Optical condenser, rotational axis setting method therefor, and heat collection apparatus and solar power generation apparatus equipped with optical condenser
AssigneeMitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
InventorAkira Furutani
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Optical axis vectors indicating a direction of an optical axis of a mirror structure that directs the light from the sun at a plurality of times on a predetermined day to a condensed position are obtained for each of the plurality of times. Next, a cone having generatrices along which direction segments of the optical axis vectors for each of the plurality of times extend is determined, and a cone central axis vector indicating a direction of a central axis of the cone is obtained. A first rotational axis of an optical condenser is set to be parallel to the cone central axis vector.
Claims17
An optical condenser that includes a mirror structure having one or more mirrors and reflects sunlight with the mirrors of the mirror structure to condense the sunlight onto a predetermined condensed position, the optical condenser comprising:
- a first driving part that turns the mirrors with a first rotational axis as a center, and
- a second driving part that turns the mirrors with a second rotational axis perpendicular to the first rotational axis as a center,
- wherein the first rotational axis is set to be parallel to a central axis of a cone drawn by a track of an optical axis of the mirror structure that directs the light from the sun making a diurnal motion to the condensed position.
A rotational axis setting method in an optical condenser including a mirror structure having one or more mirrors and a driving device that turns the mirror structure around a rotational axis to direct sunlight reflected by the mirrors of the mirror structure to a predetermined condensed position, the rotational axis setting method comprising:
- a data acquisition step of acquiring global position data of the mirror structure, global position data of the condensed position, and solar position data based on the position of the mirror structure for each of a plurality of times on a predetermined day in one year;
- an optical axis vector calculating step of obtaining optical axis vectors indicating a direction of an optical axis of the mirror structure that directs the light from the sun at the plurality of times on the predetermined day to the condensed position for each of the plurality of times;
- a cone central axis vector calculating step of determining a cone having generatrices along which direction segments of the optical axis vectors for each of the plurality of times extend, and obtaining a cone central axis vector indicating a direction of a central axis of the cone;
- and
- a rotational axis setting step of setting the rotational axis to be parallel to the cone central axis vector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.