초록 ▼

A sun-synchronous sun ray blocking device for use in a spacecraft having a directionally controlled main body, such as a low inclination angle earth (as well as other planets) orbit spacecraft, that is, a three axis stabilized spacecraft having north, south, east, west, earth and anti-earth panels d

A sun-synchronous sun ray blocking device for use in a spacecraft having a directionally controlled main body, such as a low inclination angle earth (as well as other planets) orbit spacecraft, that is, a three axis stabilized spacecraft having north, south, east, west, earth and anti-earth panels defining a spacecraft main body. The north and south panels, on which the spacecraft equipment with high heat dissipation is usually mounted, have their planar normal axes relatively parallel to the spinning axis of the earth. Normal to each of the north and south panel, a solar panel loaded with solar cells is extended and is directly rotating about the same axis. The solar panels are controlled in such a way that the solar cells side of the panels always faces the sun. Each solar panel's blocking device is situated between the solar panel and sun, attached to its solar panel and rotated therewith, to block the sunlight from the north and south panels, providing a stable, benign thermal environment for those panels.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] In a three axis stabilized spacecraft for orbiting about a planet and having at least one solar cell assembly having at least one solar cell panel, and being a north solar cell panel assembly or a south solar cell panel assembly, said at least one solar cell panel assembl

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] In a three axis stabilized spacecraft for orbiting about a planet and having at least one solar cell assembly having at least one solar cell panel, and being a north solar cell panel assembly or a south solar cell panel assembly, said at least one solar cell panel assembly being mounted on an axle so as to be controllably rotated from said spacecraft about an axis of rotation so as to face the sun, said spacecraft having a nadir panel which is generally pointing to the center of the planet, an opposite panel known as a zenith panel, which faces away from the center of the planet and sharing the same planar normal vector as said nadir panel, an east panel and a west panel, said east panel and said west panel having their planar normal vector laying on an orbital plan pointing to the velocity vector of the spacecraft generally tangential to the direction of travel on the orbit, and a north panel and a south panel, said north panel and said south panel having their planar normal vector generally perpendicular to the orbit plan and parallel to the axis of rotation of the planet, said solar cell panel extending outwardly from said spacecraft, the improvement which comprises:Attaching at least one sun ray blocking device to said at least one solar cell panel, said at least one device being either a north blocking device or being a south blocking device and corresponding to said at least one solar cell panel, each of said at least one sun ray blocking device being positioned forwardly from and offset relative to a solar cell surface of a solar cell panel and at a predetermined angle to either of said north panel and said south panel, said north panel or said south panel, said sun ray blocking device being positioned so as to cast a shadow on at least a majority of the exposed surface of its corresponding north or south panel during solar exposure thereto.