Solar radiation sensor for use in an automatic air conditioner

• US 5,065,015 A
• Filed: 02/15/1989
• Issued: 11/12/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ito, Toshikazu, Tezuka, Akira, Horiguchi, Hyosei, Kagohata, Tsuneo
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALLEN, STEPHONE B
• Application Number:
  US07/310,647
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 250/211 R, 250/211 J, 250/551, 250/237 R, 250/203.4, 357/30, 357/47, 357/48, 356/225
• US Class Current: 250/237.00R
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/0075 the input being solar radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0204 Compact construction
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0266 Field-of-view determination; Aiming or pointing of a photometer; Adjusting alignment; Encoding angular position; Size of the measurement area; Position tracking; Photodetection involving different fields of view for a single detector
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/04 Optical or mechanical part supplementary adjustable parts
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0437 using masks, aperture plates, spatial light modulators, spatial filters, e.g. reflective filters
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0203 Containers; Encapsulations , e.g. encapsulation of photodiodesfor photovoltaic devices H01L31/048; for organic photosensitive devices H10K30/80
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02164 for shielding light, e.g. light blocking layers, cold shields for infrared detectors

Abstract

Disclosed is a solar radiation sensor apparatus. A light-blocking plate is provided above the light-receiving surface of a photoelectric element, and has an area smaller than the area of the light-receiving surface. The incident angle sensitivity characteristic of the sensor apparatus can be improved without involving any increase in the external dimensions of the sensor apparatus.

Claims

1. A solar radiation sensor apparatus comprising:

a photoelectric element having a light-receiving surface; and

a light-blocking plate disposed a predetermined distance above said light-receiving surface and having an area smaller than the area of said light-receiving surface;

wherein the predetermined distance and the area of the light-blocking plate are selected such that the light-blocking plate blocks solar radiation from illuminating a portion of the light-receiving surface when an incident angle of the solar radiation is less than a predetermined incident angle and permits the solar radiation to illuminate the entire light-receiving surface when the incident angle of the solar radiation is at least equal to the predetermined incident angle.

2. A solar radiation sensor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the center of said light-receiving surface and the center of said light-blocking plate are shifted from each other.

3. A solar radiation sensor apparatus comprising:

a photoelectric element having alight-receiving surface; and

a light-blocking plate disposed a predetermined distance above said light-receiving surface and having an area smaller than the area of said light-receiving surface;

wherein the ratio of the area of said light-blocking plate with respect to the area of said light-receiving surface is between 0.4 to 0.8, and the ratio of the distance between said light-receiving surface and said light-blocking plate with respect to the width of said light-receiving surface is between 0.4 to 1.0.

4. A solar radiation sensor apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the center of said light-receiving surface and the center of said light-blocking plate are shifted from each other.

5. A solar radiation sensor apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said light-blocking plate is pyramid-shaped, and is disposed with the apex of the pyramid shape being directed to said light-receiving surface, side faces of the pyramid shape being mirror-finished.

6. A solar radiation sensor apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the center of light-receiving surface and the center of said light-blocking plate are shifted from each other.

7. A solar radiation sensor apparatus comprising:

a photoelectric element having a light-receiving surface; and

a light-blocking plate disposed a predetermined distance above said light-receiving surface and having an area smaller than the area of said light-receiving surface;

wherein said light-blocking plate is pyramid-shaped, and is disposed with the apex of the pyramid shape being directed to said light-receiving surface, side faces of the pyramid shape being mirror-finished.

8. A solar radiation sensor apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the center of said light-receiving surface and the center of said light-blocking plate are shifted from each other.

9. A solar radiation sensor apparatus comprising:

a photoelectric element having alight-receiving surface; and

a light-blocking plate disposed above said light-receiving surface and having an area smaller than the area of said light-receiving surface, said light-blocking plate being disposed in such a manner that, when the incident angle θ

of solar radiation is between 30° and

60°

, the entire light-receiving surface is irradiated by the incident rays.

10. A solar radiation sensor apparatus comprising:

a photoelectric-element semiconductor chip having a light-receiving surface;

a transparent body which is mold-formed around the entire periphery of said semiconductor chip except said light-receiving surface;

a piece of light-blocking tape having an area smaller than the area of said light-receiving surface and serving as a light-blocking plate, said piece of light-blocking tape being adhered to a surface comprising at least one of glass and mold-formed resin, said surface being disposed at a predetermined distance from said light-receiving surface of said semiconductor chip; and

leads for supplying electric power.

11. A solar radiation sensor apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the ratio of the area of said light-blocking plate with respect to the area of said light-receiving surface is between 0.4 and 0.8, and the ratio of the distance between said light-receiving surface and said light-blocking plate with respect tot he width of said light-receiving surface is between 0.4 and 1.0.

12. A solar radiation sensor apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said light-blocking plate is pyramid-shaped, and is disposed with the apex of the pyramid shape being directed to said light-receiving surface, side faces of the pyramid shape being mirror-finished.

13. A solar radiation sensor apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the center of said light-receiving surface and the center of said light-blocking plate are shifted from each other.

14. A solar radiation sensor apparatus comprising:

a photodiode on an upper surface of which a photoelectric-element semiconductor chip having a light-receiving surface is disposed;

a transparent substrate which covers an upper surface of said semiconductor chip and on which a light-blocking portion having an area smaller than the area of the light-receiving surface is printed, said light-blocking portion being printed on said transparent substrate at a predetermine distance from said upper surface of said semiconductor chip;

an inner case surrounding the periphery of said photodiode;

an outer case surrounding the peripheries of said transparent substrate and said inner case; and

a filler material which fills an opening of said outer case and in which leads are partially impregnated.