Device, system and method of characterizing reflective elements through reflected light beams
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current characterization systems for heliostats in solar power plants are limited in measuring the quality of reflected light beams, especially for heliostats beyond 800 meters from the tower, due to issues like light intensity competition with ambient light and direct sunlight, and inability to adjust measurement ranges, leading to inaccurate or incomplete characterization of heliostat fields.
Innovation Solution
A characterization device using two variable-gain detectors with light capture optics and automatic gain selection, combined with a pin-hole camera system, scans the reflected beam uniformly and constantly using the sun's movement, reducing noise from ambient and direct sunlight, and adjusting measurement ranges to characterize heliostats at any distance, including those beyond 800 meters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If white screens or targets are used to capture reflected beam shape, then beam shape can be measured, but measurement precision deteriorates for heliostats beyond 800 meters due to light intensity competition with ambient light
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the reflected beam light from the ambient environment by using a pin-hole camera system that blocks direct sunlight and ambient light, allowing only the reflected beam to reach the detector. This resolves the contradiction by isolating the weak reflected signal from the overwhelming ambient light background, enabling precise measurement even at distances beyond 800 meters.
Solution Approach 2:
The pin-hole camera acts as an intermediary element between the reflected beam and the detector. It selectively transmits only the reflected beam light while blocking direct sunlight and ambient light, thereby mediating the interaction between the weak reflected signal and the strong ambient light environment, and enabling accurate measurement of distant heliostats.
2Adaptability or versatility
If fixed measurement ranges are used in detectors, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability deteriorates when characterizing heliostats at different distances with varying light intensities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic gain adjustment in the detectors, allowing the measurement range to be automatically adapted to different light intensities based on the distance to the heliostat. The detector gain is dynamically adjusted to optimize the signal-to-noise ratio for each specific measurement condition, enabling versatile characterization of both close and far heliostats with a single device configuration.
3Reliability
If direct sunlight illumination is present on the target, then ambient light intensity increases, but measurement reliability deteriorates due to competition with reflected beam light
Solution Approach 1:
The pin-hole camera system extracts only the reflected beam light by creating a narrow field of view that excludes direct sunlight and ambient light. The pin-hole geometry naturally filters out light sources not aligned with the heliostat-detector axis, thereby removing the harmful effect of direct sunlight interference and improving characterization reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the challenge of direct sunlight interference into a benefit by using the pin-hole camera's inherent light-blocking property. The pin-hole design naturally blocks direct sunlight while transmitting the reflected beam, turning the harmful direct sunlight into an irrelevant background element and actually simplifying the measurement by eliminating the need for active sun-tracking or shielding mechanisms.
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
This solution enables precise and accurate characterization of heliostat quality by increasing the signal-to-noise ratio, reducing errors, and allowing simultaneous characterization of both close and far heliostats, even in varying light conditions, improving the dynamic range and reliability of measurements across large heliostat fields.
Implementation Method 1
each detector comprises a lens for increasing the signal-to-noise ratio of the reflected beam, an optical sensor on which the beam captured by the lens is focused
Implementation Method 2
the invention relates to a characterization device... Complementarily, the characterization device comprises a pin-hole camera system with at least one pin-hole camera
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a characterization device, system, and method for characterizing reflective elements from the light beams reflected in it, and specifically from the quality of said light beams. The device comprises at least two variable-gain detectors arranged on a common structure, which can be portable or fixed, and arranged for capturing the light beams reflected by at least one reflective element, preferably a heliostat, and from at least one processor characterizing the quality of said reflected light beams and therefore evaluating the quality of the reflective element or heliostat from its reflective capacity. Likewise, each detector comprises a lens for increasing the signal-to-noise ratio of the reflected beam or beams, at least one light sensor on which the beam or beams captured by the lens are focused, an automatic gain selection system associated with the optical sensor, and data communication means associated with the device itself. Likewise, the invention relates to a characterization system and to a characterization method for characterizing reflective elements, heliostats, from the quality of the light beams reflected in at least one reflective element or heliostat.