Solar array switching unit

Details Solar array switching unit Solar array switching unit

1998-02-24

2000-05-09

Gaffin, Jeffrey

Electrical transmission or interconnection systems

Plural supply circuits or sources

Series-parallel connection of sources

307 80, 307 85, H02J 100

Patent

active

060607904

ABSTRACT:
A solar array switching (SASU) unit (22) according to the present invention includes a control system (24), a solar cell array (26) and switch circuits (28). The SASU unit (22) is associated with a power card (30) for receiving an output from the array (26). The array (26) has a number (0.5Y) of rows (38) each of which includes a pair of cell strings (42) separated by one of the switch circuits (28). Each of the strings (42) includes a number (X) of cells in electrical series. The SASU (22) switches the array (26) between a short string configuration where the array (26) effectively includes Y strings of X length, and a long string configuration where the array (26) effectively includes 0.5Y strings of 2X length. The SASU (22) thereby facilitates the use of solar power for space missions where solar intensity, operating temperature or other factors vary significantly.

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patent: 5413293 (1995-05-01), Gomberg et al.
patent: 5500052 (1996-03-01), Horiuchi et al.

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