Power collection and transmission system and method
First Claim
1. A lunar power station, comprising:
- solar power collecting means positioned about the lunar surface for intercepting solar radiant power;
power receiving means located on earth;
means defining a power transmitting aperture of predetermined area comprising an array of physically separate, spaced apart microwave power sources for transmitting separate beams of microwave radiation and an array of separate, microwave reflecting surfaces interleaved with the array of microwave sources within the transmitting area, each reflecting surface associated with at least one of the microwave power sources and comprising means for redirecting microwave radiation emitted from the respective microwave source into a common beam direction directed towards said power receiving means and for expanding the effective area of the respective beam, said reflecting surfaces being postioned to lie within said power transmitting aperture when viewed from said power receiving means; and
phase control means associated with said power sources for controlling the relative phase of the separate transmitting beams to form at least one composite power beam of predetermined, at least partially convergent shape directed at said receiving means, said phase control means including means allowing for variations in the lunar elevation relative to said receiving means during cycles of the moon;
said power receiving means being located in the radiating near field region of said transmitted single power beam.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for transmitting microwaves to one or more receiver assemblies comprises an array of separate microwave transmitting assemblies for emitting a plurality of microwave beams, the array being arranged to apparently fill a radiating aperture of predetermined shape and size when viewed from the direction of a receiver assembly, and a phase controlling assembly associated with the microwave transmitting assemblies for controlling the relative phase of the emitted beams to form at least one composite shaped microwave beam directed to at least one receiver assembly. The receiver assembly is located in the near field of the microwave beam. The transmitting assemblies are each associated with separate power sources comprising solar power collecting assemblies. In one arrangement the transmitting system is on the moon and the or each receiver assembly is on Earth.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A lunar power station, comprising:
- solar power collecting means positioned about the lunar surface for intercepting solar radiant power;
power receiving means located on earth; means defining a power transmitting aperture of predetermined area comprising an array of physically separate, spaced apart microwave power sources for transmitting separate beams of microwave radiation and an array of separate, microwave reflecting surfaces interleaved with the array of microwave sources within the transmitting area, each reflecting surface associated with at least one of the microwave power sources and comprising means for redirecting microwave radiation emitted from the respective microwave source into a common beam direction directed towards said power receiving means and for expanding the effective area of the respective beam, said reflecting surfaces being postioned to lie within said power transmitting aperture when viewed from said power receiving means; and phase control means associated with said power sources for controlling the relative phase of the separate transmitting beams to form at least one composite power beam of predetermined, at least partially convergent shape directed at said receiving means, said phase control means including means allowing for variations in the lunar elevation relative to said receiving means during cycles of the moon; said power receiving means being located in the radiating near field region of said transmitted single power beam. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
- solar power collecting means positioned about the lunar surface for intercepting solar radiant power;
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24. A method of collecting solar power on the moon and transmitting collected power to one or more receiver structures on earth, comprising:
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collecting solar power incident on at least one solar collector structure located on the surface of the moon; storing at least a portion of the collected solar power during periods of high illumination for subsequent conversion of at least part of the stored power into microwave power during the lunar night and conversion of the remainder of the stored power into electrical power for use on the moon; converting at least a portion of the collected solar radiation into microwave power; transmitting said converted microwave power from an array of separate, spaced apart microwave transmitters into a plurality of microwave beams; expanding the effective area of the microwave beams and redirecting them into a common beam direction towards at least one microwave receiver structure on Earth by means of wavefront modifying means positioned in the path of the separate beams emitted from the microwave transmitters, the wavefront modifying means forming an effective microwave aperture of predetermined dimensions when viewed from the microwave receiver structure; controlling the relative phase of the transmitted microwave beams to form at least one composite microwave beam having a radiating near field and far field region, the beam being directed towards at least one microwave receiver structure; receiving the single microwave beam at at least one microwave receiver structure positioned on Earth in the radiating near field region of the microwave beam; the step of collecting solar radiation comprising collecting solar radiation in a plurality of plots of solar collector surfaces and connecting the collector surfaces in each plot to a selected one of the microwave transmitting assemblies; forming in each collector plot a series of parallel trenches aligned in a generally east-west directional; and forming a photoemissive layer along the bottom of each trench and forming anodes for receiving photoelectrons emitted from said photoemissive layer on the side walls of each trench.
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25. A method of collecting solar power on the moon and transmitting collected power to one or more receiver structures on earth, comprising:
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collecting solar power incident on at least one solar collector structure located on the surface of the moon; storing at least a portion of the collected solar power during periods of high illumination for subsequent conversion of at least part of the stored power into microwave power during the lunar night and conversion of the remainder of the stored power into electrical power for use on the moon; converting at least a portion of the collected solar radiation into microwave power; transmitting said converted microwave power from an array of separate, spaced apart microwave transmitters into a plurality of microwave beams; expanding the effective area of the microwave beams and redirecting them into a common beam direction towards at least one microwave receiver structure on Earth by means of wavefront modifying means positioned in the path of the separate beams emitted from the microwave transmitters, the wavefront modifying means forming an effective microwave aperture of predetermined dimensions when viewed from the microwave receiver structure; controlling the relative phase of the transmitted microwave beams to form at least one composite microwave beam having a radiating near field and far field region, the beam being directed towards at least one microwave receiver structure; receiving the single microwave beam at at least one microwave receiver structure positioned on Earth in the radiating near field region of the microwave beam; the step of collecting solar radiation comprising collecting solar radiation in a plurality of plots of solar collector surfaces and connecting the collector surfaces in each plot to a selected one of the microwave transmitting assemblies; forming in each collector plot a series of parallel trenches aligned in a generally east-west directional; and forming a series of patches of photoemissive layers along the length of the trench, applying a magnetic field across the trench to cause photoelectrons emitted by said layers to travel along the trench, forming an anode at the end of the trench for receiving photoelectrons and a cathode at the opposite end of the trench.
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Specification