Solid-state sun tracker
This invention deals with the general topic of adaptive non-imaging tracking of the sun. A transmission-mode electro-optical system is presented for solar energy tracking and collection. The scale of the system may range from small portable systems to large-scale industrial power plants used for the production of environmentally benign energy. It maybe integrated directly into buildings and other platforms without the need for heliostats to hold photovoltaic cells or other energy conversion devices above the building or other host platform. It makes solar energy harvesting systems practical by allowing the separation of tracking, collection, concentration, aggregation, distribution, and energy conversion. This novel system is unique and distinct from other sun tracking and energy conversion systems because it allows adaptive solid-state electronics to be used in place of conventional mechanical tracking heliostats. Furthermore, it is highly precise and therefore allows very high levels of concentration to be achieved in an dynamic environment. It is also cost effective because it leverages integrated opto-electronics instead of mechanical devices to perform sun tracking.
1. A solid-state transmission-mode optical system for tracking a light source, comprising:
a. a first member of a transparent rotor having a first refractive index,
b. a second member of said transparent rotor having a second refractive index,
c. a first member of a transparent stator also having said first refractive index,
d. a second member of said transparent stator also having said second refractive index,
e. a flat optical boundary, positioned between said first and said second members of said transparent stator, and formed by the physically contiguous joining of said first and said second members of said transparent rotor, wherein said first refractive index is different from said second refractive index, and said first and second refractive indices are selected to enable refractive transmission of light across the optical boundary of said first and second members of said transparent rotor in a predetermined output direction for receiving refracted light from the light source, and
f. a means to induce a torque in a desired direction on the entirety of said first and said second members of said transparent rotor relative to said first and said second members of said transparent stator, whereby the induced torque on said transparent rotor, relative to said transparent stator, causes said transparent rotor to track said light source so that light passing through the said transparent rotor is refracted at said optical boundary and causing said light to be redirected to a desired output direction for concentration, distribution, or energy conversion.
2. The system for redirecting light in claim 1 wherein said optical system for tracking light is arrayed into an array having one degree of angle-tracking freedom.
3. The system for redirecting light in claim 1 wherein said optical system for tracking light is arrayed into an array having two degrees of angle-tracking freedom.
4. The system for redirecting light in claim 1 wherein said transparent rotor is cylindrical.
5. The system for redirecting light in claim 1 wherein said transparent rotor is spherical.
6. The system for redirecting light in claim 1 wherein said transparent rotor and said transparent stator contain optical coatings at one or more boundaries in order to suppress reflections and selectively suppress the passage of certain wavelengths of light.
7. The system for light redirection in claim 1 wherein said redirected light is used to produce power.
8. The system for light redirection in claim 1 wherein said redirected light is used to produce light at a user defined level of concentration.
9. The system for light redirection in claim 1 wherein said redirected light is used to produce electricity.
10. The system for light redirection in claim 1 wherein said redirected light is used to produce stored electrical energy.
11. The system for light redirection in claim 1 wherein said redirected light is used to produce stored chemical energy.
12. The system for light redirection in claim 1 wherein said redirected light is used to produce desalinated water.
13. The system for light redirection in claim 1 wherein said redirected light is used to process materials.
14. The system for light redirection in claim 1 wherein said redirected and concentrated light is used to power a vehicle by storing the energy in real time and then consuming said stored energy at a later time.
15. The system for light redirection in claim 1 wherein said means to induce a torque is based on electric forces.
16. The system for light redirection in claim 1 wherein said means to induce a torque is based on magnetic forces.
17. The system for light redirection in claim 1 wherein said means to induce a torque is based on mechanical forces from the thermal expansion or contraction of materials.
18. The system for light redirection in claim 1 wherein said means to induce a torque is based on the expansion or contraction of a hydrogel or active polymer.
