Space Systems/loral, LLC

California Institute of Technology

Bao Hoang

Samuel Geto Beyene

Dan M Goebel

Peter W Lord

David Younghee Oh

Jorge Delgado

Christopher Bryan Stell

Lee Charles Rotlisberger

Gregory Alan Carr

Denis Trofimov

A spacecraft includes a power train that includes a solar array, an electric propulsion subsystem, and a power conversion module. The power conversion module receives power from the solar array at a voltage, V; and delivers power to the electric propulsion subsystem at a voltage, V. The spacecraft is configured to operate at a varying distance, D, from the sun within the range of Dto D, Dbeing at least 1.3&#xd7;D. The solar array is configured to deliver power to the power conversion module at a voltage approximately equal to Vwhen the spacecraft is proximate to D.

Power train for deep space solar electric propulsion

A photovoltaic solar cell, including an N-side layer proximate to a first planar surface and a P-side layer proximate to a second planar surface that is opposite to the first planar surface, is formed from a circular wafer substrate. An N-side conductive contact is electrically coupled with the N-side layer, and a P-side conductive contact electrically coupled with the P-side layer. The P-side conductive contact and the N-side conductive contact are each disposed proximate to the first planar surface, the circular wafer substrate includes an edge exclusion zone, and the P-side contact is disposed within or proximate to the edge exclusion zone.

All front contact solar cell

A photovoltaic solar cell assembly includes a bypass diode, a first and a second planar solar cell. Each of the first and the second solar cell includes a front facing side and a rear facing side, each rear facing side including a respective conductive surface, each front facing side including a respective current collector bar, and corresponding grid of metallic lines conductively coupled with the current collector bar. A first terminal of the bypass diode is electrically coupled with the conductive surface of the first solar cell. A second terminal of the bypass diode is electrically coupled with the current collector bar of the second solar cell. Electrical coupling of the bypass diode with the first solar cell and the second solar cell excludes any external wiring or busbar.

Integral corner bypass diode interconnecting configuration for multiple solar cells

A solar panel has a number of rectilinear photovoltaic solar cells. Each solar cell has four edges, a current collector bar having at least two conductively coupled collector bar segments, and a grid of electrodes conductively coupled to the collector bar. A first collector bar segment is substantially parallel to and proximate to a first edge of the solar cell, a second collector bar segment is substantially parallel to and proximate to a second edge of the solar cell, the second edge being orthogonal with respect to the first edge. In some disclosed techniques, the solar panel has a string of solar cells disposed on a surface of the solar panel in a substantially spiral or serpentine manner and no solar cell within the string is electrically connected to another solar cell in the string by any means other than a cell interconnect.

Current collector bar and grid pattern for a photovoltaic solar cell

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Bao Hoang