Rotating Solar Panels for High-Latitude Aircraft Energy Collection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solar-powered aircraft designs face challenges in efficiently collecting solar energy at high latitudes, particularly during winter months, due to poor solar panel geometry and insufficient energy storage, leading to limited flight duration and altitude capabilities.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a solar-powered aircraft with rotating tail and wing panels that can adjust their angle to maximize solar energy collection across a wide range of sun angles, combined with an efficient energy storage system, allowing continuous operation at high latitudes and during long periods of darkness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If solar panels are mounted horizontally on the upper surface of the aircraft, then the structure is simple and lightweight, but solar energy collection efficiency is poor at high latitudes during winter months
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the solar panel mounting surface rotatable relative to the aircraft fuselage. The solar panels are mounted on a surface that can rotate about the longitudinal axis, allowing the panels to dynamically adjust their orientation to track the sun's movement across the sky. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the solar panels to maintain optimal incident angles throughout the day, significantly improving solar energy collection efficiency at high latitudes during winter months while preserving the structural simplicity of the original design.
2Duration of action of moving object
If the aircraft flies predominantly towards the west to operate at high latitudes, then continuous operation is possible, but solar panel geometry causes poor energy collection as the sun remains off the left wing tip
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable solar panel mounting surface enables the aircraft to maintain optimal solar energy collection regardless of flight direction. By rotating the solar panel surface to track the sun's position, the system decouples the aircraft's flight path from the solar panel orientation, allowing continuous operation at high latitudes while maintaining high solar energy collection efficiency even when flying westward with the sun off the left wing tip.
Solution Approach 2:
The solar panel mounting system achieves multi-functionality by simultaneously serving as both a structural component of the aircraft and a dynamically adjustable solar energy collection system. The rotatable mounting surface allows the same solar panels to effectively collect energy under various flight conditions and sun positions, making the system universally effective across different operational scenarios at high latitudes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If wing flexing occurs during flight, then the aircraft responds to aerodynamic conditions, but the wing panels are aimed away from the sun reducing energy collection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the conflict between aerodynamic adaptability and solar energy collection by implementing a dynamically rotatable solar panel mounting surface. This system can compensate for wing flexing and aerodynamic movements by actively rotating the solar panels to maintain optimal sun-tracking orientation, ensuring that aerodynamic responses do not compromise solar energy collection efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances solar energy collection efficiency and reduces night-time power consumption, enabling extended flight durations and altitudes, particularly at high latitudes during winter months.
Implementation Method 1
comprise an array of solar panels configured to rotate about a longitudinal pivot axis extending from a distal end of the fixed wing panel through a central transverse portion of the secondary wing panel
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention is directed to a solar-powered aircraft comprising a fixed wing panel, a motor driven propeller, a plurality of secondary wing panels, and a tail assembly having a first tail panel and a second tail panel. Each secondary wing panel being configured to rotate about a first longitudinal pivot axis extending from a distal end of the fixed wing panel through a central transverse portion of the secondary wing panel. The secondary wing panels may comprise an array of solar panels on its surface. The first tail panel comprises a second array of solar panels located on a surface of the first tail panel, the first tail panel being configured to rotate about a second longitudinal pivot axis through a central transverse portion of the first tail panel.