19. The system for light redirection in claim 1 wherein said means to induce a torque is based on acoustic waves.
20. The system for light redirection in claim 1 wherein said rotor and said stator have a means to accurately determine absolute angular position relative to each other.
21. A solid-state transmission-mode optical system for tracking a light source, comprising:
a. a first member of a transparent electrically-resistive electret rotor having a first refractive index and a first bound charge distribution,
b. a second member of said transparent electrically-resistive electret rotor having a second refractive index and a second bound charge distribution,
c. a first member of a transparent stator also having said first refractive index,
d. a second member of said transparent stator also having said second refractive index,
e. a flat optical boundary, positioned between said first and said second members of said transparent electrically-resistive electret rotor, and formed by the physically contiguous joining of said first and said second members of said transparent electrically-resistive electret rotor, wherein said first refractive index is different from said second refractive index, and said first and second refractive indices are selected to enable refractive transmission of light across the optical boundary of said first and second members of said transparent rotor in a predetermined output direction for receiving refracted light from the light source, and
f. an array of torque inducing electrodes positioned on said transparent stator for creating an unstable, but controllable, torque system on said transparent electrically-resistive electret rotor,
g. an array of perturbation electrodes, separate and distinct from said torque electrodes, to select a particular torque direction from said unstable, but controllable, torque system, whereby said torque inducing electrodes induce unbound charges having a relatively large capacitive-resistive time-constant relative to the desired rotor speed on said transparent and electrically-resistive electret rotor, and further creating a torque relative to said transparent stator and causing said transparent electrically-resistive electret rotor to track said light source so that light passing through said transparent electrically-resistive electret rotor is refracted at said optical boundary, causing said light to be redirected to a desired output direction.
22. The system for light redirection in claim 21 wherein said perturbation electrodes have a discrete geometry.
23. The system for light redirection in claim 21 wherein said perturbation electrodes have a continuous geometry.
24. The system for redirecting light in claim 21 wherein said optical system for tracking light is arrayed into an array having one degree of angle-tracking freedom.
25. The system for redirecting light in claim 21 wherein said optical system for tracking light is arrayed into an array having two degrees of angle-tracking freedom.
26. The system for redirecting light in claim 21 wherein said transparent electrically-resistive electret rotor is cylindrical.
27. The system for redirecting light in claim 21 wherein said transparent electrically-resistive electret rotor is spherical.
28. The system for redirecting light in claim 21 wherein said transparent electrically-resistive electret rotor and said transparent stator contain optical coatings at one or more boundaries.
29. The system for light redirection in claim 21 wherein said redirected light is used to produce power.
30. The system for light redirection in claim 21 wherein said redirected light is used to produce light at a user defined level of concentration.
31. The system for light redirection in claim 21 wherein said redirected light is used to produce electricity.
32. The system for light redirection in claim 21 wherein said redirected light is used to produce stored electrical energy.
33. The system for light redirection in claim 21 wherein said redirected light is used to produce stored chemical energy.
34. The system for light redirection in claim 21 wherein said redirected light is used to produce desalinated water.
35. The system for light redirection in claim 21 wherein said redirected light is used to process materials.
36. The system for light redirection in claim 21 wherein said redirected and concentrated light is used to power a vehicle by storing the energy in real time and then consuming said stored energy at a later time.
37. The system for light redirection in claim 21 wherein said means to induce a torque is based on electric forces.
38. The system for light redirection in claim 21 wherein said means to induce a torque is based on magnetic forces.
39. The system for light redirection in claim 21 wherein said means to induce a torque is based on mechanical forces from the thermal expansion or contraction of materials.
40. The system for light redirection in claim 21 wherein said means to induce a torque is based on the expansion or contraction of a hydrogel or active polymer.
41. The system for light redirection in claim 21 wherein said means to induce a torque is based on acoustic waves.
42. The system for light redirection in claim 21 wherein said transparent electrically-resistive electret rotor and said stator have a means to accurately determine absolute angular position relative to each other.