Solar simulator

Abstract

The invention discloses a solar simulator, relates to the field of optical systems, and is used for solving the problems that an existing solar simulator can increase the structural complexity and increase the optical design difficulty and workload. The solar simulator includes: a substrate; the first light source module is arranged on the substrate, the first light source module comprises a cavity and plasma filled in the cavity, the plasma is excited to emit light to form first emergent light, and the wave band of the first emergent light is located in a solar spectrum section; the second light source module is arranged on the substrate and used for emitting second emergent light, the second emergent light and the first emergent light are mixed to form emergent light of the solar simulator, and the wave band of the second emergent light is located in the solar spectrum section. According to the solar simulator, the first light source module emits light through the plasma, the light emitting wave band of the plasma is wide, a wide matching wave band with sunlight can be achieved, it is avoided that a large number of LED light sources need to be used, and therefore the structural complexity can be reduced, and the optical design difficulty and workload can be reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of optical systems, in particular to a solar simulator. BACKGROUND

[0002] A solar simulator is a device that simulates the solar light environment, which is widely used in the fields of aerospace, photovoltaic, agriculture, etc. The light source is the core part of the solar simulator. The solar simulator uses light sources with different spectral distributions and powers to synthesize a simulated spectrum similar to the shape of the solar spectrum. The degree of similarity between the simulated spectrum and the solar spectrum is a key factor in measuring the performance of the device. The spectral matching degree in the 400nm-1100nm or 300nm-1200nm waveband is usually used to evaluate the solar simulator product, and the higher the spectral matching degree, the smaller the deviation, and the more similar the simulated spectrum to the solar spectrum. In addition, the number, cost, structural layout and light energy conversion rate of the light source are also important factors that cannot be ignored in the design of the device.

[0003] The existing solar simulator uses xenon lamps or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as light sources. The earliest solar simulator uses xenon lamps as light sources, which have the advantages of high brightness and wide spectral range, but have the disadvantages of short service life, high starting voltage (about 20kV), poor stability, poor transient performance, complex optical structure and large volume. In comparison, LED light sources have the advantages of stable performance, long service life, controllable spectrum, low energy consumption, fast start, flexible adjustment and safety and reliability, so xenon lamps are gradually replaced by LED light sources.

[0004] However, LED light sources also have the disadvantages of poor spectral continuity, high initial investment demand and high technical complexity. A solar simulator requires dozens to hundreds of LED light sources, and when the number of LED light sources is too large, it will increase the structural complexity and also increase the difficulty and workload of optical design. SUMMARY

[0005] The purpose of the present application is to provide a solar simulator that can reduce structural complexity and reduce the difficulty and workload of optical design.

[0006] To achieve the above purpose, the present application provides the following technical solutions:

[0007] A solar simulator, comprising:

[0008] a substrate;

[0009] a first light source module disposed on the substrate, the first light source module comprising a cavity and a plasma filled in the cavity, the first light source module being configured to excite the plasma to emit light, forming a first emitted light, the waveband of the first emitted light being within a solar spectrum band;

[0010] a second light source module disposed on the substrate, configured to emit second emission light, and configured to mix the second emission light with the first emission light to form emission light of the solar simulator, wherein the second emission light is in a wavelength range of the solar spectrum.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first light source module further comprises a first electrode and a second electrode extending into the cavity, and the first electrode and the second electrode are configured to apply an electrical signal to the plasma in the cavity to excite the plasma.

[0012] In some embodiments, the solar simulator further comprises:

[0013] a microwave solid-state source configured to generate a microwave electrical signal;

[0014] a radio frequency connector having one end connected to the microwave solid-state source and another end connected to the first light source module, and configured to transmit the microwave electrical signal to the first light source module to excite the plasma to emit light.

[0015] In some embodiments, the solar simulator further comprises:

[0016] a conversion power source having one end connected to an alternating current power source and another end connected to the microwave solid-state source, and configured to convert the alternating current to direct current and transmit the direct current to the microwave solid-state source.

[0017] In some embodiments, the first emission light emitted by the first light source module has a relative power greater than or equal to 1 in a wavelength range of 440 nm to 620 nm.

[0018] In some embodiments, the first emission light emitted by the first light source module has a relative power less than or equal to 0.6 in a wavelength range of 680 nm to 1000 nm, and the second emission light is in a wavelength range of 680 nm to 1000 nm.

