Solar Panel Turret With Single-Motor Sensorless Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional automated solar panel turret fixtures are complex, expensive, prone to defects, and costly to maintain due to their numerous moving parts and reliance on sensors.
Innovation Solution
A solar panel turret apparatus utilizing a singular motor-driven system with a precision stepper motor controlled by software, allowing 360-degree horizontal rotation and adjustable angles, eliminating the need for sensors and reducing parts complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional automated solar panel fixtures use gearbox transmissions and servos to achieve optimal positioning, then the solar capture efficiency is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes complex mechanical components (gearbox transmissions, servos, sensors) from the system, retaining only the essential motor and structural elements. This extraction of non-essential parts reduces device complexity while maintaining the core function of solar panel positioning through software-controlled motor operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical control systems with a software-driven control approach. Instead of using mechanical sensors and complex transmissions to determine and adjust panel positioning, the system uses software to calculate optimal positions and controls a simple motor to achieve positioning, substituting mechanical complexity with computational logic.
2Measurement precision
If conventional systems use multiple moving parts and sensors for automated positioning, then positioning precision is improved, but reliability decreases due to more components that can fail
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes sensors and multiple moving parts from the system. By extracting these components, the system achieves reliability through fewer failure points while maintaining positioning precision through software calculations that determine optimal panel angles based on location and time data.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the motor's own operational characteristics (step count, rotation angle) to determine positioning accuracy without requiring external sensors. The software tracks motor movements and calculates position based on these self-generated data points, eliminating the need for separate sensing components.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional automated fixtures use multiple motors and complex mechanisms, then adaptability to different positions is improved, but ease of manufacture and maintenance worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes a single motor perform multiple functions by controlling it to execute different rotation sequences. The same motor handles both azimuth (horizontal) and elevation (vertical) positioning by varying the rotation commands, eliminating the need for separate motors for each degree of freedom and simplifying manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system achieves multiple positioning functions through dynamic control of a single motor. The motor's role changes based on software commands - sometimes rotating for azimuth adjustment, sometimes for elevation adjustment. This dynamic reassignment of function to a single component reduces manufacturing complexity while maintaining full positioning capability.
4Measurement precision
If conventional systems employ sensors and complex control mechanisms, then automated positioning accuracy is improved, but cost increases due to higher margins of defects and maintenance upkeep
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes sensors and complex control mechanisms from the system. By extracting these expensive components, the system reduces material costs and assembly complexity while maintaining positioning accuracy through software-based calculations that use location and time data to determine optimal panel angles.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses software models and calculations to replicate the function of physical sensors. Instead of using hardware sensors to detect sun position, the software calculates expected sun position based on geographic location, time, and date, creating a virtual model of optimal positioning that eliminates the need for expensive sensing hardware.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution reduces costs, increases reliability, and enables independent or coordinated positioning of solar panels for optimal solar capture, enhancing efficiency and reducing maintenance needs.
Implementation Method 1
a singular motor driven system, that enables a solar panel mounted on the turret device to rotate 360 degrees horizontally
Data Source
AI summary
The solar panel turret apparatus is a device that features lesser moving parts compared to other conventional systems. More specifically, the device utilizes a singular motor driven system, that enables a solar panel to rotate 360 degrees horizontally. The single motor and single rotational movement allow the turret device to adjust to a wide range of angles. Further, the device is a solely software driven apparatus, wherein the software is configured to manipulate the turret device to achieve optimal solar capture. In other words, a precision stepper motor controlled by the software, enables the device to locate the sun anywhere in the sky with the press of a button. The device further eliminates the need for sensors, thereby reducing costs while increasing reliability of the device. Furthermore, when used in tandem, each solar panel can position independently, or a group can position in a way beneficial to the entire array.