JP2001320224A - Antenna photovoltaic element integrated device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce an occupancy area by locating an antenna and a photovoltaic element superimposedly. SOLUTION: Materials capable of transmitting light are used as a conductor electrode and a dielectric substrate which form the antenna, and they are located superimposedly so that the photovoltaic element can generate power with light transmitted through the antenna. Especially, an upper surface electrode forming the photovoltaic element and the conductor electrode forming the base plate of the antenna are shared with each other.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device in which an antenna and a power generating element for generating electric power for operating a circuit associated with the antenna are integrated. In particular, the present invention relates to a device in which a photovoltaic element (solar cell) is used as a power generation element and an antenna and a photovoltaic element are integrated.

[0002] In the present specification, infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, and the like that generate photovoltaic force in a photovoltaic element are collectively referred to as “light”.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a local location information system,
Based on the transmission information from the marker arranged in the service area, a service for detecting the position of the user and providing information requested by the user is performed. Here, the markers are arranged at appropriate intervals in the service area, and continuously or intermittently transmit radio waves. If commercial power is used as a power source for this marker, a separate power wiring is required, and if a battery is used, replacement must be performed at regular intervals, increasing the maintenance cost of the entire system. Therefore, in order to enable autonomous operation of the marker, it has been considered that maintenance is free using a power supply in which a photovoltaic element (solar cell) and a storage battery are combined. Further, it is required to integrate and reduce the size of an antenna used for a marker and a photovoltaic element (solar cell).

FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of an antenna. Here, a configuration of a patch antenna which is one of the microstrip antennas is shown. FIG. 4A is an oblique projection view, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view at the center.

In FIG. 1, the antenna is composed of conductor electrodes forming a radiation plate 11 and a ground plate 12, and a dielectric substrate 13 used to hold them and adjust their characteristics. Here, metals such as copper and aluminum are mainly used for the conductor electrodes, but these are opaque to infrared rays, visible rays, and ultraviolet rays, and cannot transmit these lights in a normal state. . For the dielectric substrate, glass epoxy, Teflon (registered trademark) -based dielectric, ceramics, or the like is used, and these are similarly opaque to all infrared rays, visible rays, and ultraviolet rays.

FIG. 5 shows a configuration example of a photovoltaic element. FIG. 5A is an oblique projection view, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view at the center. In the figure, the photovoltaic element has a configuration in which an upper electrode 22 and a lower electrode 23 are formed on both surfaces of a photovoltaic unit 21 and are arranged on a substrate 24. As the photovoltaic unit 21, a thin film such as polycrystalline silicon or amorphous silicon that generates a photovoltaic force with respect to visible light is used.
A transparent conductive film that transmits light is used for the upper electrode 22 of the photovoltaic unit 21. Such a transparent conductive film is required to have a property of simultaneously satisfying a low resistivity and a high visible light transmittance. For example, indium / tin oxide (ITO:
Indium Tin Oxide) films are generally used.

[0007]

The antenna shown in FIG. 4 and the photovoltaic element shown in FIG. 5 are combined, and the power for operating the circuit associated with the antenna is generated by the photovoltaic element to enable autonomous operation. In the case of a device having such a configuration, it is necessary to devise an arrangement so that the characteristics such as the radiation pattern of the antenna and the electromotive force characteristics of the photovoltaic element do not affect each other. In particular, since the conventional antenna does not transmit light, it is not possible to arrange both of them in the light incident direction so that the electromotive force of the photovoltaic element does not decrease due to the shadow. For this reason, both have to be arranged in a plane, and as a result, there is a problem that the occupied area is increased and the miniaturization of the device is hindered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an antenna photovoltaic element integrated device capable of arranging an antenna and a photovoltaic element in an overlapping manner and achieving a reduction in occupied area.

[0009]

The antenna photovoltaic element integrated device of the present invention uses a conductor electrode and a dielectric substrate capable of transmitting light as the antenna electrode and the dielectric substrate. The elements are arranged so as to overlap each other so as to generate power. In particular, the upper electrode forming the photovoltaic element is shared with the conductor electrode forming the ground plane of the antenna. As a result, the occupied area is reduced, and the size can be reduced.

