A wide-range irradiance continuously adjustable steady-state solar light simulator

Abstract

The application provides a wide-range irradiance continuously adjustable steady-state sunlight simulator. The sunlight simulator comprises a simulator box, a lifting mechanism, a light source assembly, an optical integrator assembly, an attenuation net assembly, a collimating lens and a coated glass arranged in the simulator box; the simulator box is provided with a light outlet, the coated glass is embedded at the light outlet, and the light source assembly is arranged opposite to the light outlet; the light source assembly is used for generating an input light beam, and the input light beam sequentially passes through the optical integrator assembly, the attenuation net assembly and the collimating lens to form an output light beam; the output light beam passes through the coated glass and is emitted to the outside of the simulator box; the attenuation net assembly is hinged to the lifting mechanism, so that the attenuation net assembly can rotate relative to the lifting mechanism, thereby changing the light attenuation ratio of the input light beam; under the premise of not adjusting the power of the input light beam, the irradiance of the output light beam is continuously adjustable within a preset target range by changing the light attenuation ratio of the input light beam.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of solar simulation technology, and in particular to a steady-state solar simulator with continuously adjustable irradiance over a wide range. Background Technology

[0002] A AAA-grade solar simulator is an artificial light source system capable of highly reproducing the spectral characteristics, spatial uniformity, and temporal stability of the real sun. It is widely used in scientific experiments and industrial testing fields such as photovoltaic device testing, photocatalysis research, and material weathering evaluation. According to international standards (such as IEC 60904-9), AAA-grade simulators must meet the highest level requirements in three aspects: spectral matching, irradiance uniformity, and temporal stability. The third "A" corresponds to temporal stability, requiring extremely small fluctuations in output light intensity. Typically, short-term instability should be better than ±0.5%, and long-term instability should not exceed ±2%, to ensure the accuracy and repeatability of experimental data.

[0003] Currently, mainstream AAA-level steady-state solar simulators typically use high-pressure short-arc xenon lamps or metal halide lamps as light sources. These light sources can operate stably within 50%–100% of their rated power; beyond this range, they are prone to flickering, power fluctuations, and even arc extinction, severely impacting their time stability rating. However, in practical scientific research and industrial applications, continuous adjustment over a wider irradiance range is often required to simulate solar intensity under different geographical, seasonal, or weather conditions, or for calibrating the performance of materials and devices under varying irradiance levels. Simply adjusting the light source power to extend the irradiance range inevitably compromises time stability, making it difficult to maintain AAA-level performance requirements. Therefore, existing technologies have significant limitations in achieving wide-range, continuously adjustable irradiance output.

[0004] To overcome the aforementioned technical bottlenecks, developing a steady-state solar simulator that can achieve continuous wide-range adjustment of irradiance while maintaining AAA-level optical performance, especially time stability, has become an urgent need for technological development in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention provides a sunlight simulator, which aims to solve at least some of the defects of existing sunlight simulators.

[0006] This utility model provides a sunlight simulator. The sunlight simulator includes: The lifting mechanism and the simulator housing, light source assembly, optical integrator assembly, attenuation grid assembly, lifting mechanism, collimating lens and coated glass arranged sequentially along the optical path transmission direction; The simulator housing has a light outlet, and the coated glass is embedded in the light outlet; The light source assembly is positioned opposite to the light outlet, and the light source assembly is located inside the simulator housing; The optical integrator assembly, the attenuation grid assembly, the lifting mechanism, and the collimating lens are all housed inside the simulator housing. The light source assembly is used to generate an input beam, and the input beam passes sequentially through the optical integrator assembly, the attenuation grid assembly, and the collimating lens to form an output beam. The output beam passes through the coated glass and exits to the outside of the simulator housing; The attenuation mesh assembly is hinged to the lifting mechanism so that the attenuation mesh assembly can rotate relative to the lifting mechanism, thereby changing the light attenuation ratio of the input beam; The solar simulator allows the irradiance of the output beam to be continuously adjustable within a preset target range by changing the light attenuation ratio of the input beam without adjusting the power of the input beam.

[0007] In some embodiments, the optical integrator assembly consists of two compound eye lenses arranged coaxially opposite each other, and the two compound eye lenses have a preset optical distance between them. The compound eye lens can homogenize the input light beam.

[0008] In some embodiments, the simulator housing includes: Frame, light-absorbing panels, centrifugal fan and axial fan; The light-absorbing plate is embedded in the frame, and both the centrifugal fan and the axial fan are mounted on the light-absorbing plate. The axial fan is located at the top of the frame, and the side where the centrifugal fan is located, the side where the coated glass is located, and the top where the axial fan is located are connected to each other and are orthogonal to each other.

