Space photovoltaic power generation system, portable small power electronic machine, reception antenna apparatus, and electric power system

• US 20030192586A1
• Filed: 10/17/2002
• Published: 10/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Mikami, Izumi, Satou, Hiroyuki, Takada, Kazuyuki
• Application Number:
  US10/271,527
• Publication Number:
  US 20030192586A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 136/244
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02021 for solar cells electrical connection means, e.g. junction boxes, specially adapted for structural association with photovoltaic modules H02S40/34
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/27 characterised by the type of receiving antennas, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

A power generation satellite converts electric energy generated from sunlight into a microwave and spreads and applies the microwave through a power transmission antenna of the power generation satellite to any desired area widely on earth. The beam width of the microwave is determined by the aperture area of the power transmission antenna placed in the power generation satellite. To spread and apply the microwave to a wide area, the power transmission antenna provided in the power generation satellite need not be a very large antenna having a diameter of several km or more like a power generation satellite power transmission antenna in a space photovoltaic power generation system in a related art.

Claims

1. A space photovoltaic power generation system comprising:

a space photovoltaic power generation satellite, which gathers sunlight in space, generates electric energy from the gathered sunlight, generates a microwave from the generated electric energy, and transmits the microwave through a transmission antenna; and

a reception antenna which receives the transmitted microwave and converts the received microwave into DC power to be a power source,

wherein the space photovoltaic power generation satellite spreads and applies the microwave to a power consumption area.

2. A portable small power electronic machine comprising:

a microwave reception antenna which receives a microwave transmitted from a space photovolatic power generation satellite;

a rectification circuit which converts and rectifies the microwave into DC power; and

a power combining section which combines the DC power.

3. The portable small power electronic machine according to claim 2 further comprising a cabinet,

wherein the microwave reception antenna is a small-sized reception antenna contained in the cabinet.

4. A reception antenna apparatus comprising:

a reception antenna which receives a microwave spread and applied from a space photovoltaic power generation satellite to a power consumption area;

a rectification circuit which converts and rectifies the microwave received through the reception antenna into DC power; and

a power supply interface which supplies the electric power output from the rectification circuit as drive power of a portable small power electronic machine.

5. The reception antenna apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a DC-AC converter which converts the DC power output from the rectification circuit into AC power,

wherein the power supply interface which supplies the electric power output from the DC-AC converter as the drive power of the portable small power electronic machine instead of the electric power output from the rectification circuit.

6. An electric power system comprising:

a power transmission base which converts electric energy into a microwave and transmits the microwave through a transmission antenna; and

a reception antenna which receives the transmitted microwave and converts the received microwave into DC power to be a power source,

wherein the power transmission base spreads and applies the microwave to a power consumption area.

7. The electric power system according to claim 6, wherein the power transmission base gathers sunlight and generates electric energy from the gathered sunlight