US 12,681,507 B2 · Software and assembly for pointing and tilting solar panels

Abstract

A software and assembly for pointing and tilting solar panels at optimum positions and a method of using thereof is disclosed. A mobile device having the software application may be attached to the side of the solar panels to measure the compass direction and tilting angular direction of the solar panels. The mobile device may display a compass meter and tilting meter showing the current and optimum compass directions and tilting directions of the solar panels. As the solar panels change orientation, the current compass and tilting directions may change on the mobile device. The optimum compass and tilting directions may be determined based on the location of the solar panels and time of year and may correspond to the orientation where the solar panels would receive maximum or close to maximum solar energy from the sun.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of pointing and tilting a solar panel at an optimum orientation using a smartphone, comprising:

attaching the smartphone to a side of the solar panel with longitudinal sides of the smartphone being parallel to a tilting axis extending across the side of the solar panel, and a top portion of the smartphone having a camera facing towards a front of the solar panel for aligning an orientation of the smartphone to an orientation of the solar panel;
displaying on the smartphone a compass meter and a tilt meter;
the compass meter showing a current compass direction of the front of the solar panel and an optimum compass direction of the front of the solar panel;
the tilt meter showing a current tilt direction of the tilting axis of the solar panel and an optimum tilting direction of the tilting axis of the solar panel;
manually pointing the front of the solar panel in the optimum compass direction;
and
manually tilting the solar panel by changing an incline direction of the tilting axis to match the optimum tilting direction.

4 more elements

A method for orientating solar panels of portable solar light towers in optimum solar positions in at least two different GPS locations, comprising:

orientating a first solar panel of a first portable solar light tower in a first optimum orientation at a first GPS location by:
attaching a smartphone to a side of the first solar panel of the first portable solar light tower to align an orientation of the smartphone to an orientation of the solar panel;
displaying on the smartphone a first optimum compass direction and a first optimum tilt direction based on data pertaining to the first GPS location retrieved from a database;
pointing the first solar panel to the first optimum compass direction and verifying the pointing of the first solar panel using the smartphone;
tilting the first solar panel to the second optimum tilt direction and verifying the tilting of the first solar panel using the smartphone;
orientating a second solar panel of a second portable solar light tower in a second optimum orientation at a second GPS location by:
attaching the smartphone to a side of the second solar panel of the second portable solar light tower;
displaying on the smartphone a second optimum compass direction and a second optimum tilt direction based on data pertaining to the second GPS location retrieved from the database;
pointing the second solar panel to the second optimum compass direction and verifying the pointing of the second solar panel using the smartphone;
and
tilting the second solar panel to the second optimum tilt direction and verifying the tilting of the second solar panel using the smartphone.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Software and assembly for pointing and tilting solar panels

Life of this patent

Software and assembly for pointing and tilting solar panels

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20