[0009] In some embodiments, the light source assembly includes: Light bulb, parabolic reflector bowl, and three-axis lamp adjustment mechanism; The bulb is used to emit the input beam, and the bulb is installed at the focal point of the parabolic reflector bowl to focus the input beam. The three-axis lamp adjustment mechanism is connected to the bulb so that the three-axis lamp adjustment mechanism can adjust the spatial position of the bulb.

[0010] In some embodiments, the light source assembly further includes: An insulating plate is disposed between the bulb and the triaxial lamp adjustment mechanism to provide electrical isolation between the bulb and the triaxial lamp adjustment mechanism via the insulating plate. The air duct is configured in conjunction with the light bulb, the parabolic reflector, the three-axis lamp adjustment mechanism, and the insulating plate. The bulb, the parabolic reflector, the three-axis lamp adjustment mechanism, and the insulating plate are cooled by the fan duct.

[0011] In some embodiments, the lifting mechanism includes: A stepper motor and a synchronous belt drive mechanism, wherein the synchronous belt drive mechanism is connected to the stepper motor and the attenuation mesh assembly, respectively; The stepper motor drives the synchronous belt transmission mechanism to rotate the attenuation mesh assembly relative to the stepper motor in the optical path.

[0012] In some embodiments, the sunlight simulator further includes: Upper limit switch and lower limit switch; The upper limit switch is located at one end of the compound eye lens near the top of the frame, and the lower limit switch is located at the bottom of the frame. The upper limit switch and the lower limit switch together limit the range of motion of the attenuation mesh assembly relative to the stepper motor in the optical path.

[0013] In some embodiments, the collimating lens is positioned near the light outlet and is used to convert a diverging input beam into a parallel output beam.

[0014] In some embodiments, the surface of the coated glass is coated with a spectral correction film to enable the coated glass to provide a preset standard solar spectrum.

[0015] At least one beneficial effect of the solar simulator provided by this utility model embodiment is that the solar simulator drives the attenuation net component to rotate relative to the lifting mechanism to change the light attenuation ratio of the input beam, thereby enabling the solar simulator to continuously adjust the irradiance of the output beam within a preset target range by changing the light attenuation ratio of the input beam without adjusting the power of the input beam. Attached Figure Description

[0016] One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. These illustrations do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments. Elements having the same reference numerals in the drawings are denoted as similar elements. Unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings are not to be limited by scale.

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the overall external structure of the solar simulator provided in this embodiment of the utility model; Figure 2A schematic diagram of the internal optical and structural module layout of the solar simulator provided in this embodiment of the utility model.

[0018] Reference numerals: 1. Simulator housing; 2. Light-absorbing plate; 3. Frame; 4. Centrifugal fan; 5. Axial fan; 6. Light outlet; 7. Coated glass; 8. Light source assembly; 9. Optical integrator assembly; 10. Attenuation grid assembly; 11. Collimating lens; 12. Parabolic reflector bowl; 13. Bulb; 14. Three-axis lamp adjustment mechanism; 15. Insulating plate; 16. Air duct; 17. Compound eye lens; 18. Stepper motor; 19. Upper limit switch; 20. Lower limit switch. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments. It should be emphasized that the following description is merely exemplary and is not intended to limit the scope and application of the present invention.

[0020] It should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "internal," "external," "away from," etc., used in this specification to indicate the orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this utility model. The terms "installed," "connected," "linked," "fixed," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features; thus, a feature defined as "first," "second," or "third" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature; "a plurality" or "several" means two or more; "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0021] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2 The solar simulator includes: simulator housing 1, light source assembly 8, optical integrator assembly 9, attenuation grid assembly 10, lifting mechanism, collimating lens 11, and coated glass 7.

[0022] In this embodiment of the application, the simulator housing 1 is rectangular in shape, and the simulator housing 1 is assembled from a high-strength aluminum alloy frame 3 and a light-absorbing plate 2 with a specially treated surface. This makes the simulator housing 1 not only have good structural stability, but also effectively suppress the reflection interference of stray light inside (which can also be understood as: the simulator housing 1 has good internal extinction performance).

[0023] Specifically, the aforementioned attenuation mesh assembly 10 includes at least one highly uniform metal attenuation mesh.

