Solar tracking system
First Claim
1. A solar tracking system comprising a source of precalculated information regarding the path of the sun on any given day, a sensor of radiation from the sun, means for normally maintaining said sensor trained upon the sun in accordance with signals derived from said source of precalculated information, and means providing an output from said sensor for modifying said signals to reorient said sensor only upon detection by said sensor of radiation above a predetermined threshold level and failure of said sensor to remain trained upon the sun within a predetermined degree of error.
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Abstract
A dual mode solar tracking method and system in which a sensor of radiation from the sun normally tracks the sun at a rate determined by a priori information, departure from normal tracking and correction for tracking rate errors being introduced only when the errors exceed a predetermined value and the strength of radiation from the sun exceeds a predetermined threshold value.
64 Citations
10 Claims
- 1. A solar tracking system comprising a source of precalculated information regarding the path of the sun on any given day, a sensor of radiation from the sun, means for normally maintaining said sensor trained upon the sun in accordance with signals derived from said source of precalculated information, and means providing an output from said sensor for modifying said signals to reorient said sensor only upon detection by said sensor of radiation above a predetermined threshold level and failure of said sensor to remain trained upon the sun within a predetermined degree of error.
- 8. A method for tracking the path of the sun with a sensor of solar radiation which comprises the steps of normally moving said sensor about a first axis at a rate to maintain it directed along a reference axis perpendicularly to said first axis at the position of said sun as predicted by a priori information, detecting the existence of radiation from said sun, and modifying the normal rate of moving of said sensor during periods when the radiation from said sun exceeds a predetermined threshold value and the actual position of said sun departs from said position predicted by said a priori information by a predetermined error value.
Specification