REFLECTIVE ROOF
Technologies and implementations for reflective roofs are generally disclosed.
1 . A method, comprising:
sensing an environmental condition associated with an optical structure;
based at least, in part, on the environmental condition, removing a first fluid from a hollow inner compartment of the optical structure and introducing a second fluid into the hollow inner compartment of the optical structure, wherein the hollow inner compartment is positioned between an outer surface of the optical structure and a back surface of the optical structure, and wherein the back surface is positioned opposite to the outer surface; and
in response to the introduction of the second fluid into the hollow inner compartment, absorbing light, entering into the optical structure, by the optical structure.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein removing the first fluid comprises removing a clear fluid.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein introducing the second fluid comprises introducing an opaque fluid.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein removing the first fluid comprises removing one of: water, mineral oil based fluid, ethylene glycol, toluene, and benzene.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein removing the first fluid comprises removing a fluid comprising at least one of an anti-freezing agent and an anti-algae agent.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein sensing the environmental condition comprises sensing the environmental condition using one or more of: a light sensor, a humidity sensor, an outdoor temperature sensor, and an indoor temperature sensor.
7 . A reflective system, comprising:
an optical structure, comprising:
an outer surface configured to pass light therethrough;
a hollow inner compartment positioned adjacent to the outer surface and configured to removably store a first fluid and a second fluid; and
a back surface positioned opposite to the outer surface and configured to reflect the light, passed through the outer surface into the optical structure, in response to the first fluid being stored in the hollow inner compartment.
8 . The reflective system of claim 7 , wherein the first fluid includes a clear fluid.
9 . The reflective system of claim 7 , wherein the second fluid includes an opaque fluid.
10 . The reflective system of claim 7 , wherein the first fluid includes one of an anti-freezing agent and an anti-algae agent.
11 . The reflective system of claim 7 , wherein the back surface includes at least one of white coloration and silver coloration.
12 . The reflective system of claim 7 , further comprising:
a pump operatively coupled to the optical structure, wherein the pump is configured to introduce one of the first fluid and the second fluid into the hollow inner compartment of the optical structure, and remove one of the first fluid and the second fluid from the hollow inner compartment of the optical structure.
13 . The reflective system of claim 12 , further comprising:
one or more environmental sensors configured to sense one or more environmental conditions associated with the optical structure; and
a control unit operatively coupled to the one or more environmental sensors, wherein the control unit is configured to control the pump to introduce one of the first fluid and the second fluid into the hollow inner compartment of the optical structure, and remove one of the first fluid and the second fluid from the hollow inner compartment of the optical structure based on the one or more environmental conditions sensed by the one or more environmental sensors.
14 . The reflective system of claim 13 , wherein the one or more environmental sensors include one or more of: a light sensor, a humidity sensor, an outdoor temperature sensor, and an indoor temperature sensor.
15 . The reflective system of claim 7 , further comprising:
a first reservoir configured to store the first fluid; and
a second reservoir configured to store the second fluid.
16 . The reflective system of claim 7 , wherein the reflective system is configured to operate as a sky-light type roof structure.
17 . The reflective system of claim 7 , wherein the reflective system is configured to operate as a shingle-type roof structure.
18 . The reflective system of claim 7 , further comprising a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, wherein the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet are operatively coupled to the hollow inner compartment, and wherein the hollow inner compartment is configured to removably store the first fluid and the second fluid via the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet.
19 . A method, comprising:
sensing, by a processor, an environmental condition, using one or more environmental sensors, wherein the environmental condition is associated with an optical structure;
based at least, in part, on the sensed environmental condition, controlling, by a processor, a pump to remove a first fluid from a hollow inner compartment of the optical structure, and wherein the hollow inner compartment is positioned between an outer surface of the optical structure and a back surface of the optical structure; and
in response to the removal of the first fluid, controlling, by the processor, the pump to introduce a second fluid into the hollow inner compartment, wherein:
the first fluid includes a clear fluid,
the second fluid includes an opaque fluid,
the back surface reflects light, entering into the optical structure, in response to the first fluid being stored in the hollow inner compartment, and
the second fluid absorbs the light, entering into the optical structure, in response to the second fluid being stored in the hollow inner compartment.
20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein sensing the environmental condition using the one or more environmental sensors comprises sensing the environmental condition using one or more of: a light sensor, a humidity sensor, an outdoor temperature sensor, and an indoor temperature sensor.
21 . The method of claim 19 , wherein controlling the pump to introduce the second fluid into the hollow inner compartment comprises controlling the pump to introduce a darkening agent.
22 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform or control performance of operations to:
sense an environmental condition associated with an optical structure;
based at least, in part, on the environmental condition, remove a first fluid from a hollow inner compartment of the optical structure and introduce a second fluid into the hollow inner compartment of the optical structure, wherein the hollow inner compartment is positioned between an outer surface of the optical structure and a back surface of the optical structure, and wherein the back surface is positioned opposite to the outer surface; and
in response to the introduction of the second fluid into the hollow inner compartment, absorb light, entered into the optical structure, by the optical structure.