[0019] In some embodiments, the second emission light emitted by the second light source module is in a red light wavelength range or a near-infrared light wavelength range.

[0020] In some embodiments, the second light source module comprises at least two light sources, and the at least two light sources emit light with different central wavelengths, respectively, and the emission light of the at least two light sources is mixed to form the emission light of the second light source module.

[0021] In some embodiments, the second light source module comprises at least two second light source modules, and the at least two second light source modules emit the second emission light in different wavelength ranges, respectively.

[0022] In some embodiments, the at least two second light source modules comprise a red light source module and a near-infrared light source module.

[0023] The red light source module comprises a first light source, a second light source and a third light source, the first light source is used for emitting light with a central wavelength of 680 nm, the second light source is used for emitting light with a central wavelength of 740 nm, and the third light source is used for emitting light with a central wavelength of 780 nm.

[0024] The near-infrared light source module comprises a fourth light source, a fifth light source and a sixth light source, the fourth light source is used for emitting light with a central wavelength of 820 nm, the fifth light source is used for emitting light with a central wavelength of 900 nm, and the sixth light source is used for emitting light with a central wavelength of 1000 nm.

[0025] According to the technical solution, the solar simulator comprises a substrate, a first light source module arranged on the substrate, the first light source module comprising a cavity and plasma filled in the cavity, the first light source module being used for exciting the plasma to emit light to form first emitted light, the wavelength band of the first emitted light being in a solar spectrum band, and a second light source module arranged on the substrate and used for emitting second emitted light, the second emitted light and the first emitted light being mixed to form emitted light of the solar simulator, the wavelength band of the second emitted light being in the solar spectrum band.

[0026] The first light source module emits light through plasma, the wavelength band of the plasma light emission is wide, and the use of appropriate plasma can make the emitted light of the first light source module and the sunlight have a wide matching wavelength band. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the drawings needed in the embodiments or the prior art description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a solar simulator according to an embodiment;

[0029] Figure 2 AM1.5 standard solar spectrum curve;

[0030] Figure 3 Light emission spectrum curve of the first light source module of the solar simulator according to an embodiment;

[0031] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a first light source module of a solar simulator according to an embodiment;

[0032] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a first light source module and a microwave solid state source connection of a solar simulator according to an embodiment;

[0033] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a solar simulator according to a further embodiment;

[0034] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a spectral distribution of a solar simulator according to an embodiment compared to a standard solar spectral distribution.

[0035] Reference signs in the drawings comprise:

[0036] 100 - substrate, 101 - first light source module, 102 - cavity, 103 - signal generator, 104 - RF connector, 105 - microwave solid state source, 106 - AC-DC power supply, 107 - neutral line, 108 - fire line, 109 - ground line, 110 - red light source module, 111 - near infrared light source module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] In order to make the technical solution in the present application better understood by those skilled in the art, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor should belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0038] The present embodiment provides a solar simulator, comprising:

[0039] a substrate;

[0040] a first light source module disposed on the substrate, the first light source module comprising a cavity and a plasma filled in the cavity, the first light source module being configured to excite the plasma to emit light, forming a first outgoing light, the wavelength band of the first outgoing light being within a solar spectrum band;

[0041] a second light source module disposed on the substrate, configured to emit a second outgoing light, the second outgoing light and the first outgoing light being mixed to form an outgoing light of the solar simulator, the wavelength band of the second outgoing light being within the solar spectrum band.

[0042] The first exit light of the first light source module and the second exit light of the second light source module are mixed to form the exit light of the sun simulator. The wavelength band of the first exit light of the first light source module is within the solar spectrum band, and the wavelength band of the second exit light of the second light source module is within the solar spectrum band, so that the light spectrum after mixing the first exit light and the second exit light can match the solar spectrum band, the exit light spectrum of the sun simulator can match the solar spectrum band, and the simulated output sun light is realized.

[0043] In the sun simulator of the embodiment, the first light source module emits light through plasma. The wavelength band of the plasma light emission is wide. By using appropriate plasma, the first exit light of the first light source module and the sun light can have a wide matching wavelength band. Compared with the prior art of simulating the solar spectrum band by using multiple LED light sources, the sun simulator of the embodiment can simulate a wide wavelength band in the solar spectrum band by using the first light source module, thereby avoiding the need to use a large number of LED light sources, and thus reducing the structural complexity, the optical design difficulty and the workload.

