Solar servo control tracking device

• US 20090229597A1
• Filed: 08/15/2008
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SDN Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Seoul Marine Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Shin, Kyoo Jae, Lin, In Cheol, Choi, Kee Hyok, Woo, Hyeok Jae, Kim, Hyun Woo
• Granted Patent: US 8,042,534 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 126/578
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 2030/135 in the form of threaded elements
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 30/425 Horizontal axis
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 50/20 for tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/7861 Solar tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 20/10 Supporting structures directly fixed to the ground H02S20/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 20/32 specially adapted for solar tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/32 comprising DC/AC inverter means associated with the PV module itself, e.g. AC modules
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/42 Cooling means cooling means directly associated or integrated with the PV cell H01L31/052
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/47 Mountings or tracking
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

A solar servo control tracking device is disclosed. The device includes: an integrated control device having a solar cell sensor unit detecting luminance at a solar azimuth, and an integrated control panel transmitting a control signal at a maximal solar azimuth, calculated by comparing a solar azimuth from the luminance at a solar azimuth; and solar tracking devices, respectively having a tracking device controller receiving the control signal via a wireless link, a high torque driving unit with an AC single phase inductor to generate driving torque by the control signal from the tracking device controller, solar module assemblies driven by the high torque driving unit to track the solar azimuth in accordance with the control signal, and an operating angle sensor unit installed to the high torque driving unit to detect operating angles of the solar module assemblies that track the sun by the control signal.

Claims

1. A solar servo control tracking device comprising:

an integrated control device including;

a single solar cell sensor unit detecting luminance of sunrays with respect to a solar azimuth;

an integrated control panel remotely transmitting a control signal based on a maximal solar azimuth that is calculated by comparing a solar azimuth based on the luminance of sunrays detected by the solar cell sensor unit with a solar azimuth measured in real time;

Multiple solar tracking devices, each of the solar tracking devices including;

a tracking device controller remotely receiving the control signal through a wireless communication;

a high torque driving unit having an AC single phase inductor to generate a driving torque by servo-control of the tracking device controller in accordance with the control signal;

a plurality of solar module assemblies driven by the high torque driving unit to track the solar azimuth in accordance with the control signal; and

an operating angle sensor unit installed to the high torque driving unit to detect a plurality of operating angles of the solar module assemblies that track the sun in accordance with the control signal.

2. The solar servo control tracking device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the integrated control panel and each of the tracking device controllers further include a wireless communication module, a TCP/IP communication module, and either a RF communication module or a Bluetooth communication module to enable to remotely monitor operating states of the solar module assemblies and the solar cell sensor unit with respect to the solar azimuth through the wireless communication modules and to remotely control the integrated control panel and the tracking device controllers through the TCP/IP communication modules and either the RF communication modules or the Bluetooth communication modules when the solar module assemblies and the solar cell sensor unit cannot track the sun in accordance with the solar azimuth.

3. The solar servo control tracking device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the high torque driving units is installed in the middle of the solar module assemblies, and comprises:

an AC single phase inductor driven by a servo-control performed by the tracking device controller;

a cooling fan attached to the AC single phase inductor to cool the AC single phase inductor;

a primary reducer, a secondary reducer, and a third worm reducer, sequentially connected to the AC single phase inductor to generate a high torque, the third worm reducer having a pinion and a worm wheel to which a solar module assembly adjusting shaft of the solar module assembly is installed.

4. The solar servo control tracking device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the operating angle sensor unit comprises:

a sensor pinion connected to the pinion;

a sensor worm wheel connected to the sensor pinion; and

an operating angle sensor installed to a rotation shaft of the sensor worm wheel.

5. The solar servo control tracking device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the operating angle detected by the operating angle sensor is transmitted to the integrated control panel through the tracking device controller.

6. The solar servo control tracking device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the solar cell sensor unit comprises:

a stepping motor providing rotary power in order to measure an incident angle of sun rays entering at a maximal luminance such that a solar cell scans luminance of 30 degrees to 150 degrees;

a solar cell rotation shaft transmitting the rotary power of the stepping motor;

a rotation angle sensor measuring an azimuth with respect to the luminance of the sunrays;

a solar cell installed to the solar cell rotation shaft to measure the luminance of the sunrays;

a base plate 400 having a support to which the stepping motor, the solar cell rotation shaft, and the rotation angle sensor are installed;

a case installed on the base plate to enclose and protect the stepping motor, the solar cell, the solar cell rotation shaft, and the rotation angle sensor;

a transparent semi-spherical body installed on the top of the case to protect the components in the case against water and moisture; and

a waterproof connector installed to the case to connect an electric wire providing electric power and to input the control signal from the integrated control panel to the stepping motor and to output a signal from the rotation angle sensor.

