# US 6,723,912 B2 · Space photovoltaic power generation system

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- Number: US 6,723,912 B2
- Document ID: US6723912B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 10/160,091
- Filed: 2002-06-04
- Published: 2003-05-29
- Granted: 2004-04-20
- Earliest claimed: 2001-11-29
- Assignees: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Tomohiro Mizuno; Hiroyuki Sato; Izuru Naito; Izumi Mikami
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US6723912B2

## CPC

- H02J 50/23: characterised by the type of transmitting antennas, e.g. directional array antennas or Yagi antennas
- B64G 1/4282: {for transmitting power to earth or other spacecraft}
- H01Q 19/10: using reflecting surfaces
- H02J 50/40: using two or more transmitting or receiving devices (H02J50/50 takes precedence)
- H02J 50/90: involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
- H02S 10/00: PV power plants; Combinations of PV energy systems with other systems for the generation of electric power
- B64G 1/443: {Photovoltaic cell arrays}
- B64G 1/66: Arrangements or adaptations of apparatus or instruments, not otherwise provided for
- Y02E 10/50: Photovoltaic [PV] energy
- Y10S 136/292: Space - satellite
- H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- B64G: COSMONAUTICS; VEHICLES OR EQUIPMENT THEREFOR
- H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72)
- H02S: GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES (obtaining electrical energy from radioactive sources G21H1/12; light sensitive inorganic semiconductor devices H10F; light sensitive organic semiconductor devices H10K30/00; thermoelectric devices H10N10/00; pyroelectric devices H10N15/00)
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

## Abstract

A power generation satellite has a photoelectric conversion unit for converting sunlight into electric energy, a transmission frequency conversion unit for performing frequency conversion of the electric energy to a microwave, a microwave control unit for controlling the amplitude, the phase, or the amplitude and the phase of the microwave, and a transmitting antenna for radiating the microwave. A plurality of the power generation satellites are placed in space to form a power generation satellite group and an array antenna having the transmitting antennas of the power generation satellites in the power generation satellite group as element antennas is formed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A space photovoltaic generation system comprising:
a plurality of power generation satellites each having:
a photoelectric conversion unit for converting sunlight into electric energy;
a transmission frequency conversion unit for performing frequency conversion of the electric energy provided by the photoelectric conversion unit to a microwave;
a microwave control unit for controlling at least one of the amplitude and the phase of the microwave output by the transmission frequency conversion unit; and
a transmitting antenna for radiating the microwave;
a power base having:
a receiving antenna for receiving the microwave radiated from the plurality of power generation satellites; and
a reception frequency conversion unit for performing frequency conversion of the microwave received at the receiving antenna to one of DC and low-frequency commercial power,
wherein the plurality of vower generation satellites are placed in space to form a power generation satellite group,
wherein a first array antenna having the transmitting antennas of the plurality of power generation satellites in the power generation satellite group as element antennas is formed, and
wherein the aperture amplitude distribution of each transmitting antenna of the plurality of power generation satellites is made a tapered distribution.

### Claim 2

A space photovoltaic generation system comprising:
a plurality of power generation satellites each having:
a photoelectric conversion unit for converting sunlight into electric energy;
a transmission frequency conversion unit for performing frequency conversion of the electric energy provided by the photoelectric conversion unit to a microwave;
a microwave control unit for controlling at least one of the amplitude and the phase of the microwave output by the transmission frequency conversion unit; and
a transmitting antenna for radiating the microwave;
a power base having:
a receiving antenna for receiving the microwave radiated from the plurality of power generation satellites; and
a reception frequency conversion unit for performing frequency conversion of the microwave received at the receiving antenna to one of DC and low-frequency commercial power,
wherein the plurality of power generation satellites are placed in space to form a power generation satellite group,
wherein a first array antenna having the transmitting antennas of the plurality of power generation satellites in the power generation satellite group as element antennas is formed, and
wherein electric power transmitted from each of the plurality of power generation satellites is changed in a form of a taper in response to the distance from a center position of the power generation satellite group.

### Claim 3

A space photovoltaic generation system comprising:
a plurality of power generation satellites each having:
a photoelectric conversion unit for converting sunlight into electric energy;
a transmission frequency conversion unit for performing frequency conversion of the electric energy provided by the photoelectric conversion unit to a microwave;
a microwave control unit for controlling at least one of the amplitude and the phase of the microwave output by the transmission frequency conversion unit; and
a transmitting antenna for radiating the microwave;
a power base having:
a receiving antenna for receiving the microwave radiated from the plurality of power generation satellites; and
a reception frequency conversion unit for performing frequency conversion of the microwave received at the receiving antenna to one of DC and low-frequency commercial power.
wherein the plurality of power generation satellites are placed in space to form a power generation satellite group,
wherein a first array antenna having the transmitting antennas of the plurality of power generation satellites in the power generation satellite group as element antennas is formed, and
wherein each transmitting antenna of the plurality of power generation satellites is a second array antenna.

### Claim 4

A space photovoltaic generation system comprising:
a plurality of power generation satellites each having:
a photoelectric conversion unit for converting sunlight into electric energy;
a transmission frequency conversion unit for performing frequency conversion of the electric energy provided by the photoelectric conversion unit to a microwave;
a microwave control unit for controlling at least one of the amplitude and the phase of the microwave output by the transmission frequency conversion unit; and
a transmitting antenna for radiating the microwave;
a power base having:
a receiving antenna for receiving the microwave radiated from the plurality of power generation satellites; and
a reception frequency conversion unit for preforming frequency conversion of the microwave received at the receiving antenna to one of DC and low-frequency commercial power,
wherein the plurality of power generation satellites are placed in space to form a power generation satellite group,
wherein a first array antenna having the transmitting antennas of the plurality of power generation satellites in the power generation satellite group as element antennas is formed, and
wherein each transmitting antenna of the plurality of power generation satellites is an array-fed reflector antenna.