Light element with a translucent surface

• US 7,227,077 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2001
• Issued: 06/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Powerpulse Holding AG
• Original Assignee: Powerpulse Holding AG
• Inventors: Kleinwachter, Ju
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Nam
• Assistant Examiner(s): FICK, ANTHONY D
• Application Number:
  US09/827,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20010054252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,252 Days
• Field of Search: 136/246, 136/259, 136/291, 136/248, 126/621, 126/600, 126/628, 126/698, 126/700, 47/17, 359/591, 359/593, 359/742, 250/203.4
• US Class Current: 136/248
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/1438 Covering materials therefor; Materials for protective coverings used for soil and plants, e.g. films, canopies, tunnels or cloches
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/243 Collecting solar energy in general F24S
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/245 Conduits for heating by means of liquids, e.g. used as frame members or for soil heating
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 20/63 in the form of windows
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 23/12 Light guides
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 23/31 having discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lenses
• 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: Y02A 40/25 Greenhouse technology, e.g. cooling systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/20 Solar thermal
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/12 using renewable energies, e.g. solar water pumping

Abstract

A light element with a translucent surface includes an energy converter, wherein the translucent surface is so formed as to direct only that portion of the radiation onto the energy converter that impinges on the translucent surface. The energy converter may be a solar cell, a fluid line or a light guide. The light element is particularly suited for illuminating interior spaces with diffuse light.

Claims

1. A greenhouse, comprising:

a plurality of frame elements forming a frame of the greenhouse,

a plurality of pillows having at least one upper translucent surface facing a radiation source, each pillow supported in a respective frame element,

a fluid element having a fluid circulating therethrough and a lens system arranged inside each pillow and formed so as to direct and concentrate only the direct incident radiation that strikes the upper translucent surface onto the fluid element, and

a thermodynamic machine extracting thermal energy from the fluid for producing at least electrical power.

2. The greenhouse of claim 1, and further comprising a heat reservoir for storing a portion of the thermal energy that is not extracted by the thermodynamic machine.

3. The greenhouse of claim 1, wherein the light collection and conversion system includes a solar cell or a photovoltaic collector;

and wherein the translucent surfaces are each an element selected from the group consisting of a Fresnel lens, a holographic lens and a refractive optical element.

4. The greenhouse of claim 3, wherein each of the pillows is made from environmentally stable fluoropolymer sheets.

5. The greenhouse of claim 1, wherein the lens system is a suntracking lens system.

6. A modular greenhouse comprising:

a plurality of modular optical elements, each optical element including first and second highly transparent cover sheets supported by a mechanically stable frame thereby forming a pillow, with a plurality of pillows forming an envelope for the greenhouse,

an optical lens system arranged inside each pillow which directs and concentrates direct incident radiation that strikes the translucent cover sheets of each pillow, and

a light collection and converting system arranged integrated in each said modular optical element for collecting light and converting light into energy.

7. The greenhouse of claim 6, wherein the pillows are inflated.

8. The greenhouse of claim 7, wherein the optical lens system inside each pillow, or the pillow itself is adapted for tracking a movement of the sun so that direct incident radiation from the sun can strike a surface of an upper pillow cover sheet, and wherein the lens system in each of the pillows is oriented in such a way as to realize a concentration of direct incident radiation into a focal area of the light collection and converting system.

9. The greenhouse of claim 8, wherein hot fluid is produced through solar radiation by the lens system and supplied to a thermodynamic machine, via a first line while cooled fluid is returned to the lens system via a second line.

10. The greenhouse of claim 9, wherein a heat reservoir is connected between the lens system and the thermodynamic machine for providing around the clock power.

11. The greenhouse of claim 8, wherein a solar cell is located in the focal area of the light collection and converting system.

12. The greenhouse of claim 6, wherein the light collection and conversion system includes a solar cell or a photovoltaic collector.

13. The greenhouse of claim 6, further comprising that diffuse radiation is transmitted through the optical lens system creating a glare free illumination for plant growing or illumination of rooms.