7. The solar servo control tracking device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the integrated control panel measures the luminance of sunrays in a range of 30°

to 150°

through the solar cell sensor unit, analyses the measured luminance of sunrays with respect to the operating angle detected by the operating angle sensor units to set an operation angle range of the maximal luminance, and compares the solar azimuth measured in real time with the operating angle range at the maximal luminance to calculate an operating angle control signal of the solar module assemblies and to transmit the operating angle control signal to the tracking device controllers via a wireless link.; and

each of the tracking device controllers receives the operating angle control signal from the integrated control panel to calculate an error of the operating angle measured by the operating angle sensor unit, performs the compensation by the proportional-integral-derivative (PID) servo-control using the calculation to drive the AC single phase inductor so as to drive the solar module assembly, and transmits the operating angle of the solar module assembly and the phase current signal of the AC single phase inductor to the integrated control panel via a wireless link when the solar module assembly malfunctions in being unable to track in accordance with the operating angle control signal.

8. The solar servo control tracking device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the integrated control panel receives the operating angles of the solar module assemblies and the measured phase currents of the AC single phase inductors from the tracking device controllers via a wireless link to transmit the operating angle control signals to the tracking device controllers to be operated by the operating angle control signals, or to transmit control signals to the tracking device controllers to stop the solar module assemblies when the AC single phase inductors are in an over-current state.

9. The solar servo control tracking device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the solar module assemblies comprises solar panels of a 4×

4 matrix array and the number of the solar module assemblies is at least six.

10. The solar servo control tracking device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the integrated control panel comprises:

a manual/automatic mode switch selected by an operator;

a real time counter to which a period is set to measure the solar azimuth by time period in real time;

a first buffer circuit to which a rotation angle of the solar cell sensor unit is input through the manual/automatic mode switch selected by the operator;

a second buffer circuit to which the luminance of sunrays, measured at the rotation angle by the solar cell sensor unit by the selection of the manual/automatic mode switch, is input;

a microcomputer receiving the rotation angles of the first and second buffer circuits and the luminance of sunrays to output a rotation angle control signal through Darlington transistors to the solar cell sensor unit, and outputting an operating angle control signal with respect to a maximal solar azimuth calculated by comparing the solar azimuth with respect to the luminance of sunrays with a solar azimuth that is measured in real time in accordance with the period of the real time counter;

a wireless communication module transmitting the operating angle control signal to the tracking device controllers;

a memory in which data of phase current of the AC single phase and the operating angles of the solar module assemblies received from the tracking device controllers through the wireless communication module are stored; and

a TCP/IP communication module transmitting the phase current and operating angle data read and outputted from the memory by the microcomputer.

11. The solar servo control tracking device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the tracking device controllers comprises:

a manual/automatic mode switch selected by an operator;

a buffer circuit to which the operating angle of the solar module assembly detected by the operating angle sensor unit is inputted when the automatic mode of the manual/automatic mode switch is selected by the operator;

wireless communication modules receiving an operating angle control signal remotely transmitted by the integrated control panel;

a microcomputer having a memory storing the operating angle and the phase current of the AC single phase inductor and outputting a servo-control signal for a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) servo-control of the solar module assembly to the AC single phase inductor of the high torque driving unit through a forward relay and a reverse relay in accordance with a value calculated from the operating angle inputted through the buffer circuit and the operating angle control signal inputted through the wireless communication modules to control the operating angle of the solar module assembly; and

either an RF communication module or a Bluetooth communication module remotely transmitting data on the operating angle and the phase current of the AC single phase inductor stored in the memory.

12. The solar servo control tracking device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the microcomputer of the integrated control panel further outputs a maximal solar azimuth;

the wireless communication module of the integrated control panel remotely transmits the outputted maximal solar azimuth to the tracking device controllers;

each of the tracking device controllers further comprises a real time counter to which a period is set to measure the solar azimuth by time period in real time;

the wireless communication modules of the respective tracking device controllers remotely receive the maximal solar azimuth;

each of the microcomputers of the tracking device controllers compares the maximal solar azimuth remotely received through the wireless communication modules with the solar azimuth calculated by a real time azimuth equation using the real time counter, and outputs only the verified operating angle control signal to the AC single phase inductors of the high torque driving units.

13. The solar servo control tracking device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the integrated control panel further comprises:

a horizontal position angle correction mode switch initially sets horizontal angles of the solar module assemblies; and

a time setting mode switch sets an initial time of the integrated control panel in real time.

14. The solar servo control tracking device as claimed in claim 11, wherein each of the tracking device controllers further comprises:

a horizontal position angle correction mode switch initially sets horizontal angles of the solar module assemblies; and

a time setting mode switch sets an initial time of each of the tracking device controllers in real time.