[0024] To further explain, the metal attenuation mesh is made of a specific metal mesh material with uniform optical density distribution, and the metal attenuation mesh can attenuate the light intensity of the input beam according to a preset ratio (i.e., the light attenuation ratio) when the input beam passes through.

[0025] The simulator housing 1, the light source assembly 8, the optical integrator assembly 9, the attenuation grid assembly 10, the collimating lens 11, and the coated glass 7 are arranged sequentially along the optical path transmission direction.

[0026] In addition, the simulator housing 1 has a light outlet 6, and the coated glass 7 is embedded in the light outlet 6, and the coated glass 7 is located on the outside of the simulator housing 1.

[0027] In addition, the light source assembly 8 is positioned opposite to the light outlet 6, and the light source assembly 8 is located inside the simulator housing 1.

[0028] It should be noted that the optical integrator assembly 9, the attenuation net assembly 10, the lifting mechanism, and the collimating lens 11 are all located inside the simulator housing 1.

[0029] It is understandable that the light source assembly 8 is used to generate the input beam, and the input light beam passes through the optical integrator assembly 9, the attenuation grid assembly 10 and the collimating lens 11 in sequence to form the output beam.

[0030] In this embodiment, the output beam passes through the coated glass 7 and exits to the outside of the simulator housing 1.

[0031] Specifically, the attenuation mesh assembly 10 is hinged to the lifting mechanism so that the attenuation mesh assembly 10 can rotate relative to the lifting mechanism, thereby changing the light attenuation ratio of the input beam.

[0032] To further explain, the solar simulator can continuously adjust the irradiance of the output beam within a preset target range by changing the light attenuation ratio of the input beam without adjusting the input beam power.

[0033] In this embodiment of the application, the target range is a wide range. Therefore, the solar simulator can make the irradiance of the output beam continuously adjustable within a wide range by changing the light attenuation ratio of the input beam without adjusting the input beam power.

[0034] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the optical integrator assembly 9 consists of two compound eye lenses 17 arranged coaxially and facing each other, and there is a preset optical distance between the two compound eye lenses 17.

[0035] It should be noted that the compound eye lens 17 can homogenize the input beam. Specifically, the two compound eye lenses 17 can convert the input beam into a uniformly divergent illumination field after two refractions and superpositions, thus providing a good light spot basis for subsequent irradiance adjustment.

[0036] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the simulator housing 1 includes: a frame 3, a light-absorbing plate 2, a centrifugal fan 4, and an axial fan 5.

[0037] The light-absorbing plate 2 is embedded in the frame 3, and the centrifugal fan 4 and the axial fan 5 are both installed on the light-absorbing plate 2.

[0038] In addition, the axial fan 5 is located at the top of the frame 3, and the side where the centrifugal fan 4 is located and the side where the coated glass 7 is located are connected to and orthogonal to the top of the axial fan 5.

[0039] In addition, the frame 3 serves as the main supporting structure, while the surface of the light-absorbing plate 2 has undergone special light-absorbing treatment. The two work together to ensure the overall mechanical strength of the simulator housing 1 while effectively suppressing stray reflected light from the simulator housing 1 from interfering with the optical performance of the solar simulator.

[0040] In this embodiment, the light-absorbing plate 2 located at the top of the frame 3 in the simulator housing 1 is provided with an axial fan 5 mounting interface. The light-absorbing plate 2 in the simulator housing 1, which is connected to and orthogonal to the top of the frame 3 and the side where the light outlet 6 is located, is provided with a centrifugal fan 4 mounting interface. Combined with the optimized internal airflow channel design, efficient active heat dissipation and uniform temperature field control of optical components (e.g., bulb 13, parabolic reflector bowl 12, three-axis lamp adjustment mechanism 14, insulating plate 15, compound eye lens 17, and collimating lens 11, etc.) are achieved, thereby ensuring the thermal stability of the solar simulator under long-term continuous operation conditions.

[0041] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the light source assembly 8 includes: a bulb 13, a parabolic reflector bowl 12, and a three-axis lamp adjustment mechanism 14.

[0042] Specifically, the bulb 13 is used to emit an input beam, and the bulb 13 is installed at the focal position (or focal area) of the parabolic reflector bowl 12 via a precision positioning mechanism, thereby ensuring that the input beam can be focused to the maximum extent and form a uniform converging beam. At the same time, it can also ensure that the beam emitted by the bulb forms a high-quality and parallel input beam after being reflected by the parabolic reflector bowl 12.

