US 4,930,493 AGranted

Multi-lever rim-drive heliostat

OwnerDaniel V. Sallisinventor

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Abstract

Disclosed is a heliostat assembly having a circular, ring mounted reflector which is driven and supported by an arrangement of elongated levers. A pair of levers are spaced apart and pivotally mounted at their lower ends, and have upper ends which are linked to the heliostat ring at diametrically opposite horizontally spaced location, by way of ball-and-socket type joints. A third lever has a first end similarly mounted to the heliostat ring at a location below and mid-way between the connections of the lever pair. Assuming the assembly is located in a south-facing heliostat field, the third lever extends generally southward to its second end which is mounted for movement about a horizontal axis. By driving each one of the lever pair in opposite directions the heliostat may be turned for solar tracking. The heliostat may also be driven to a protective stow position by pivoting the lever pair southwardly together in parallel, until the heliostat is turned to a horizontal, face-down position.

Claims13

Dependent claims

Heliostat assembly, comprising:

a. solar reflector;
b. first lever and a second lever, the lower ends of said first and said second lever each mounted at horizontally spaced apart locations to a fixed support base by universal joint means, the upper ends of said first and second lever each mounted to the periphery of said reflector at horizontally spaced apart locations thereon by universal joint means;
c. central arm having a first end which is mounted to the periphery of said reflector by universal joint means at a location which is equidistant from the mounting locations thereon of said first and second levers, and the second end of said central arm mounted by hinge joint means to a fixed support at a location equidistant from the lower ends of said first and second levers, said hinge joint means providing for rotation about a horizontal axis only;
and
d. drive means for pivoting said first and said second levers relatively in opposite directions by preselected amounts to provide azimuthal steering of said reflector, and for pivoting said levers relatively in the same direction to provide elevational steering of said reflector.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.