[0010] The conductor electrode that transmits light includes a conductor transparent to light that generates photovoltaic force in the photovoltaic element, a translucent conductor, an opaque conductor provided with a large number of through holes,
These combinations are used. As the dielectric substrate that transmits light, a dielectric that is transparent to light that causes photovoltaic elements to generate photovoltaic elements is used.

[0011]

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 (1) is an oblique projection view, and FIG.
(2) is a cross-sectional view at the center. Here, it is assumed that light is incident downward from above.

In the figure, a photovoltaic element 2 has a structure in which an upper electrode 22 and a lower electrode 23 are formed on both surfaces of a photovoltaic unit 21 and are arranged on a substrate 24. Antenna 1 is
A conductor electrode to be the radiation plate 11 is formed on the upper surface of the dielectric substrate 13, and the upper electrode 22 of the photovoltaic element 2 is shared as a ground plate of the antenna.

In the present embodiment, a material transparent to light that causes photovoltaic power to be generated in the photovoltaic element 2 is used for the dielectric substrate 13 and the conductor electrode that constitutes the radiation plate 11 of the antenna 1. The first dielectric substrate 13 and the upper electrode 22 of the photovoltaic element 2 (the ground plate of the antenna 1) are arranged so as to overlap each other with a predetermined gap 3 therebetween. Void 3
Is set in the range of, for example, several mm to several cm according to the signal frequency. However, the dielectric substrate 13 and the upper surface electrode 22 may be in contact with each other as long as the characteristics of the antenna are not impaired.

Here, when a thin film made of polycrystalline silicon or amorphous silicon that generates photovoltaic power for visible light is used as the photovoltaic portion 21, a conductor forming the radiation plate 11 of the antenna 1 is used. As the electrode, an ITO film or the like transparent to visible light is used, and as the dielectric substrate 13, sapphire, quartz glass, or the like transparent to visible light is used. When the antenna 1 is formed by forming an electrode with an ITO film on the upper surface of such a glass plate, about 60% to 90% of sunlight passes through the antenna 1 and varies depending on manufacturing conditions of the ITO. The electric power required to reach the electromotive element 2 and operate the circuit associated with the antenna can be generated.

In the present embodiment, a single patch antenna using a conductor electrode patterned on the upper surface of a dielectric substrate 13 as the radiating plate 11 is shown as the antenna 1. May be formed. If the photovoltaic unit 21 has a structure that generates photovoltaic power for infrared rays and ultraviolet rays other than visible rays, the antenna 1 is made of a material that is transparent to infrared rays and ultraviolet rays.

The conductor electrodes forming the radiating plate 11 of the antenna 1 may be made of a material that is translucent with respect to light that causes the photovoltaic element 2 to generate photovoltaic power. For example, as a conductor that is translucent to visible light,
Metals such as chromium and aluminum deposited below nm can be used.

Further, a conductor electrode forming the radiation plate 11 of the antenna 1 is provided with a large number of through holes in a material opaque to light for generating photovoltaic force in the photovoltaic element 2, for example, in a mesh shape. May be used. Even if the electrode of the antenna 1 is formed using a metal such as aluminum, copper, or chrome as an opaque conductor, for example, about 80% of light can be transmitted by providing a large number of through holes in a mesh shape. It is possible. This allows sunlight to pass through the antenna 1 to reach the photovoltaic element 2 and generate power required to operate a circuit associated with the antenna.

Further, in the portion of the through hole formed in the metal electrode,
A material in which the above-described transparent conductor or translucent conductor is embedded may be used. In this case, the characteristics as a conductor can be improved rather than making the through hole a complete void.

In the configuration of the present invention described above, the antenna 1
Since the ground plate and the upper electrode 22 of the photovoltaic element 2 are shared, it may be necessary to separate the DC power generated by the photovoltaic element 2 from the high-frequency signal transmitted and received by the antenna 1. is there. FIG. 2 shows an example of an equivalent circuit for separating the DC power and the high-frequency signal.

