System for tracking solar energy
AssigneeAST & Science, LLC
InventorsAdam H. Halperin, Raymond J. Sedwick
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An antenna system is configured for use in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) around Earth. The system has a plurality of antenna satellites coupled together to form a phased array. Each of the plurality of antenna satellites have an antenna body with an antenna and a solar cell. A processing device determines an orientation of the plurality of antenna satellites and position the phased array in the orientation based on an analysis of the solar cell of the antenna bodies facing the sun, the antenna of the antenna bodies facing the Earth, and maintaining a torque equilibrium of the phased array.
Claims31
An antenna system configured for use in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) around Earth, the antenna system comprising:
- a plurality of antenna satellites mechanically coupled together to form a phased array, each of the plurality of antenna satellites having an antenna body with an antenna and a solar cell, the solar cells of the plurality of antenna satellites defining an outwardly facing solar side surface of the phased array that are configured to face a Sun and the antennas of the plurality of antenna satellites defining an inwardly facing antenna side surface of the phased array that is configured to face the Earth;
- actuators mounted to one or more of the plurality of antenna satellites;
- a sensor configured to sense an orientation and a position of the phased array;
- and
- a processing device that is configured to determine a desired orientation of the plurality of antenna satellites and that is configured to control movement of the actuators to move the phased array to the desired orientation,
- wherein the processing device is configured to determine the desired orientation based on:
- (a) a positioning of the outwardly facing solar side surface of the phased array with respect to the Sun,
- (b) a positioning of the inwardly facing antenna side surface with respect to the Earth, and
- (c) a maintaining of a torque equilibrium of the phased array such that there is zero or near zero torque acting on the phased array;
- and
- wherein the processing device is configured to control the actuators to generate rotational motion of the plurality of antenna satellites to move the phased array from a current orientation to the desired orientation and configured to maintain the torque equilibrium of the phased array based on the orientation and the position sensed by the sensor.
A method of positioning a phased array of a solar energy satellite structure, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of antenna satellites mechanically coupled together to form the phased array for use in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) around Earth, each of the plurality of antenna satellites comprising an antenna body with an antenna and a solar cell, the solar cells of the plurality of antenna satellites form an outwardly facing solar side surface of the phased array that faces a Sun and the antennas of the plurality of antenna satellites form an inwardly facing antenna side surface of the phased array that is configured to face the Earth;
- receiving, at a processing device, an orientation and a position of the phased array from a sensor;
- positioning the phased array, via actuators mounted to one or more of the plurality of antenna satellites, in a desired orientation to optimize solar energy received from the Sun at the solar cells, wherein the desired orientation is determined by a processor in response to receiving the orientation and the position of the phased array based on:
- (a) a positioning of the outwardly facing solar side surface of the phased array with respect to the Sun,
- (b) a positioning of the inwardly facing antenna side surface with respect to the Earth, and
- (c) a maintaining of a torque equilibrium of the phased array such that there is zero or near zero torque acting on the phased array;
- and
- generating torque, via the actuators and controlled by the processing device based on the orientation and the position of the phased array received from the sensor, to maintain the desired orientation of the phased array.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.