Satellite Structural Panel Busbar Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
The distribution of electrical energy in satellites using cables results in significant weight, cooling challenges due to vacuum conditions, and electromagnetic disturbances, leading to increased mass and cost, as well as limitations in high-frequency current transmission.
Innovation Solution
A structural panel with an outer and inner skin, a core layer, and inserted busbars that are doubly insulated and shielded, utilizing a honeycomb structure to reduce conductor section and mass, and featuring redundant electrical contacts for enhanced reliability and reduced electromagnetic interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cables are used for electrical energy distribution in satellites, then electrical connections can be established, but the mass increases significantly and cooling becomes difficult due to vacuum conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the electrical connection function with the satellite panel structure itself. Conductive traces are integrated directly into the panel layers, eliminating separate cables. The panel becomes both the structural element and the electrical distribution medium, thereby reducing cable mass while maintaining connection reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical cable system with an integrated printed circuit board-like structure where electrical connections are formed through conductive traces embedded in the panel layers. This substitution eliminates the need for separate mechanical cable assemblies and their associated cooling requirements.
2Loss of energy
If numerous wires are paralleled to conduct current with minimum losses, then current transmission efficiency improves, but the electrical harness complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple conductive traces are integrated within the same panel structure, allowing parallel current paths to be formed without separate wire harnesses. The panel itself provides the infrastructure for multiple low-loss electrical pathways, reducing both energy loss and harness complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local conductive pathways within specific regions of the panel, optimizing current distribution where needed. Different areas of the panel can have varying trace densities and configurations tailored to local electrical requirements, achieving efficient current transmission without uniform complexity throughout.
3Power
If high frequency electric currents are transmitted through cables, then power transmission capability increases, but electromagnetic radiation increases requiring additional filters
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the potential harmful electromagnetic radiation into a beneficial contained field by using the panel's layered structure as an inherent shield. The conductive traces are embedded within conductive layers that contain and guide the electromagnetic fields, preventing radiation while maintaining high power transmission capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical connection function is merged with the electromagnetic shielding function in the same panel structure. The conductive layers that provide electrical pathways also serve as electromagnetic shields, eliminating the need for separate filter components and reducing overall system complexity.
4Weight of moving object
If cable section is reduced to minimize mass, then conductor mass decreases, but current transmission capacity and cooling efficiency worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive traces are integrated within a larger panel structure that provides both mechanical support and thermal management. The panel's extended surface area acts as a heat sink, allowing thinner traces to dissipate heat effectively while maintaining current transmission capacity that would be impossible with isolated cables of the same mass.
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 solution minimizes conductor mass, enhances cooling through conduction, increases high-frequency current transmission by a factor of ten, and reduces the need for filters, resulting in lower mass and cost while maintaining reliability and fault tolerance.
Implementation Method 1
The conductor placed between these walls is ideally shielded from the electromagnetic point of view
Implementation Method 2
positioned at this location, the conductors are ideally cooled by conduction
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
Structural panel for satellite comprising an outer skin (1), an inner skin (2) and a core layer (3) disposed between the two inner and outer skins (1, 2) and provided with a blind recess (4) comprising at least one electrically insulated inserted busbar set (5).