Sensor for measuring diffuse solar irradiance
AssigneeHukseflux Holding B.V.
InventorsCornelis Jan Van Den Bos, Eric Richard Hoeksema
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Abstract
The invention shows a sensor for measuring diffuse solar irradiance including: an hemisphere having an approximately 2π steradian solid opening angle with a non-transparent layer and a transparent aperture pattern, the transparent aperture pattern providing a near-uniform transmission of the diffuse radiation as seen from near a center of the hemisphere, an aperture being an area occupying a part of the hemisphere surface area that is smaller than 2% and two or more light-sensitive sensors arranged in an array near the center of the hemisphere such that under any position of the sun relative to the sensor at least one of the two or more light-sensitive sensors is shaded from direct solar radiation by the hemisphere with aperture pattern.
Claims19
A sensor for measuring diffuse solar irradiance comprising:
- a hemisphere having an approximately 2π steradian solid opening angle with an inner wall having a hemisphere inner radius and an outer wall, the hemisphere having a non-transparent layer and a transparent aperture pattern, the transparent aperture pattern providing a near-uniform transmission of the diffuse radiation as seen from near a center of the hemisphere, an aperture being an area occupying a part of the hemisphere surface area that is smaller than 2%, and
- two or more light-sensitive sensors arranged in an array near the center of the hemisphere such that at any position of the sun relative to the sensor at least one of the two or more light-sensitive sensors is shaded from direct solar radiation by the hemisphere with aperture pattern and
- wherein all the light-sensitive sensors are located on a substantially flat plane within a radius from the hemisphere center of smaller than 0.5 times the hemisphere inner radius, so that the sensors have a substantially same position relative to the hemisphere and thus substantially identical directional response, and thus a substantially identical sensitivity to the diffuse irradiance.
A sensor for measuring diffuse solar irradiance comprising two or more light-sensitive sensors and a hemisphere with an inner radius R from 10 to 150 mm, a thickness in the range of 0.05 to 5 mm and a base, wherein:
- the outer surface of the hemisphere comprises a non-transparent layer and a transparent aperture pattern, wherein each aperture has (i) an area less than 2% of the curved hemisphere surface area, and (ii) the apertures are evenly dispersed in a pattern on the hemisphere surface symmetrical around a top point of the hemisphere;
- the light sensitive sensors are arranged in an array on the base within a distance of 0.5 times the hemisphere inner radius from the center of the base.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.