In FIG. 2, an input / output terminal 31 for a high-frequency signal is connected to the radiation plate 11 of the antenna 1. Since the ground plane of the antenna 1 and the upper electrode 22 of the photovoltaic element 2 are shared, the electrodes must be short-circuited at high frequency and open at DC, for example, a capacitor having a capacitance of several picofarads or more. Ground via 32. Further, in order to output DC power from the electrode to the DC power output terminal 33 without being affected by a high-frequency signal, it is necessary that the interval between the electrodes be high-frequency open and DC short-circuited. 34 are connected in series.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
An embodiment will be described. FIG. 3A is an oblique projection view, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view at the center. Here, it is assumed that light is incident downward from above.

The feature of this embodiment is that, in the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a conductor electrode serving as the radiation plate 11 is formed on the lower surface of the dielectric substrate 13 constituting the antenna 1, and The photovoltaic element 2 is opposed to the base plate using the upper electrode 22. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0023]

As described above, the antenna photovoltaic element integrated device of the present invention uses a conductor electrode and a dielectric substrate which form an antenna and which can transmit light.
By arranging the photovoltaic element so that it can generate power by the light transmitted through the antenna, the antenna and the photovoltaic element that generates power for operating the circuit associated with the antenna can be integrated vertically. . As a result, the area occupied by an autonomously operable device (for example, a marker in a local position information system) can be reduced and the size can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an equivalent circuit for separating DC power and a high-frequency signal.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an antenna.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a photovoltaic element.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Antenna 2 Photovoltaic element 11 Radiating plate 12 Ground plate 13 Dielectric substrate 21 Photovoltaic part 22 Upper surface electrode (ground plate of antenna) 23 Lower surface electrode 31 High frequency signal input / output terminal 32 Capacitor 33 DC power output terminal 34 Coil

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Tohru Otsu 2-3-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Inventor Eisuke Kudo 2-3-3, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo No. 1 Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Tomohiro Seki 2-3-1, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Daisei Uchida Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 2-3-1, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Akinori Shibuya 2-3-1, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tomoaki Ogawa Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 2-3-1 Otemachi Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation F-term (reference) 5F051 AA03 AA05 BA05 BA11 EA01 FA06 GA03 JA02 5J045 DA10 MA07 NA06 5J046 AA12 AB13

Claims (5)

[Claims] An antenna made of a material or a structure that transmits light that causes photovoltaic power to be generated in a photovoltaic element, and a circuit that is disposed under the antenna and that is associated with the antenna is operated by light transmitted through the antenna. A photovoltaic element for generating electric power for causing the antenna to integrate. 2. The antenna photovoltaic element integrated device according to claim 1, wherein the photovoltaic element has a structure in which a photovoltaic unit and electrodes formed on both surfaces thereof are arranged on a substrate. The antenna uses an upper electrode of the photovoltaic element as a conductor electrode forming a ground plate, and as a conductor electrode and a dielectric substrate forming a radiation plate, with respect to light that generates photovoltaic force in the photovoltaic element. An integrated device for an antenna photovoltaic element, wherein the integrated device uses a transparent material. 3. The antenna photovoltaic element integrated device according to claim 2, wherein the conductor electrode forming the radiation plate of the antenna is transparent to light that causes the photovoltaic element to generate photovoltaic power. An antenna photovoltaic element integrated device, characterized by using a translucent material instead of a material. 4. The antenna photovoltaic element integrated device according to claim 2, wherein the conductor electrode forming the radiation plate of the antenna is transparent to light that causes the photovoltaic element to generate photovoltaic power. An antenna photovoltaic element integrated device, wherein a large number of through holes are provided in an opaque material instead of a material. 5. The antenna photovoltaic element integrated device according to claim 4, wherein the conductor electrode forming the radiation plate of the antenna is opaque to light that generates photovoltaic force in the photovoltaic element. An integrated device for an antenna photovoltaic element, wherein a conductor transparent or translucent to this light is embedded in a large number of through holes provided in a material.