JPS5944645B2 - solar power supply - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention provides a solar cell panel and an energy storage element (storage battery) in which a large number of solar cells are electrically combined in series and parallel.
The present invention also relates to a power supply device mainly consisting of a power controller.

In a power supply device that uses a solar cell as a power generation source, a storage battery is usually used in combination with the solar cell as a countermeasure against a temporary large power load or when no light is incident on the solar cell.

Conventional solar battery power supplies have generally been shunt circuit type power supplies as shown in the block diagram of FIG. In other words, there is a solar panel 2 in which a large number of solar cells 1 are electrically connected in series and parallel, a load 3 that consumes the power generated from the solar panel 2, and when the load 3 is larger than the output of the solar panel 2, the solar cell A storage battery 4 that supplies power to the load 3 when there is no output from the panel 2, a shunt circuit 5 that consumes surplus power from the solar panel 2, and a shunt circuit 5 that supplies the output of the solar panel 2 to the load 3 and charges the storage battery 4. The power controller 6 includes a power controller 6, which causes the shunt circuit 5 to consume surplus power, or supplies power from the storage battery 4 to the load 3. Therefore, since the conventional method does not control the power generated by the solar panel itself, but processes the power that has already been generated, the current consumption IL of the load 3 is reduced.
and the total current IBAT required for storage battery 4 (IL+IBA
If T) is not less than the output current IBus generated in the solar panel 2, that is, if the relationship is 1Bus>1L+IBAT, then IBus-(IL+IBAT)=
[There will be a surplus of current called sHuNT.

In the conventional method, the amount of surplus current is detected by the power controller 6, a signal proportional to the detected amount is sent to the shunt circuit 5, this surplus current IsHuNT is passed through the shunt circuit 5, and the power type resistor that constitutes the shunt circuit 5 is connected. It is consumed by R.

Therefore, since the shunt circuit 5 consumes the power of I2SHUNTXR, most of the power of I2SHUNTXR is converted into heat. As an example, when this method is used in an artificial satellite, heat generated from the shunt circuit is accumulated inside the satellite, raising the temperature of the entire satellite and lowering the tolerance of the subsystems installed in the satellite. There have been cases where the satellite's temperature has become higher than the actual temperature, causing a subsystem failure.

In addition, the resistor of the shunt circuit needs to consider delay and redundancy from the viewpoint of reliability, etc., and the resistance of the shunt circuit can consume almost the same amount of power as the power generated by the solar panel. The dimensions were quite large, which resulted in disadvantages such as severe restrictions on satellite mounting and the need to consider the heat generated by the shunt circuit in the satellite's thermal design. In order to solve these drawbacks, the present invention provides a structure in which a part or all of the solar cells mounted in a solar cell panel and the panel are connected to each other.
A heater is installed that exchanges extremely thin electrical energy into thermal energy, and when there is excess output from the solar panel, a corresponding electrical signal is supplied to the heater to increase the temperature of the solar cells, thereby reducing the solar panel output. This is a solar battery power supply device that is characterized by the ability to

The drawings will be explained in detail below. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, in which 8 is a solar panel;
3 is a load, 4 is a storage battery, and 9 is for supplying the output of the solar panel 8 to the load 3 or the storage battery 4, or the output of the storage battery 4 to the load 3, and at the same time reducing the power generated by the solar panel 8 by using surplus power. This is a power controller that sends the necessary signals to the heater 7 of the solar panel 8.

The output current 1Bo8 of the solar panel 8 is the current 1 of the load 3
When larger than the sum of L and the charging current to the storage battery ■BAT,
In other words, if IBu8>IL+IBAT, IBu8-
(IBu
The amount of surplus current is detected by the power controller 9 so that 8=■L+■BAT, and this signal is used to convert the electrical energy into the extremely thin electrical energy provided between the solar cell 1 mounted on the solar cell panel 8. The generated output of the solar cell panel 8 takes advantage of the characteristic that the output decreases as the temperature of the solar cell increases by supplying some of the surplus power to the heater 7 to be converted and raising the temperature of the solar cell itself. This reduces the

Figure 3 shows the V-■ characteristics (voltage-current characteristics) of the solar panel.
A temperature change characteristic diagram is shown.

First, when the temperature of the solar panel is low, it has the ■-■ characteristics of curve a, the open circuit voltage is Voo, and the short circuit current is [8. Then, when the operating voltage of the solar panel is ■BU8, the output current■
BU8 becomes point A. However, as the temperature of the panel increases, ■oo becomes smaller [sc becomes higher and ■
-1 curve changes from b → c → d, and the operating voltage VBU8 is B
It can be seen that there is a large change from point → point C → point D. Therefore, for the operating voltage ■Bu, the appropriate number of solar cells in series (for example ■
When selecting Bu8-20■, the number of Si solar cells connected in series is about 5,000), the output current generated by the solar cell itself can be freely controlled by appropriately changing the temperature of the solar cell. Figure 4a is an exploded perspective view of the solar panel 8, and Figure 4b is
shows a cross-sectional view of the same, in which an electrode plate made of an alloy of copper and nickel on a Kapton sheet 12 of about 50μ, for example, is placed between the solar cells 1 in which a large number of solar cells 1 are combined in series and parallel and the substrate 10. Implement heater 7 like 11 pasted,
The output of each heater is configured in connection with a power controller.

Therefore, while using the heater 7 to consume a portion of the surplus output of the solar panel as in the conventional shunt circuit,
The heat generated causes the temperature of the solar cell itself to rise, reducing the output generated by the solar cell panel itself. For example, when this device is used in an artificial satellite, the solar panel is mounted on the outermost part of the satellite, so even if the temperature of the solar battery increases, it will not affect the subsystems inside the satellite.
Conversely, if you want to increase the output of your solar panel,
When the power supply to the heater is stopped by a signal from the power controller, the space outside the satellite is at an extremely low temperature of approximately 3°K (absolute temperature), so the heat from the solar cells is quickly dissipated into space, and the temperature immediately drops. Therefore, the panel output can be increased.

As explained above, since the output of the solar panel itself can be controlled by raising the temperature of the solar cells using a heater, there is no need for a shunt circuit that consumes excess power as in the conventional method, and the shunt circuit This has the advantage of eliminating temperature rise due to heat generation.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional solar cell power supply device, Fig. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the solar cell power supply device of the present invention, Fig. 3 is a characteristic diagram of the solar cell, and Figs. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged exploded view and a sectional view of FIG. 2; In the figure, 1... solar cell, 2, 8...
・Solar panel, 3...Load, 4...
・Storage battery, 5... Shunt circuit, 6, 19...
...Power controller, 7...Heater, 10.
... Substrate, 11 ... Electrode plate, 12 ...
...It is an insulating sheet.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A thin plate heater provided between a plurality of solar cells and a solar cell panel on which the solar cells are arranged, and a power controller that detects a surplus power signal from the output of the solar cells and supplies this signal to the heater. 1. A solar cell power supply device comprising: using the surplus power, the heater generates heat, thereby increasing the temperature of the solar cell, and thereby reducing the output of the solar cell.