• Journal of Satellite, Information and Communications
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.67-71
• /
• 2017

A solar array is main electrical energy source for Low-Earth-Orbit(LEO) satellite. The solar array cannot generate electrical energy during eclipse period, a battery supply electrical energy to the satellite. The electrical power of the solar array is changed in accordance with operating voltage and the solar array has the maximum power point. The solar array regulator makes the solar array supply electrical energy to the satellite and charge the battery. The solar array is connected to the solar array regulator input and the battery is connected to the solar array regulator output. The solar array regulator consists 2 of 3 hot redundant. One solar array regulator contains 3 DC-DC converters, and the solar array regulator operates stably even if the failure occur in one DC-DC converter. In this paper, the solar array regulator, the battery and the solar array operation is analyzed when the failure occur in one DC-DC converter.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
• /
• v.64 no.10
• /
• pp.1432-1439
• /
• 2015

The solar array regulator supplies the electric power to the battery and the other units of a satellite by controlling the operating point of a solar array. In this paper, the solar array regulator composed with analog circuits is proposed. The solar array regulator has three modes. The first is a maximum power point tracking mode for harvesting the maximum photovoltaic power generation. The second is a power limitation mode which is designed for optimizing the volume and weight of the solar array regulator by preventing the excessive power conversion. The last constant voltage mode is proposed to keep the Li-Ion battery is not over-charge. The small signal model of the solar array regulator which has the reversed input and output variables in comparison with conventional converter is established and the stability is analysed. Finally, the proposed design of the solar array regulator is verified by experiments.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
• /
• v.65 no.4
• /
• pp.593-600
• /
• 2016

The solar array regulator for low earth orbit satellites controls a operating point of solar array for suppling electric power to the battery and the other units. Because the control object is reversed, the new approach for large and small signal analysis is needed despite using buck-converter for power stage. In this paper, the steady state analysis of solar array regulator is performed in continuous conduction mode and discontinuous conduction mode, and the border condition for each mode is established. Also, the small signal model of solar array regulator is established in discontinuous conduction mode. Experiments are carried on in worst condition which the solar array regulator can face with discontinuous conduction mode. The results show that the solar array regulator is in stable.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.401-408
• /
• 2016

During daylight, the solar array of low earth orbit satellites harvests electrical power to operate satellites. The power conversion of the solar array is carried out by control of the operation point using the solar array regulator when the solar array faces the sunlight. Thus, the design of the solar array should comply with not only the power requirement of satellite system but also the input voltage requirement of the solar array regulator. In this paper, the design requirements of the solar array for low earth orbit satellites are defined, and the means of satisfying these requirements are described. In addition, the architecture of a multi-distributed interface is suggested to maximize the power harvested from a solar array having high temperature deviation between each panel. The power analysis in this paper shows the optimal number of multi-distributed interfaces with a converter.

• Journal of Satellite, Information and Communications
• /
• v.7 no.3
• /
• pp.135-139
• /
• 2012

A digital controller can simply realize a complex operation algorithm and power control process which can not be applied by an analog circuit for a solar array regulator(SAR). The digital resistive control(DRC) makes an equivalent input impedance of the SAR be resistive characteristic. The resistance of the solar array varies largely in a voltage source region and slightly in a current source region. Therefore when the solar array regulator is controlled by the DRC, the Advanced Incremental Conductance MPPT Algorithm with a Variable Step Size(AIC-MPPT-VSS) is suitable. The AIC-MPPT-VSS, however, using small signal resistance and large signal resistance of the solar array can not limit the absolute value of the solar array power. In this paper, the solar array power limiter is suggested and the BUCK-BOOST type SAR which is fully controlled by the digital controller is verified by simulation.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
• /
• v.11 no.6
• /
• pp.535-542
• /
• 2006

