Roof-lens solar collector
OwnerLeonard L. Northrup, Jr., Mark J. O'Neillinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An array of linear lenses is used as a combination roof-skylight-solar collector. The lenses are oriented at a given latitude to face the most remote of the earth's poles inclined by the local latitude angle. Moving absorbers are used to receive the sunlight at the focal spot of each lens. The absorbers move back and forth during the day as the sun's position changes, causing the focal spots to move.
Claims16
A solar energy collector which comprises:
- a. a fixed panel of light transmitting material mounted at a given latitude to face the remote earth pole and including a plurality of linear lenses the axes of which extend parallel one to the other in an east-west direction to focus the sun's rays onto a plurality of focal lines behind said lens,
- b. an absorbing array comprising a like plurality of linear solar energy absorbing elements, at least one linear element for each of said lenses, mounted beneath said panel at the focal distance of said lenses and oriented parallel to said lenses, and
- c. means to move said array in daytime to maintain each of said elements always at the focal point for a given lens in compensation for variations in the sun's elevation angle relative to said panel.
A heating lighting structure comprising:
- a. a light transmitting panel at a given latitude facing the most remote of the earth's poles and inclined at an angle corresponding to local latitude and formed of a plurality of side-by-side generally cylindrical lenses whose axes extend east-west,
- b. means for mounting said panel to transmit light therethrough into said structure,
- c. an array of linear absorbing elements mounted inside said structure in side-by-side relation with at least one said element at the focal distance from each said lens, and
- d. means responsive to daily changes in the elevation angle of the sun relative to said panel to vary the location of said array relative to said panel to maintain said elements at the focus of the sun's rays by said lenses.
The combination comprising:
- a. an elongated generally cylindrical lens to concentrate parallel incident rays of light onto a focal line,
- b. means fixedly mounting said lens with its major axis tilted to local latitude to face the most remote of the earth's poles and its longitudinal axis east-west,
- c. an elongated linear heat absorbent element below and parallel to said lens at the focal distance thereof, and
- d. means responsive to variations in the elevation angle of the sun relative to said cylindrical lens in its daytime travel to vary the north-south position of said element to maintain it at the point of focus of the sun's rays.
A bifocal linear lens comprising a multiplicity of parallel prisms which focus incident sunlight upon two parallel lines lying in a common plane beneath said lens.
In the conversion of solar energy, the method comprising:
- a. refracting, in an east-west oriented layer tilted to local latitude to face the most remote of the earth's poles, incident solar radiation to focus said radiation to a plurality of east-west lines common to a focal plane beneath said refracting plane,
- b. positioning interceptors for said rays along said lines to absorb heat from said rays at one time of day, and
- c. moving said interceptors to compensate for changes in north-south positions of said lines due to variation in the elevation angle of the sun relative to said refracting layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.