Solar collector
AssigneeSoloptics, Inc.
InventorDonald R. Meyer, Sr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A non-tracking spherical solar energy collector including a fluid lense and an absorber having an energy absorbing surface within the focal region of the lense. The minimal surface area of the absorber required for efficient solar energy collection is determined by ray tracing techniques utilizing known positions of the sun during days of winter and summer solstice.
Claims16
A solar collector comprising a collector body, means securing said collector body in fixed and static position on the surface of the earth at a fixed latitudinal and longitudinal position, energy absorbing means disposed in fixed position on said collector body and having an energy absorbing surface for receiving and absorbing solar energy, lense means mounted in fixed position on said collector body for continuously focusing rays of the sun on said absorbing surface throughout the year including the solar days of the summer and winter solstice at said fixed latitudinal and longitudinal position, said absorbing surface having a peripheral shape defined by locii of centroids of the focii of said rays of the sun focused on said absorbing means by said lense means during said solar days of the summer and winter solstice as determined by the fixed and static position of said collector body at said fixed latitudinal and longitudinal position.
A solar collector comprising a collector body, means securing said collector body in fixed and static position on the surface of the earth at a fixed latitudinal and longitudinal position, said collector body including a generally hemispherical upwardly opening shell having a generally hemispherical inner surface, energy absorbing means disposed within said shell for receiving and absorbing solar energy and having an energy absorbing surface partially defining said hemispherical inner surface, concavo-convex lense means mounted on said collector body for continuously focusing rays of the sun on said absorbing surface throughout the year including solar days of the summer and winter solstice at said fixed latitudinal and longitudinal position, said lense means forming a closure for said upwardly opening shell, said shell and said lense means cooperating to define a chamber containing said energy absorbing means, said absorbing surface having a peripheral shape defined by locii of centroids of the focii of said rays of the sun focused on said absorbing surface by said lense means during said solar days of the summer and winter solistice as determined by the fixed and static position of said collector body at said fixed latitudinal and longitudinal position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.