ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT EXPOSURE CHAMBER FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES

• US 20110198509A1
• Filed: 10/16/2009
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atonometrics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Atonometrics, Inc.
• Inventors: Gostein, Michael, Stueve, William
• Granted Patent: US 8,440,979 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/372
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0271 Housings; Attachments or accessories for photometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/04 Optical or mechanical part supplementary adjustable parts
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0414 using plane or convex mirrors, parallel phase plates, or plane beam-splitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0422 using light concentrators, collectors or condensers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/08 Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for photometry standard sources, also using luminescent or radioactive material
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/4266 for measuring solar light
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2642 Testing semiconductor operation lifetime or reliability, e.g. by accelerated life tests
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2881 related to environmental aspects other than temperature, e.g. humidity or vibrations

Abstract

An apparatus for performing UV light exposure testing of solar panels, also known as PV modules, with superior exposure uniformity, equipment throughput, and floor space requirements, consisting of a chamber including a plurality of UV lamps in a lamp array, at least one target plane, and reflective panels positioned within the chamber to redirect UV light to the target plane(s).

Claims

1. An apparatus for exposing photovoltaic (PV) modules to ultraviolet light, comprising:

a vertically oriented lamp array, said lamp array comprised of a plurality of ultraviolet (UV) light sources;

at least one vertically oriented target plane; and

at least one reflector, said at least one reflector oriented to direct UV light from said lamp array to said at least one target plane.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising two vertically oriented target planes, said target planes oriented on opposite sides of said lamp array, and said at least one reflector oriented to direct UV light from said lamp array to said two target planes.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said UV light sources include fluorescent tube lamps.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said fluorescent tube lamps are oriented vertically.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, additionally comprising additional UV light sources near the ends of said fluorescent tube lamps.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the intensity of said additional UV light sources is adjustable.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein at least one of said at least one reflector or at least one opaque shield interferes with said UV light from the ends of said fluorescent tube lamps.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said UV light sources include one or more of:

high intensity discharge lamps;

arc lamps; and

UV light emitting diodes.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one reflector includes at least two flat reflectors disposed substantially at each horizontal end of said lamp array.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said at least one reflector additionally includes:

at least one flat reflector at each of the top and bottom of said lamp array;

or

at least two flat reflectors at each of the top and bottom of said lamp array, said at least two flat reflectors oriented to approximate a curved reflector.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one reflector includes:

at least one flat reflector at each of the top and bottom of said lamp array;

or

at least two flat reflectors at each of the top and bottom of said lamp array, said at least two flat reflectors oriented to approximate a curved reflector.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein any one or more of the position, orientation, and size of said at least one reflector is automatically adjusted.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position and/or the orientation of said at least one reflector has at least one predetermined adjustment setpoint.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the distance from at least one of said at least one reflectors to the light emitting portion of the nearest UV light source or group of UV light sources is at most one half the spacing between said UV light sources.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the number or intensity of said UV light sources is increased, relative to the remainder of said lamp array, near the edge of said lamp array to provide enhanced exposure uniformity on said at least one target plane.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position of said UV light sources near the edge of said lamp array is closer to said at least one target plane than the position of said UV light sources near the center of said lamp array to provide enhanced exposure uniformity on said at least one target plane.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the intensity of one or more of said UV light sources or groups of said UV light sources is independently adjustable.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, additionally comprising a computer system, said computer system having logic and/or circuitry to monitor and control the apparatus.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, further including at least one cooling fan, wherein said at least one cooling fan automatically adjusts to maintain a predetermined temperature within the apparatus.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, additionally comprising one or more sensor units for measuring the intensity of said UV light.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said one or more sensor units includes a photodiode.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said one or more sensor units include a temperature measurement device for measuring the temperature of said sensor unit, said temperature measurement used to compensate for variations in said intensity measurement caused by variations of the temperature of said sensor unit.

23. The apparatus of claim 1, additionally comprising an internal air recirculation system.

24. The apparatus of claim 1, additionally comprising at least one safety shield disposed between said lamp array and said at least one target plane, said safety shield at least partially transparent.

25. The apparatus of claim 1, additionally comprising one or more opaque light shields, said one or more opaque light shields disposed between said lamp array and said at least one target plane such that the intensity of said UV light is more uniform across said at least one target plane.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein any one or more of the size, shape, and position of said one or more opaque light shields is automatically adjusted.

27. The apparatus of claim 1, additionally comprising an optically diffusing material interposed between said lamp array and said at least one target plane such that the light at the at least one target plane is more uniform.

28. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said UV light sources comprise at least two types of UV light sources, said types with different emission spectra.

29. The apparatus of claim 1, additionally comprising at least one temperature measurement device at or near one or more of said UV light sources.

30. The apparatus of claim 1, additionally comprising at least one cooling fan, said cooling fan adjusting the temperature of at least one of said UV light sources thereby changing the intensity of said UV light from said at least one of said UV light sources.