OPTICAL ENERGY TRANSMISSION SYSTEM

• US 20160005907A1
• Filed: 05/28/2015
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deutsches Zentrum Fã¼R Luft- Und Raumfahrt E.V.
• Original Assignee: Deutsches Zentrum Fã¼R Luft- Und Raumfahrt E.V.
• Inventors: Giesen, Adolf, Anders, Stephan, Eckel, Hans-Albert
• Granted Patent: US 9,985,157 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/145 having sequential partially reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/003 Light absorbing elements
• 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: H01L 31/056 the light-reflecting means being of the back surface reflector [BSR] type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/30 using light, e.g. lasers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/807 Optical power feeding, i.e. transmitting power using an optical signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/52 PV systems with concentrators

Abstract

An optical energy transmission system having an energy-emitting unit is provided. The energy-emitting unit has a laser radiation source for generating an energy-transmitting laser beam and an aiming device for aligning the energy-transmitting laser beam relative to an energy-receiving unit which includes an optical/electrical converter, which converts the energy of the energy-transmitting laser beam into electrical energy. The converter has at least one converter element having a plurality of surfaces which reflect the energy-transmitting laser beam and which are arranged relative to one another such that the impinging energy-transmitting laser beam is deflected by one of the reflective surfaces to another one of the reflective surfaces. At least some of the reflective surfaces are formed by a conversion unit which reflects one part of the impinging laser beam and absorbs the other part thereof in a photovoltaic element, and in the process converts the optical energy into electrical energy.

Claims

1. An optical energy transmission system, comprising an energy-emitting unit, which comprises a laser radiation source for generating an energy-transmitting laser beam and an aiming device for aligning the energy-transmitting laser beam relative to an energy-receiving unit which is comprised by the energy transmission system and which comprises an optical/electrical converter that converts the energy of the energy-transmitting laser beam directly into electrical energy, wherein the converter comprises at least one converter element having a plurality of surfaces which reflect the energy-transmitting laser beam impinging on said converter element and which are arranged relative to one another such that the impinging energy-transmitting laser beam is deflected by one of the reflective surfaces to another one of the reflective surfaces, and that at least some of the reflective surfaces are formed in each case by a conversion unit which reflects one part of the impinging laser beam and absorbs the other part thereof in a photovoltaic element which is comprised by the conversion unit, and in the process converts the optical energy directly into electrical energy.

2. The energy transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the respective conversion unit comprises the photovoltaic element and a reflection-determining coating disposed on a radiation entrance surface of the photovoltaic element.

3. The energy-transmitting system according to claim 1, wherein the converter is formed such that the energy-transmitting laser beam impinges on the first reflective surface at an incident angle that is 80°

or less.

4. The energy-transmitting system according to claim 1, wherein all conversion units of a converter have the same reflectance and absorptance.

5. The energy-transmitting system according to claim 1, wherein the conversion units successively acted on by the laser beam have different reflectances and absorptances.

6. The energy-transmitting system according to claim 5, wherein in the case of the conversion units successively acted on by the energy-transmitting laser beam, the reflectance decreases and the absorptance increases in the order in which they are acted on by the energy-transmitting laser beam.

7. The energy-transmitting system according to claim 1, wherein the reflective surfaces reflect the energy-transmitting laser beam in such a manner that the beam extends overall in two spatial directions in the converter element.

8. The energy-transmitting system according to claim 1, wherein the reflective surfaces reflect the energy-transmitting laser beam in such a manner that the beam extends overall in three spatial directions in the converter element.

9. The energy-transmitting system according to claim 1, wherein the reflective surfaces of the converter element run at an angle in the range between 40°

and 50°

to the respective portion of the laser beam impinging on these reflective surfaces.

10. The energy-transmitting system according to claim 1, wherein the converter element is constructed such that after reflection of the energy-transmitting laser beam at a plurality of reflected surfaces, the converter element reflects the energy-transmitting laser beam back on itself.

11. The energy-transmitting system according to claim 10, wherein the converter element comprises a triple prism that reflects the laser beam back on itself.

12. The energy-transmitting system according to claim 1, wherein after reflection of the energy-transmitting laser beam at a plurality of reflective surfaces, the converter element absorbs the energy-transmitting laser beam essentially completely by the last conversion unit.

13. The energy-transmitting system according to any one of the claim 1, wherein the aiming device comprises an aiming control which controls the alignment of the energy-transmitting laser beam relative to the energy-receiving unit.

14. The energy-transmitting system according to claim 1, wherein the aiming device has comprises a target detection unit which detects a position of an impingement area of the energy-receiving unit, which impingement area is provided for the energy-transmitting laser beam.

15. The energy-transmitting system according to claim 14, wherein the target detection unit detects the position of the impingement area within a spatial detection range.

16. The energy-transmitting system according to claim 1, wherein the aiming device detects impingement of the energy-transmitting laser beam on an impingement area of the energy-receiving unit, and prevents the energy-transmitting laser beam from exiting the energy-emitting unit if the energy-transmitting laser beam does not impinge on the impingement area.