[0043] To further explain, the three-axis lamp adjustment mechanism 14 is connected to the bulb 13 so that the three-axis lamp adjustment mechanism 14 can adjust the spatial position of the bulb 13.

[0044] In the embodiments of this application, the bulb 13 described above includes, but is not limited to, a high-pressure xenon bulb.

[0045] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the light source assembly 8 also includes a high-performance insulating plate 15 and a fan duct 16.

[0046] The insulating plate 15 is disposed between the bulb 13 and the three-axis lamp adjustment mechanism 14 so that the bulb 13 is electrically isolated from the three-axis lamp adjustment mechanism 14 through the insulating plate 15.

[0047] In addition, the air duct 16 is matched with the bulb 13, the parabolic reflector bowl 12, the three-axis lamp adjustment mechanism 14 and the insulating plate 15.

[0048] In addition, the bulb 13, the parabolic reflector bowl 12, the three-axis lamp adjustment mechanism 14 and the insulating plate 15 are cooled by the fan duct 16.

[0049] It should be noted that the insulating plate 15 not only provides reliable electrical isolation, but also works in conjunction with the three-axis lamp adjustment mechanism 14 to achieve micron-level precise adjustment of the bulb 13 in six degrees of freedom, thereby ensuring that the center of the light path coincides with the optical axis of the solar simulator.

[0050] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the lifting mechanism includes a stepper motor 18 and a synchronous belt drive mechanism.

[0051] It should be noted that the synchronous belt drive mechanism is connected to the stepper motor 18 and the attenuation mesh assembly 10 (or metal attenuation mesh) respectively. This design can precisely control the position parameters of the attenuation mesh assembly 10 (or metal attenuation mesh).

[0052] It is understandable that the stepper motor 18 drives the synchronous belt transmission mechanism to cause the attenuation mesh assembly 10 to rotate relative to the stepper motor 18 in the optical path.

[0053] Specifically, when the solar simulator needs to emit a lower irradiance output beam, the stepper motor 18 can drive the attenuation mesh assembly 10 (or metal attenuation mesh) to rise and enter the optical path, thereby controlling the attenuation of the input beam, and thus achieving continuous and wide-range adjustment of the output irradiance while maintaining the stable power of the light source itself.

[0054] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the solar simulator also includes an upper limit switch 19 and a lower limit switch 20.

[0055] The upper limit switch 19 is located at one end of the compound eye lens 17 near the top of the frame 3, and the lower limit switch 20 is located at the bottom of the frame 3.

[0056] In addition, the upper limit switch 19 and the lower limit switch 20 together limit the range of motion of the attenuation mesh assembly 10 relative to the stepper motor 18 in the optical path.

[0057] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the collimating lens 11 is positioned near the light outlet 6, and the collimating lens 11 is used to convert the diverging input beam into a parallel output beam.

[0058] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the surface of the coated glass 7 is coated with a spectral correction film so that the coated glass 7 can provide a preset standard solar spectrum.

[0059] It should be noted that the aforementioned spectral correction film can selectively modulate the original spectrum of the bulb 13.

[0060] It is understandable that the aforementioned preset standards include, but are not limited to, AM1.5G (Air Mass 1.5 Global Solar Spectrum) and UV-VIS (Ultraviolet-Visible Spectrum), among other standards, to meet diverse experimental needs such as photovoltaic testing and material aging.

[0061] Generally speaking, traditional solar simulators usually adjust the irradiance of the output beam by adjusting the power of the light source. However, due to the working characteristics of traditional light sources such as bulbs (high-pressure xenon lamps or metal halide lamps), their stable operating range is usually 50%–100% of the rated power. It is difficult to achieve continuous and stable irradiance adjustment over a wide range, which will seriously affect the applicability of traditional solar simulators under various irradiance conditions.

[0062] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 2 It is known that the solar simulator adopts a modular optical design. Through an optimized heat dissipation system and a precise optical path adjustment mechanism, the solar simulator can achieve continuous wide-range adjustment of the output beam irradiance while maintaining AAA-level time stability, spectral matching degree, and without adjusting the power of the light source. Therefore, the solar simulator can be widely used in experimental scenarios that require different irradiation conditions, such as photovoltaic testing and material aging research.

[0063] In summary, this solar simulator can improve the flexibility and environmental adaptability of experimental design, and can significantly reduce the repetitive investment costs incurred by users due to the need for multi-irradiance working conditions. Therefore, this solar simulator has broad market application prospects.

