Meshed Patch Antennas Integrated on Solar Cells

Abstract

This letter presents the study of integrating meshed patch antennas directly onto the solar cells of a small satellite to save valuable surface real estate. The cover glass of the solar cell is used as the substrate for the antennas. The integrated patch antennas are designed to have sufficient optical transparency to ensure the proper functionality of the solar cells. A prototype meshed patch antenna is designed and integrated on after-market solar cells. The antenna has an optical transparency of 93%, and the measurements agree well with the design.

Non‐uniform mesh for embroidered microstrip antennas

“…Conventional rigid meshed patch antennas (MPAs) having orthogonal lines have been investigated for realising transparency for applications such as car windows or solar cells [15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. The orthogonal conductors construct uniformly distributed meshes on the MPAs which distort the surface current distribution and result in lower resonant frequency [20,22].…”

Wideband Metamaterial Solar Cell Antenna for 5 GHZ Wi-Fi Communication

“…In view of this and also the size limitation of future mobile devices, a number of designs for fully integrated photovoltaic antennas have been reported [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. These can be broadly categorized into three main design types; including the use of solar cells as an RF ground plane [11,12], as an RF radiating element [13] and as an RF stacked parasitic patch element suspended above the radiating element [14,15]. A key factor when designing such antennas is the trade-off between RF performance and solar efficiency.…”

“…A key factor when designing such antennas is the trade-off between RF performance and solar efficiency. The first involves using the solar cell as an RF ground plane [11,12]. The major disadvantage of this technique is the reduced solar efficiency due to the shading effect of the antenna structure.…”

An Experimental Study on the Effect of Commercial Triple Junction Solar Cells on Patch Antennas Integrated on Their Cover Glass

“…Such an integration can be particularly valuable for a CubeSat (a very small satellite designed with modular components to have a minimum payload) [4] as the antennas, when effectively integrated with the solar cells, do not compete with solar cells for the limited surface real estate. There have been four main types of integrations reported: (1) antennas integrated under solar cells [1,[5][6][7]; (2) antennas integrated on the same plane with or on the side wall perpendicular to solar cells [8][9][10]; (3) antennas integrated on top of solar cells [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18], and (4) parts of the solar cells function as antenna [19][20][21] (the antenna in [7] also belongs to this category as the solar cell above the antenna acts as a parasitic elements of the antenna). The third type of integration is of particular interest and promise to a CubeSat system as the antenna topology, especially when it is small or optically transparent, facilitates a possible modular design.…”