Hybrid primary optical component for optical concentrators

• US 20070188876A1
• Filed: 01/17/2007
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Suncore Photovoltaics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Soliant Energy, Inc. (Emcore Corporation)
• Inventors: Johnson, Richard, Hines, Braden
• Granted Patent: US 7,688,525 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/642
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 23/00 Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 23/30 with lenses
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 23/31 having discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lenses
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 23/71 with parabolic reflective surfaces with cylindro-parabolic reflective surfaces F24S23/74
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 23/74 with trough-shaped or cylindro-parabolic reflective surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0028 refractive and reflective surfaces, e.g. non-imaging catadioptric systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0042 for use with direct solar radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/08 with discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lens diffractive Fresnel lenses G02B5/1876
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0543 comprising light concentrating means of the refractive type, e.g. lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0547 comprising light concentrating means of the reflecting type, e.g. parabolic mirrors, concentrators using total internal reflection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/40 Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/44 Heat exchange systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/52 PV systems with concentrators

Abstract

A hybrid optical component that collects and concentrates incident light. The hybrid component includes both refractive and reflective elements. In preferred embodiments, refractive and reflective components focus rays on a common focal plane generally located at the bottom of the reflector where they are absorbed by a device such as a photovoltaic (solar) cell. Additionally, the optical component combines both imaging and non-imaging optical elements into a single device, for improved overall performance.

Claims

1. A hybrid, concentrating optical component, comprising:

i. an aperture;

ii. a reflective optical element that collects and focuses light onto a first target for a first portion of the aperture; and

iii. a refractive optical element that collects and focuses light onto a second target for a second portion of the aperture.

2. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 1, wherein the first and second targets are the same.

3. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 1, wherein the first and second targets comprise a portion of a common focal plane.

4. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 3, wherein the common focal plane is proximal to a bottom focus of the optical system.

5. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 3, wherein the common focal plane comprises an aperture to one or more secondary optics.

6. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second targets is an aperture of one or more secondary optics.

7. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 1, wherein the component concentrates light onto a line.

8. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 1, wherein the component concentrates light onto a point.

9. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 1, wherein the component is a constituent of a system that is self-powered.

10. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 1, wherein the component is a constituent of a system that includes a plurality of articulating modules, said optical component concentrating light for at least one of said modules.

11. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 1, wherein the reflective element is a bottom focusing, reflective dish.

12. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 1, wherein the reflective element is a bottom focusing reflective trough.

13. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 1, wherein the refractive element comprises a fresnel lens.

14. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 13, wherein the fresnel lens concentrates light onto a line.

15. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 13, wherein the fresnel lens concentrates light onto a point.

16. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 1, wherein the refractive optical element and the reflective optical element have a common optical axis.

17. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 16, wherein the refractive element is centered upon the common optical axis.

18. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 2, wherein the component comprises an aperture region associated with reflected light that passed through said aperture region and that is non-absorbed by the target, and wherein the refractive optical element is positioned in a manner effective to cause refracted light that passes through said aperture region to be absorbed by the target.

19. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 1, wherein a cover fits over a light receiving end of the reflective optical component, said cover incorporating the refractive optical element.

20. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 1, wherein the refractive element is positioned in a portion of the aperture that is unusable by the reflective element for concentration.

21. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 1, wherein the refractive element is a lens.

22. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 1, wherein the refractive element is a fresnel lens.

23. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 1, wherein the reflective element is a reflecting surface that has a geometry selected from a linear, parabolic, spherical, elliptical, and hyperbolic profile.

24. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 1, comprising first and second reflective elements, each element collecting and concentrating incident light for respective portions of the aperture.

25. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 1, wherein the reflecting element comprises a plurality of facets.

26. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 1, further comprising a path for diffuse radiation to reach to a target surface.

27. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 26, wherein the optical path for diffuse radiation impinges on the target surface without being reflected onto the target surface.

28. The hybrid concentrating optical component of claim 27, wherein the optical path for diffuse radiation impinges on the target surface without being refracted onto the target surface.

29. A method of making an optical concentrating component, comprising the steps of:

i. providing a light reflecting element that collects incident light from a first portion of an aperture and concentrates the light onto a target; and

ii. providing a refractive element that captures incident light from a second portion of the aperture and concentrates the light onto the target.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the aperture has a region that is unusable for concentration by the reflecting element, and wherein the refractive element is positioned to collect and concentrate light for said region.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising an additional reflecting element that collects and concentrates light onto the target from a third portion of the aperture.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the refractive element is a lens.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the refractive element is incorporated into a cover that fits over a light receiving end of the reflecting element.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the reflecting element has a bottom focus.

35. A method of collecting and concentrating incident light, comprising the steps of:

i. collecting light from a first portion of an aperture and reflecting the light from said first portion onto a target; and

ii. collecting light from a second portion of the aperture and refracting the light from said second portion onto the target.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the aperture has a region that is unusable for concentration by the reflecting element, and wherein the refractive element is positioned to collect and concentrate light for said region.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising an additional reflecting element that collects and concentrates light onto the target from a third portion of the aperture.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein the refractive element is a lens.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein the refractive element is incorporated into a cover that fits over a light receiving end of the reflecting element.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein the reflecting element has a bottom focus.