Device for generating electrical energy for a power supply bus
AssigneeAgence Spatiale Europeenne
InventorsPhilippe Alfred Perol, Dan Olsson, James Edward Haines
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device for generating electrical energy for a power supply bus connected to a load. The device includes an electrical energy storage unit having at least one battery, a solar energy generator presenting a plurality of modules, a regulator for controlling discharging of the storage unit to power the bus, and for each module, a three-state control device. The device also includes a control unit causing the control devices to take up one of their three states. Each three-state control device has a first state in which current from the module powers the bus, a second state in which current from module powers the storage unit, and a third state in which the module is short-circuited.
Claims16
A device for generating electrical energy for a power supply bus connected to a load, and comprising:
- a) an electrical energy storage unit comprising at least one battery;
- b) a solar energy generator presenting a plurality of modules;
- c) a regulator for controlling discharging of the storage unit to power said bus from the storage unit, the device including:
- d) for each module, a three-state control device presenting:
- i) a first state in which the current from said module powers the bus;
- ii) a second state in which the current from said module powers the storage unit;
- and
- iii) a third state in which said module is short circuited;
- and
- e) a control unit for causing the control devices to take up one of their three states.
A method for generating electrical energy for a power supply bus coupled to a load, an electrical energy storage unit, a regulator, and a solar energy generator, wherein the electrical energy storage unit comprises at least one battery, the regulator controls discharging of the storage unit to power said bus from the storage unit, and the solar energy generator presents a plurality of modules and associated with each module is a three-state control device, the method comprising:
- a) controlling at least a first one of the three-state control devices to be in a first state in which the current from the module associated with the first one of the three-state control device powers the bus;
- b) controlling at least a second one of the three-state control devices to be in a second state in which the current from the module associated with the second one of the three-state control devices powers the storage unit;
- and
- c) controlling at least a third one of the three-state control devices to be in a third state in which the module associated with the third one of the three-state control devices is short circuited.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.