[0064] In summary, the solar simulator provided by this utility model embodiment drives the attenuation net component to rotate relative to the lifting mechanism to change the light attenuation ratio of the input beam. This allows the solar simulator to continuously adjust the irradiance of the output beam within a preset target range by changing the light attenuation ratio of the input beam without adjusting the power of the input beam.

[0065] The above description, in conjunction with specific / preferred embodiments, provides a further detailed explanation of the present invention. It should not be construed that the specific implementation of the present invention is limited to these descriptions. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and all of these fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A steady-state solar simulator with continuously adjustable irradiance over a wide range, characterized in that, include: The lifting mechanism and the simulator housing, light source assembly, optical integrator assembly, attenuation grid assembly, collimating lens and coated glass arranged sequentially along the optical path transmission direction; The simulator housing has a light outlet, and the coated glass is embedded in the light outlet; The light source assembly is positioned opposite to the light outlet, and the light source assembly is located inside the simulator housing; The optical integrator assembly, the attenuation grid assembly, the lifting mechanism, and the collimating lens are all housed inside the simulator housing. The light source assembly is used to generate an input beam, and the input beam passes sequentially through the optical integrator assembly, the attenuation grid assembly, and the collimating lens to form an output beam; The output beam passes through the coated glass and is emitted to the outside of the simulator housing; The attenuation mesh assembly is hinged to the lifting mechanism so that the attenuation mesh assembly can rotate relative to the lifting mechanism, thereby changing the light attenuation ratio of the input beam; The solar simulator allows the irradiance of the output beam to be continuously adjustable within a preset target range by changing the light attenuation ratio of the input beam without adjusting the power of the input beam.

2. The wide-range irradiance continuously adjustable steady-state solar simulator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The optical integrator assembly consists of two compound eye lenses arranged coaxially opposite each other, and there is a preset optical distance between the two compound eye lenses; The compound eye lens can homogenize the input light beam.

3. The wide-range irradiance continuously adjustable steady-state solar simulator according to claim 2, characterized in that, The simulator housing includes: Frame, light-absorbing panels, centrifugal fan and axial fan; The light-absorbing plate is embedded in the frame, and both the centrifugal fan and the axial fan are mounted on the light-absorbing plate. The axial fan is located at the top of the frame, and the side where the centrifugal fan is located, the side where the coated glass is located, and the top where the axial fan is located are connected to each other and are orthogonal to each other.

4. The steady-state solar simulator with continuously adjustable irradiance over a wide range according to claim 1, characterized in that, The light source assembly includes: Light bulb, parabolic reflector bowl, and three-axis lamp adjustment mechanism; The bulb is used to emit the input beam, and the bulb is installed at the focal point of the parabolic reflector bowl to focus the input beam. The three-axis lamp adjustment mechanism is connected to the bulb so that the three-axis lamp adjustment mechanism can adjust the spatial position of the bulb.

5. The wide-range irradiance continuously adjustable steady-state solar simulator according to claim 4, characterized in that, The light source assembly also includes: An insulating plate is disposed between the bulb and the triaxial lamp adjustment mechanism to provide electrical isolation between the bulb and the triaxial lamp adjustment mechanism via the insulating plate. The air duct is configured in conjunction with the light bulb, the parabolic reflector, the three-axis lamp adjustment mechanism, and the insulating plate. The bulb, the parabolic reflector, the three-axis lamp adjustment mechanism, and the insulating plate are cooled by the fan duct.

6. The wide-range irradiance continuously adjustable steady-state solar simulator according to claim 3, characterized in that, The lifting mechanism includes: A stepper motor and a synchronous belt drive mechanism, wherein the synchronous belt drive mechanism is connected to the stepper motor and the attenuation mesh assembly, respectively; The stepper motor drives the synchronous belt transmission mechanism to rotate the attenuation mesh assembly relative to the stepper motor in the optical path.

7. The wide-range irradiance continuously adjustable steady-state solar simulator according to claim 6, characterized in that, Also includes: Upper limit switch and lower limit switch; The upper limit switch is located at one end of the compound eye lens near the top of the frame, and the lower limit switch is located at the bottom of the frame. The upper limit switch and the lower limit switch together limit the range of motion of the attenuation mesh assembly relative to the stepper motor in the optical path.

8. The wide-range irradiance continuously adjustable steady-state solar simulator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The collimating lens is positioned near the light outlet and is used to convert the diverging input beam into a parallel output beam.

9. The wide-range irradiance continuously adjustable steady-state solar simulator according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The surface of the coated glass is coated with a spectral correction film so that the coated glass can provide a preset standard solar spectrum.

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