Modular Spacecraft Solar Array Bays for Lightweight Scalable Power
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current solar array designs for satellites face challenges in balancing the need for a lightweight, stiff, and stable structure with a large surface area for power generation while minimizing on-orbit attitude control disturbances, which results in long lead times and high costs due to specific design requirements for each satellite or spacecraft.
Innovation Solution
A modular solar array approach using multiple 'bays' of solar array cells mounted on semi-rigid structural elements, assembled into a frame structure made of tubes connected by nodes, allowing for scalable, configurable, and producible wing structures that can be quickly adapted to new PV technologies and uniquely shaped arrays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a large surface area solar array is designed to provide sufficient power generation, then the power output is improved, but the weight and volume increase
Solution Approach 1:
The solar array is divided into multiple identical modular units, each comprising photovoltaic cells mounted on a rigid substrate with integrated framing. These segmented modules can be independently manufactured, tested, and assembled into various configurations to meet different power requirements without proportionally increasing overall system weight through optimized modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material construction for the modular units, combining photovoltaic cells with rigid substrate materials and framing structures to achieve high strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios. This allows the array to provide large surface area for power generation while minimizing the weight penalty through material optimization.
2Power
If a large surface area solar array is designed to provide sufficient power generation, then the power output is improved, but the stiffness and stability requirements become more difficult to meet
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the solar array into multiple rigid modular units with integrated framing, each module maintains structural stiffness independently. When assembled into a large array, the modular construction with standardized connection mechanisms preserves overall structural integrity and stability while achieving the required large surface area for power generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The use of composite materials in the modular construction provides high strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios, enabling the solar array to achieve large surface area while maintaining the necessary structural stiffness and stability to withstand launch loads and on-orbit operations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a custom-designed solar array is created for each specific satellite to meet unique requirements, then the adaptability is improved, but the manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The solar array system is segmented into standardized modular units that can be mass-produced through identical manufacturing processes. To accommodate different spacecraft power requirements, modules are simply assembled in different quantities and configurations, providing adaptability without requiring custom design and manufacturing for each satellite, thereby reducing production time and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular design creates universal building blocks that can serve multiple spacecraft with different power requirements. The same standardized module can be used across different satellite platforms, allowing a single design to fulfill multiple functions and applications, thus improving productivity while maintaining adaptability through flexible assembly configurations.
4Weight of moving object
If the solar array is designed to be lightweight, then the launch weight is reduced, but the structural strength and stability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite materials with high strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios in the modular construction, enabling the solar array to maintain lightweight design for reduced launch weight while simultaneously achieving the structural strength and stability required to withstand launch loads and provide a rigid mounting surface for photovoltaic cells.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the array into multiple small rigid modular units with integrated framing, each module maintains structural strength independently. The distributed modular architecture provides overall structural stability while using minimal material, thus achieving lightweight design without sacrificing the structural strength and stability needed for launch and on-orbit operations.
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 modular design enables rapid turnaround of program-specific designs, reduces production time and cost, and allows for mass production with simple building blocks, while accommodating varying spacecraft shapes and power requirements, ensuring efficient power generation and stability.
Implementation Method 1
solar array structures with a large surface area of photovoltaic cells to generate electricity from the sunlight incident on the array structure
Data Source
AI summary
A solar array structure for a spacecraft is based on a modular approach, allowing for arrays to be designed, and designed to be modified, and manufactured in reduced time and with reduced cost. The embodiments for the solar array are formed of multiple copies of a “bay” of a multiple strings of solar array cells mounted on semi-rigid face-sheet structural elements. The bays are then placed into frame structures made of tubes connected by nodes to provide an easily scalable, configurable, and producible solar array wing structure. This allows for rapid turnaround of program specific designs and proposal iterations that is quickly adaptable to new/future PhotoVoltaic (PV) technologies and that can create uniquely shaped (i.e., not rectangular) arrays, allowing for mass production with simple mass producible building blocks.