[0044] For example, refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a sun simulator provided by an embodiment is shown in the figure. The sun simulator includes a first light source module 101, a red light source module 110 and a near-infrared light source module 111. The first light source module 101, the red light source module 110 and the near-infrared light source module 111 are arranged on a substrate 100. The exit light of each light source module is mixed to form the exit light of the sun simulator.

[0045] In some embodiments, the first exit light wavelength band of the first light source module 101 covers at least 300nm to 800nm, so that the first exit light of the first light source module 101 and the sun light have a wide wavelength band that is matched. For example, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , Figure 2 The AM1.5 standard sun spectrum curve is Figure 3 The light emission spectrum curve of the first light source module of the sun simulator of an embodiment is shown in the figure. The abscissa represents the wavelength, and the unit is nm. The ordinate represents the relative power. The relative power is the ratio of the absolute power of the unit wavelength light to the maximum value of the absolute power of all unit wavelength lights, and is a dimensionless quantity. As shown in the figure, the light emission spectrum of the first light source module 101 covers 300nm to 1200nm. The spectrum distribution is close to the standard sun spectrum curve, and the shape similarity of the spectrum curves is high compared with the AM1.5 sun spectrum distribution.

[0046] In practical applications, the type of the plasma filled in the cavity of the first light source module 101 can be selected according to the requirement of the light spectrum of the first light source module 101, so that the light spectrum of the first light source module 101 meets the requirement. The plasma is a collection of ions, electrons and un-ionized neutral particles, and is a state of matter that is overall neutral. The plasma is a state of matter other than solid, liquid and gas, and is also called the fourth state of matter. The plasma releases light energy and heat energy when it is excited.

[0047] In the embodiment, the structure of the first light source module 101 is not limited, as long as the light spectrum of the first light source module 101 meets the requirement. In some embodiments, the first light source module 101 further includes a first electrode and a second electrode extending into the cavity, and the first electrode and the second electrode are used to apply an electrical signal to the plasma in the cavity, so that the plasma is excited. The first electrode and the second electrode can also be called a signal generator, and the cavity can have light transmission and can be called a bulb. For example, refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 The first light source module of the solar simulator is shown in the figure. The first light source module 101 includes a cavity 102 filled with plasma, and the cavity 102 is connected to a signal generator 103 at both ends.

[0048] In some embodiments, the solar simulator can further include a microwave solid-state source 105 for generating a microwave electrical signal, and a radio frequency connector 104 connected to the microwave solid-state source 105 at one end and connected to the first light source module 101 at the other end, for transmitting the microwave electrical signal to the first light source module 101, so that the plasma is excited to emit light. The radio frequency connector 104 is used to connect the microwave solid-state source 105 and the first light source module 101, transmit the electrical signal between the microwave solid-state source 105 and the first light source module 101, and ensure that the electrical signal is less disturbed and has minimal loss during transmission, and the connection is stable and reliable. The radio frequency connector 104 is an electrical connector for high-frequency signal transmission. The microwave solid-state source 105 can be a solid-state active device for generating a microwave signal. For example, refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 The connection between the first light source module and the microwave solid-state source of the solar simulator is shown in the figure. As shown in the figure, the radio frequency connector 104 is connected to the microwave solid-state source 105 at one end and connected to the first light source module 101 at the other end.

[0049] In some embodiments, the solar simulator can further include a conversion power supply connected to an alternating current power supply at one end and connected to the microwave solid-state source 105 at the other end, for converting alternating current into direct current and transmitting the direct current to the microwave solid-state source 105. For example, refer to Figure 5As shown, the AC-DC power supply 106 is provided with a zero line 107, a fire line 108 and a ground line 109 at one end, and is connected to the microwave solid-state source 105 at the other end. The AC-DC power supply 106 provides +28V DC to the microwave solid-state source 105.

