Multi-element concentrator system
First Claim
1. A system for concentrating sunlight, said system comprising:
- an array of reflective elements, refractive elements, or a combination thereof, each of said reflective elements and said refractive elements comprising (i) a rigid slab comprising a conductive material that has a reflective or refractive top surface and (ii) a tilt mechanism that tilts said rigid slab, said tilt mechanism comprising an X-direction actuation mechanism and a Y-direction actuation mechanism;
at least two photodetectors located a distance from each other;
a differential tracker receiving signals from said photodetectors and generating a tracking signal related to or proportional to said signals from said photodetectors;
a tracking and control processor receiving said tracking signal from said differential tracker and controlling said tilt mechanisms such that said rigid slabs are tilted in the X-direction and the Y-direction in response thereto; and
a target that coverts sunlight to another form of energy, configured to absorb energy reflected from the reflective elements, the refractive elements, or the combination thereof.
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Abstract
A novel concentrator system is described, which increases the efficiency of collecting and concentrating sunlight energy onto a target. This method uses an array of small movable reflective or refractive concentrator components that can move via a feedback mechanism which tracks the sun and concentrates the suns energy on to a second array of energy converting elements. In order to improve the effective collected energy, the array of concentrator elements is placed on a moving or tiltable flat slab (or dish, substrate, plane, plate, holder, tablet, or similar flat or non-flat surface) that tracks the sun. An alternative method uses an array of target elements or linear elements and a second array of concentrator elements in harmony such that the suns energy is efficiently redistributed by the reflective or refractive array on to the energy converting array as the sun'"'"'s position in the sky (elevation and azimuth) changes. The elements of the reflective or refractive array are tilted by novel actuation mechanisms describe herein.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for concentrating sunlight, said system comprising:
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an array of reflective elements, refractive elements, or a combination thereof, each of said reflective elements and said refractive elements comprising (i) a rigid slab comprising a conductive material that has a reflective or refractive top surface and (ii) a tilt mechanism that tilts said rigid slab, said tilt mechanism comprising an X-direction actuation mechanism and a Y-direction actuation mechanism; at least two photodetectors located a distance from each other; a differential tracker receiving signals from said photodetectors and generating a tracking signal related to or proportional to said signals from said photodetectors; a tracking and control processor receiving said tracking signal from said differential tracker and controlling said tilt mechanisms such that said rigid slabs are tilted in the X-direction and the Y-direction in response thereto; and a target that coverts sunlight to another form of energy, configured to absorb energy reflected from the reflective elements, the refractive elements, or the combination thereof. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for concentrating sunlight, said system comprising:
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detecting a difference in an angle of sun rays received by at least two photodetectors located a distance from each other; generating a tracking signal related to or proportional to said difference in said angle of sun rays; tilting an array of reflective or refractive elements in an X-direction and/or a Y-direction towards one or more targets using a tilt mechanism, each of said reflective or refractive elements being on a rigid slab, said tilt mechanism tilting said rigid slabs and comprising an X-direction actuation mechanism and a Y-direction actuation mechanism, said X-direction actuation mechanism and said Y-direction actuation mechanism being responsive to said tracking signal; and converting sunlight to another form of energy using said one or more targets. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification