Solar tracking system
AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.
InventorsIvan Pawlenko, Larry Samson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A solar tracking system has a first set of solar heat gain transducers (700) that produce respective first output signals to drive a reversible first motor (300) for changing a vertical angle of a solar collector (200); and a second set of solar heat gain transducers (700) that produce respective second output signals to drive a reversible second motor (608) for changing a horizontal angle of the solar collector (200); each of the transducers (700) having a thermistor (702) in thermal contact with a thermal mass (706); and a communications apparatus (900) receiving output voltage from solar cells (202) on the solar collector (200).
Claims13
A solar tracking system, comprising:
- a first set of solar heat gain transducers that produce respective first electrical output signals to drive a reversible first motor for changing a vertical angle of a solar collector;
- a second set of solar heat gain transducers that produce respective second electrical output signals to drive a reversible second motor for changing a horizontal angle of the solar collector;
- each of the transducers having a thermistor in thermal contact with a thermal mass, wherein the thermal mass comprises a mass of conducting material to elevate in temperature while illuminated by the sun, and wherein the thermistor senses the temperature of the thermal mass and produces a corresponding one of the electrical output signals proportional to the temperature;
- and
- each of the transducers having the thermistor and the thermal mass contained in a solar energy collecting and heat insulating enclosure that is solar energy transparent.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.