 2, the sleeve 32, the rotating shaft 21 and the shaft hole 11 are the same.

[0037] Furthermore, the length of the wound substrate 4 of this utility model is 1.2-2.2m and the thickness is 0.1-1mm.

[0038] It should be noted that the cross-section of the wound substrate 4 is arc-shaped, and its material is glass fiber and carbon fiber. It is integrally molded by resin impregnation with a certain layup sequence. In the folded state, it is naturally wound into a ring shape to store strain energy. In the on-orbit state, the stored strain energy is used to drive the solar array to unfold in orbit. After unfolding, the structure becomes an arc shape with a smaller opening and has greater rigidity.

[0039] Furthermore, the thin-film solar cell 5 of this invention is a gallium arsenide solar cell with a photoelectric conversion efficiency ≥30% and an areal density of 0.1-0.3 kg / m³. 2 .

[0040] Furthermore, the upper adhesive 8 of this invention has an optical transmittance of ≥90%, and the lower adhesive 7 has a tensile strength of ≥60MPa.

[0041] Furthermore, the material of the encapsulation layer 6 of this invention is a thin glass cover or a transparent polyimide film, the optical transmittance of the encapsulation layer 6 is ≥90%, and the thickness of the encapsulation layer 6 is ≤0.1mm.

[0042] As can be seen from the above description, the advantages of this utility model are:

[0043] 1. The novel wound solar cell array of this utility model achieves synchronous winding of the deployment mechanism and energy function (solar cell), resulting in a higher storage ratio. Compared with the ROSE-type dual-bar driven deployment, the solar cell structure containing only a single bistable carbon fiber composite material superimposed thin-film solar cell does not require synchronization of the two arms, has better stiffness and deployment fundamental frequency, and better reliability. Compared with folded deployment, fan-shaped deployment, and bidirectional driven deployment solar cell arrays represented by Rosa, the integrated wound solar cell array has stronger horizontal arrangement scalability, replaceability, and on-orbit maintainability after deployment, making it easier to assemble large-scale arrays.

[0044] 2. The novel rolled solar cell array of this utility model uses a rolled substrate 4 as the supporting mechanism for the solar cells after unfolding and locking. Thin film solar cells 5 are attached to the surface of the rolled substrate 4. The efficiency of the novel rolled solar cell array is ≥29%, and the areal density of the solar cell array is ≥190W / kg. The prepared space solar cell array has the characteristics of being lightweight, efficient, high areal density, and capable of passive unfolding, and has broad application prospects.

[0045] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this utility model, but the protection scope of this utility model is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model should be determined by the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A novel rolled solar cell array, characterized in that, It includes a fixed bracket (1), a winding shaft (2), a housing (3), a winding substrate (4), a thin-film solar cell (5), and an encapsulation layer (6); The outer casing (3) includes a base plate (31) and a sleeve (32). The sleeve (32) has an opening (33) that penetrates the wall of the sleeve (32). The base plate (31) is connected to one side of the opening (33). The fixed bracket (1) is connected to both ends of the sleeve (32), the winding shaft (2) is located in the sleeve (32), and the two ends of the winding shaft (2) are rotatably connected to the fixed bracket (1); One end of the wound substrate (4) is wound on the winding shaft (2), and the other end of the wound substrate (4) extends out from the opening (33). The cross-section of the wound substrate (4) is arc-shaped. The thin-film solar cell (5) is attached to the top of the rolled substrate (4), and the encapsulation layer (6) is attached to the top of the thin-film solar cell (5).

2. The novel wound solar cell array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The novel wound solar cell array also includes a lower adhesive layer (7) and an upper adhesive layer (8); The lower adhesive (7) is located between the rolled substrate (4) and the thin-film solar cell (5), and the upper adhesive (8) is located between the thin-film solar cell (5) and the encapsulation layer (6).

3. The novel wound solar cell array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The winding shaft (2) also includes a rotating shaft (21), and the rotating shaft (21) is connected to both ends of the winding shaft (2). A shaft hole (11) is provided on the fixed bracket (1), and the rotating shaft (21) is located in the shaft hole (11). The axes of the winding shaft (2), the sleeve (32), the rotating shaft (21), and the shaft hole (11) are the same.

4. The novel wound solar cell array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The length of the wound substrate (4) is 1.2-2.2m and the thickness is 0.1-1mm.

5. The novel wound solar cell array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thin-film solar cell (5) is a gallium arsenide solar cell with a photoelectric conversion efficiency ≥30% and an areal density of 0.1-0.3 kg / m³. 2 .

6. The novel wound solar cell array according to claim 2, characterized in that, The upper adhesive (8) has an optical transmittance of ≥90%, and the lower adhesive (7) has a tensile strength of ≥60MPa.

7. The novel wound solar cell array according to claim 2, characterized in that, The material of the encapsulation layer (6) is a thin glass cover or a transparent polyimide film. The optical transmittance of the encapsulation layer (6) is ≥90%, and the thickness of the encapsulation layer (6) is ≤0.1mm.

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