[0050] In some embodiments, the relative power of the first exit light emitted by the first light source module 101 in the 440nm-620nm waveband is greater than or equal to 1, so that the spectral distribution of the light emitted by the first light source module 101 is close to the standard solar spectrum, and the spectral curves of the two are similar. For example, reference can be made to the spectral curve of the light emitted by the first light source module 101 shown in the figure. The relative power refers to the absolute power of the unit waveband light, and the ratio of the maximum value in the absolute power of all unit wavebands. The relative power is between 0 and 1. When the radiant power of the first light source module 101 changes, the absolute power of all unit wavebands changes equally proportionally, and the relative spectrum remains unchanged. Figure 3

[0051] In some embodiments, the relative power of the first exit light emitted by the first light source module 101 in the 680nm-1000nm waveband is less than or equal to 0.6, and the second exit light emitted by the second light source module is in the 680nm-1000nm waveband. The first exit light emitted by the first light source module 101 is weak in the 680nm-1000nm waveband, and in order to make the spectral distribution of the exit light of the solar simulator close to the solar spectrum, the exit light of the second light source module is used to supplement the weak spectral band of the exit light of the first light source module 101, so as to realize the simulation of the output solar light. In some embodiments, the second exit light emitted by the second light source module is in the red light waveband or the near-infrared light waveband.

[0052] In some embodiments, the second light source module includes at least two light sources, which respectively emit light with different center wavelengths, and the exit light of the at least two light sources is mixed to form the exit light of the second light source module. In actual application, the center wavelengths of the at least two light sources in the second light source module can be selected according to the solar spectrum and the spectrum of the exit light of the first light source module 101, so as to supplement the exit light of the first light source module 101, so that the spectral distribution of the exit light of the solar simulator can match the solar spectrum. In this embodiment, the type and structure of the light source are not limited, and the light source can be but is not limited to a light-emitting diode (LED).

[0053] ​In some embodiments, the second light source module includes at least two second light source modules, each emitting second emitted light of different wavelengths. The first emitted light from the first light source module 101 and the second emitted light from each of the second light source modules are mixed to form the emitted light of the solar simulator. Providing at least two second light source modules that emit light of different wavelengths allows for more flexible spectral design of the solar simulator.

[0054] In some embodiments, the at least two second light source modules include a red light source module and a near-infrared light source module; the red light source module includes a first light source, a second light source, and a third light source, wherein the first light source emits light with a center wavelength of 680 nm, the second light source emits light with a center wavelength of 740 nm, and the third light source emits light with a center wavelength of 780 nm; the near-infrared light source module includes a fourth light source, a fifth light source, and a sixth light source, wherein the fourth light source emits light with a center wavelength of 820 nm, the fifth light source emits light with a center wavelength of 900 nm, and the sixth light source emits light with a center wavelength of 1000 nm. Exemplary references may be made to... Figure 6 , Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a solar simulator provided in another embodiment is shown in the figure. The solar simulator includes a first light source module 101, a red light source module 110, and a near-infrared light source module 111. The red light source module 110 includes a first light source, a second light source, and a third light source, which emit light with a center wavelength of 680nm, a center wavelength of 740nm, and a center wavelength of 780nm, respectively. The near-infrared light source module 111 includes a fourth light source, a fifth light source, and a sixth light source, which emit light with a center wavelength of 820nm, a center wavelength of 900nm, and a center wavelength of 1000nm, respectively.

[0055] In a specific instance, corresponding Figure 6 The solar simulator shown solves for the optimal spectral matching scheme based on three spectral data segments. The calculated spectral power distribution under the optimal spectral matching is as follows: Figure 7 As shown, Figure 7A comparison diagram of the spectral distribution of a solar simulator and the standard solar spectral distribution provided for an embodiment is shown in FIG. 1, in which the horizontal axis represents wavelength in nm, and the vertical axis represents relative power, which is the ratio of the absolute power of unit wavelength light to the maximum value of the absolute power of all unit wavelength light, and is a dimensionless quantity. The spectral matching degree of the spectral distribution of the solar simulator of the present example and the standard solar spectral distribution in the 400-1100 nm wavelength band and the 300-1200 nm wavelength band is shown in Table 1 and Table 2 below. The spectral coverage of the solar simulator of the present example can reach 100%, and the spectral drift degree is in the range of 20-25%. According to the IEC-60904-9-2020 standard, the spectral matching degree of the two wavelength bands reaches the A standard.

