Robotic heliostat system and method of operation

a robotic heliostat and heliostat technology, applied in solar heat systems, solar heat collector safety, light and heating apparatus, etc., can solve the problems of increasing the capital and maintenance costs of the total system by 40-50%, affecting so as to prolong the effective life of various onboard energy storage mechanisms, improve the efficiency of the system, and reduce the effect of maintenance costs

a robotic heliostat and heliostat technology, applied in solar heat systems, solar heat collector safety, light and heating apparatus, etc., can solve the problems of increasing the capital and maintenance costs of the total system by 40-50%, affecting so as to prolong the effective life of various onboard energy storage mechanisms, improve the efficiency of the system, and reduce the effect of maintenance costs

US20120012101A1Inactive Publication Date: 2012-01-19SOLARCITY
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  • Robotic heliostat system and method of operation
  • Robotic heliostat system and method of operation
  • Robotic heliostat system and method of operation

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Experimental program
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Embodiment Construction

[0048]A preferred embodiment of the present invention is now described with reference to the figures where like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. Also in the figures, the left most digits of each reference number corresponds to the figure in which the reference number is first used.

[0049]Reference in the specification to “one embodiment,”“a first embodiment,”“a second embodiment or to “an embodiment” (for example) means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment,”“a first embodiment,”“a second embodiment” or “an embodiment” (for example) in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

[0050]Some portions of the detailed description that follows are presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits wi...

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Abstract

A system and method for operating a robotic controller to automatically position multiple solar surfaces in order to increase solar energy generation from the solar surfaces. In an embodiment the robotic controller travels in a sealed track and adjusts the solar surfaces using magnetic communication.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority from U.S. provisional application No. 61 / 364,729 filed on Jul. 15, 2010, and U.S. provisional application No. 61 / 419,685 filed on Dec. 3, 2010 which are all incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. This application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 13 / 118,274 which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to solar tracking and calibration devices, and in particular tracking systems for photovoltaic, concentrated photovoltaic, and concentrated solar thermal systems that require constant repositioning to maintain alignment with the sun.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]In an attempt to reduce the price of solar energy, many developments have been made with respect to lowering the cost of precisely repositioning and calibrating a surface with two degrees of freedom. In concentrated solar thermal systems, heliostat arrays utilize dual axis repos...

Claims

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Application Information

Patent Timeline
19 Jan 2012
Publication
US20120012101A1
IPC
F24J2/40; F24J2/52; F24S50/20
CPC
F24J2/38; F24J2/542; Y02E10/47; F24J2002/5462; F24J2002/5441; F24S2030/134; F24S50/20; F24S2030/115
Inventors
TRUJILLO, SALOMON; FUKUBA, DANIEL