US 9,954,482 B2Granted

Rigidly mounted tracking solar panel and method

AssigneeThe Boeing Company

InventorDouglas R. Jungwirth

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Abstract

A rigidly mountable solar panel includes lenses supported above a movable panel to focus sunlight onto photovoltaic material carried on the movable panel. Flexible supports space the movable panel at the focal points of the lenses, and a servo-mechanism enables movement of the movable panel to adjust position as the focal point moves with the sun. A light detector on the movable panel, sensing movement of the focal point signals the servo-mechanism to adjust the position of the movable panel automatically, thereby tracking the sun's movement. Concentrating sunlight on photovoltaic material selected to have higher conversion efficiency increases output. Segmenting the photovoltaic material so the output of the segments can be combined in a series-parallel relationship and using mirrors on the ends of the movable panel to reflect sunlight onto the segments allows electricity that is generated by the photovoltaic material to be more uniform during daylight.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A solar panel, comprising:

a plurality of lenses, a lens of said plurality of lenses being curved to focus light;
a movable panel;
photovoltaic material carried on said movable panel, said photovoltaic material generating electric current when light is focused on said photovoltaic materials by said plurality of lenses;
wherein the photovoltaic material is divided into a plurality of segments disposed in a linear series, the linear series having a long side and a short side, the plurality of segments of the linear series comprising a first segment defining a first longitudinal end of the linear series and a second segment defining a second longitudinal end of the linear series, the second longitudinal end opposite the first longitudinal end;
wherein the plurality of segments in the linear series are abuttingly arranged so that each segment physically abuts, along a longitudinal axis parallel to the long side, at least one neighboring segment of the linear series;
a plurality of supports connecting said plurality of lenses to said movable panel;
and
a servo-mechanism connected to said movable panel, said servo-mechanism moving said movable panel to maintain said light from said plurality of lenses on said photovoltaic material;
a first mirror located proximate said first segment and disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the linear series to reflect said light onto said first segment.

6 more elements

A solar panel, comprising:

a plurality of lenses;
a movable panel mounted so as to be movable relative to the plurality of lenses;
a plurality of supports movably connecting the movable panel to the plurality of lenses;
a first set of solar cells carried by the movable panel;
the first set comprising first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth solar cells;
the first set of solar cells configured to generate electric current when light is focused on the first set of solar cells by the plurality of lenses;
wherein the solar cells of the first set are physically disposed in a first linear series in a sequence of the first solar cell, the third solar cell, the fifth solar cell, the sixth solar cell, the fourth solar cell, the second solar cell;
wherein the first solar cell defines a longitudinally first end of the first linear series;
wherein the second solar cell defines a longitudinally second end of the first linear series, wherein the second end is opposite the first end;
a second set of solar cells carried by the movable panel, the second set of solar cells physically disposed in a second linear series;
the second linear series disposed in spaced relation to the first linear series;
a photodetector carried by the movable panel;
a servo-mechanism connected to the movable panel and configured to move the movable panel to maintain the light from the plurality of lenses on the first set of solar cells based on alignment data from the photodetector;
a first mirror disposed transverse to a longitudinal axis of the first linear series so as to reflect light onto the first solar cell;
wherein the first mirror is disposed closer to the first solar cell than to the second solar cell;
wherein the solar cells of the first linear series are grouped in pairs, wherein there are at least three pairs;
wherein the solar cells of the first set are electrically connected together such that:
intra-pair connections are in parallel;
inter-pair connections are in series;
wherein the first solar cell and the second solar cell are paired in a first pair;
wherein a second pair comprises the third and fourth solar cells and is disposed between the first and second solar cells;
wherein a third pair comprises the fifth and sixth solar cells and is disposed between the third and fourth solar cells.

19 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/880,560Filed 12 Oct 2015
Published: US 2017/0104444 A113 Apr 2017
Granted: 24 Apr 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

H02S 20/32
Supporting structures being movable or adjustable, e.g. for angle adjustment: specially adapted for solar tracking
H02S 40/22
Optical components: light-reflecting or light-concentrating means
H10F 19/80
Integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one photovoltaic cell covered by group H10F10/00, e.g. photovoltaic…
H10F 77/484
Directly associated or integrated with photovoltaic cells, e.g. light-reflecting means or light-concentrating means: refractive…