A large signal stability analysis of the solar array regulator system is performed to facilitate the design and analysis of a Low-Earth-Orbit satellite power system. The effective load characteristics of every controllable method in the solar array system are classified to analyze the large signal stability. Then, using the state plane analysis technique, the stability of various equilibrium points is analyzed. A nonlinear transformation algorithm, which changes the effective load characteristic of the solar array regulator as constant resistive load, is also proposed for the large signal stability. The proposed resistive current mode control system can control the solar array output for purposes such as peak power tracking control and battery charging control. For the verification of the proposed large signal analysis and resistive current mode control, a solar array regulator system consisting of two 100W parallel module buck converters has been built and tested using a real 200W solar array.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and information Science
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.14-20
• /
• 1998

The resistive shunting for the fine control of a Direct Energy Transfer(DET) systems is fully developed, but the non-resistive shunting using variable size solar array segments is in progress. This paper presents the spacecraft power control through switching of solar array segments, which uses a fully regulated DET power regulation. This method eliminates a dissipative element and removes the associated design limitations which arise from the dissipative elements for radiating cooling in deep space. The switching shunt regulator comprises the switched Solar Array Shunt(SAS) modules that regulate the solar array power. These SAS modules connect/disconnect the solar array segments to/from the bus according to the loading in the main bus without significant variations in the dissipation level. In this paper, twelve segments are used in the shunting. In order to verify the basis of analysis, the computational result of an analytic loop gain is performed.

• Journal of Satellite, Information and Communications
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.72-75
• /
• 2012

A solar array makes a Solar Array Regulator (SAR) for Low-Earth-Orbit satellite have different small signal characteristic. Therefore, an Average-Current-Mode (ACM) controller cannot control the BUCK-BOOST type SAR which operates in a current region of the solar array. In this paper, we present the Pseudo-Continuous Current Mode (PCCM) BUCK-BOOST Type SAR which can be controller by the ACM Controller. We explain the circuit operation of the PCCM BUCK-BOOST Type SAR, derive its small signal transfer function and design ACM Controller. Finally, we verify the ACM control of the PCCM BUCK-BOOST Type SAR by using a simulation.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
• /
• v.1
• /
• pp.220-223
• /
• 2006

The COMS(Communication, Ocean and Meteorological Satellite) EPS(Electrical Power Subsystem) is derived from an enhanced Eurostar 3000 EPS which is fully autonomous operation in normal conditions or in the event of a failure and provides a high level of reconfiguration capability and flexibility. This paper introduces the COMS EPS preliminary design result. The COMS EPS consists of a battery, a solar array wing, a PSR(Power Supply Regulator), a PRU(Pyrotechnic Unit), a SADM(Solar Array Drive Mechanism) and relay and fuse brackets. This can offer a bus power capability of 3 kW. The solar array is made of a deployable wing with two panels. One type of solar cells is selected as GaAs/Ge triple junction cells. Li-ion battery is base lined with ten series cell module of five cells in parallel. PSR associated with battery and solar array generates a power bus fully regulated 50 V. Power bus is centralised protection and distribution by relay and fuse brackets. PRU provides power for firing actuators devices. The solar array wing is routed by the SADM under control of the AOCS(Attitude Orbit Control Subsystem). The control and monitoring of the EPS especially of the battery, is performed by the PSR in combination with on-board software.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.133-141
• /
• 2011

A satellite power system should generate and supply sufficient electric power to perform the satellite mission successfully during the satellite mission period, and it should be developed to be strong to the failure caused by the severe space environment. A satellite power system must have a high reliability with respect to failure. Since it cannot be repaired after launching, different from a ground system, the failures that may happen in space as well as the effect of the failures on the system should be considered in advance. However, it is difficult to use all the hardware to test the performance of the satellite power system to be developed in order to consider the failure mechanism of the electrical power system. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an accurate model for the main components of a power system and, based on that, to develop an accurate model for the entire power system. Through the power system modeling, the overall effect of failure on the main components of the power system can be considered and the protective design can be devised against the failure. In this study, to analyze the failure mode of the power system and the effects of the failure on the power system, we carried out modeling of the main power system components including the solar array regulator, and constituted the entire power system based on the modeling. Additionally, we investigated the effects of representative failures in the solar array regulator on the power system using the power system model.