[0056] Table 1

[0057]

[0058] Table 2

[0059]

[0060] In a specific example, the initial luminous flux of the first light source module 101 is 17000 lm, the correlated color temperature (CCT) is 5000 K, the color rendering index (CRI) is 92, and the light output direction is downward ±30°. The plasma light source (i.e., LEP light source) is a kind of gas discharge light source based on plasma. It adopts an electrodeless design and has a smaller volume than most gas discharge light sources, which is convenient for mechanical structure design and optical design. Compared with traditional gas discharge lamps, LEP light sources are more energy-saving, reliable, and durable, and have a service life of more than 50000 hours. The photoelectric conversion rate of LED light sources is about 40%, while the LEP light source can reach 80%, which also means that under the same electric power, the light power of the LEP light source is twice that of the LED.

[0061] The existing solar simulator using LED light sources is composed of a plurality of chip-on-board (COB) arrangements, wherein the chip-on-board is composed of a plurality of small LED light sources and a homogenizing plate, which means that the demand for LED light sources is very large. The present solar simulator replaces most of the LED light sources with a single plasma light source, which not only reduces the number of bulbs and simplifies the structure design, but also achieves high luminous flux output, high spectral coverage, and high spectral matching degree, while achieving high light efficiency, high spectral matching degree, and structural simplification.

[0062] The above has carried out the detailed introduction to the solar simulator provided by the present application. The principle and implementation mode of the present application are described by applying specific examples in this paper, and the above example description is only used to help understand the method of the present application and its core idea. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary skilled persons in the technical field, some improvements and modifications can be made to the present application without departing from the principle of the present application, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A solar simulator, characterized in that, The application relates to a solar simulator, comprising: a substrate; a first light source module arranged on the substrate, the first light source module comprising a cavity and a plasma filled in the cavity, the first light source module being used for exciting the plasma to emit light, forming first emitted light, the wave band of the first emitted light being in a solar spectrum band; a second light source module arranged on the substrate, used for emitting second emitted light, the second emitted light and the first emitted light being mixed to form the emitted light of the solar simulator, the wave band of the second emitted light being in the solar spectrum band.

2. Solar simulator according to claim 1, characterized in that The first light source module further comprises a first electrode and a second electrode extending into the cavity, the first electrode and the second electrode being used for applying an electric signal to the plasma in the cavity to excite the plasma.

3. Solar simulator according to claim 1, characterized in that Further comprising: a microwave solid-state source used for generating a microwave electric signal; a radio frequency connector, one end of which is connected with the microwave solid-state source and the other end of which is connected with the first light source module, used for transmitting the microwave electric signal to the first light source module to excite the plasma to emit light.

4. Solar simulator according to claim 3, characterized in that Further comprising: a conversion power supply, one end of which is connected with an alternating current power supply and the other end of which is connected with the microwave solid-state source, used for converting the alternating current into direct current and transmitting the direct current to the microwave solid-state source.

5. The solar simulator of claim 1, wherein The relative power of the first emitted light emitted by the first light source module in the wave band of 440nm-620nm is greater than or equal to 1.

6. Solar simulator according to claim 5, characterized in that The relative power of the first emitted light emitted by the first light source module in the wave band of 680nm-1000nm is less than or equal to 0.6, and the wave band of the second emitted light is in the wave band of 680nm-1000nm.

7. The solar simulator of claim 1, wherein The wave band of the second emitted light emitted by the second light source module is in the wave band of red light or near-infrared light.

8. The solar simulator of claim 1, wherein The second light source module comprises at least two light sources, the at least two light sources respectively emitting light with different central wavelengths, and the emitted light of the at least two light sources being mixed to form the emitted light of the second light source module.

9. Solar simulator according to claim 1, characterized in that The second light source module comprises at least two second light source modules, the at least two second light source modules respectively emitting the second emitted light with different wave bands.

10. Solar simulator according to claim 9, characterized in that The at least two second light source modules comprise a red light source module and a near-infrared light source module; The red light source module comprises a first light source, a second light source and a third light source, the first light source being used for emitting light with a central wavelength of 680nm, the second light source being used for emitting light with a central wavelength of 740nm, and the third light source being used for emitting light with a central wavelength of 780nm; The near-infrared light source module comprises a fourth light source, a fifth light source and a sixth light source, the fourth light source being used for emitting light with a central wavelength of 820nm, the fifth light source being used for emitting light with a central wavelength of 900nm, and the sixth light source being used for emitting light with a central wavelength of 1000nm.

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