JPH0356454B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Recently, we have entered an era of energy conservation, and research and development is being actively conducted in various fields regarding the effective use of solar energy.However, the most effective method of utilizing solar energy is It is to use sunlight energy as it is as light energy without converting it into other forms of energy such as electrical energy or thermal energy. In view of the above, the present applicant focuses solar energy using a lens or the like and guides it into a light conductor cable,
Various proposals have been made regarding solar light collection devices that transmit sunlight to any desired location, for example, a location that requires illumination, through the optical conductor cable and are used for indoor lighting. The present invention was made as part of this effort.Basically, sunlight is focused using a large number of lenses that move in direction following the movement of the sun, and a light-receiving surface is placed opposite each lens. The sunlight transmitted through the plurality of light guides is introduced into a plurality of light guides arranged, and the plurality of light guides are connected to a single light guide. The present invention relates to a solar light collection device that transmits sunlight to any desired location through the light guide, and in particular, considers the arrangement of the multiple light guides so that they can be standardized, thereby facilitating the production of the light guides. At the same time, the cost of the light guide is reduced, and further, the following operation of the lens is facilitated, or sunlight that is not focused by the lens can be introduced into the light guide or light guide. The aim is to improve solar light collection efficiency.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view for explaining an example of a sunlight collecting device previously proposed by the applicant.
2 is a cylindrical base, 2 is a transparent dome-shaped head,
These constitute a capsule 3 for a solar collector, and in use, a solar collector 10 is accommodated within the capsule 3 as shown. This sunlight collection device 10 includes a large number of concentrically arranged lenses 11 ₁ to 11 ₁₉ for concentrating sunlight, for example, 19 lenses, a sunlight direction sensor 12 for detecting the direction of the sun, and a solar light direction sensor 12 for detecting the direction of the sun. a support frame 13 that integrally holds the lenses, a first motor 15 for rotating them in the direction of arrow A, and a support frame 13 that integrally holds the lens 1.
1 ₁ to 11 ₁₉ to support arm 1 that supports motor 15
6, and a rotating shaft 17 disposed perpendicular to the rotating shaft of the motor 15, with the rotating shaft 17 indicated by an arrow B.
a second motor (not shown) for rotation in the direction
The first and second motors detect the direction of the sun by the sunlight direction sensor 12, and the first and second motors are configured so that the lenses 11 ₁ to 11 ₁₉ always face the sun based on the detection signal. and control lens 11 ₁
~11 The sunlight focused by ₁₉ is introduced into a large number (19 in the example of Figure 1) of optical conductor cables (not shown) whose light receiving ends are arranged at each focal position of the lens. The light is transmitted to any desired location through the light guide cable.

In the conventional solar power collection device as described above, a large number of optical conductor cables are arranged facing each lens and are used by extending them to each place of use. , the optical conductor cables become entangled with each other, or the optical conductor cables get wrapped around the rotating shaft, making the installation work and subsequent maintenance of the optical conductor cables difficult.
Furthermore, since a light conductor cable is used, there are drawbacks such as high cost. Furthermore, not all of the sunlight focused by the lens is introduced into the optical conductor cable, and the focal image of sky light is too large to be introduced into the optical conductor cable. There were also drawbacks, such as a reduction in sunlight collection efficiency.

The present invention was made in order to solve the drawbacks of the prior art as described above, and in a solar light collection device that collects sunlight using a large number of lenses as described above, It is possible to simplify the wiring of the light guide to be installed and standardize the light guide, thereby facilitating the work of arranging the light guide and reducing the cost of the light guide. A condensing reflector plate is provided on the back side of a lens system consisting of multiple lenses, and the condensing reflector plate can condense sunlight that has not been collected by the lenses and introduce it into the light guide. In this way, the efficiency of using sunlight can be improved.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side sectional view of essential parts for explaining one embodiment of the solar light collecting device according to the present invention, and in the figure, reference numeral 14 denotes a first rotating shaft rotated by a first motor 15. , 18 is a second motor for rotating the second rotating shaft 17, and 11 ₁ to 11 ₅ are lenses, and these lenses 11 ₁ to 11 ₅ are similar to the lenses 11 ₁ to 11 ₅ shown in FIG. The sunlight L focused by 11 ₁ to 11 ₅ on this lens corresponds to
are introduced into light guides 21 ₁ to 21 ₅ whose light-receiving end faces are arranged at the focal point of each lens. Figure 3 shows
This is a schematic configuration diagram of a lens system consisting of a large number of lenses as described above, viewed from the back side. In the illustrated example, 19 lenses consisting of 11 ₁ to 11 ₁₉ are arranged approximately concentrically, and light guide 2 to the focal point of
1 ₁ to 21 ₁₉ light-receiving end faces are arranged, and the light-emitting end of each light guide is concentrated at the center of the lens system as shown, connected within the light guide 22 at the center, and connected to the light guide 22 at the center. The light is transmitted to any desired location through the light source, and is provided for illumination or other use at the desired location. In this way, according to the present invention, the sunlight focused by the plurality of lenses 11 ₁ to 11 ₁₉ is introduced into the light guides 21 ₁ to 21 ₁₉ arranged opposite to each lens. However, since the light emitting end side of each light guide is gathered at the center of a substantially concentric circle formed by a large number of lenses and connected to a single light guide 22 at the center, each light guide has Since the introduced sunlight is transmitted to any desired location through the single light guide 22, the wiring of the light guide is very easy, and a light guide rod can be used as a light guide instead of a light guide cable. This makes it possible to reduce the cost of the light guide.Furthermore, as will be described later, it becomes possible to standardize the dimensions of the light guide, making it easier to manufacture and install the guide. becomes. That is, FIG. 4 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along the line - in FIG. 5) of part A shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line -- in FIG. As shown, each light guide 21 ₁ -21 ₁₉ is centered at the center of the lens system and connected to a light guide 22 at the center, with each light guide 21 ₁ to 21 ₁₉ are each light guide 21 ₁
~21 ₁₉ lenses 11 ₁ arranged facing each other
~ ₁₁₁₉ (the suffixes 1 to 19 of the light guides ₂₁₁ to ₂₁₁₉ correspond to the suffixes ₁ to ₁₉ of the lenses 111 to 1119, respectively) are arranged approximately concentrically. For example, the light guide 21 ₃ facing the central lens 11 ₃ is located at the center, and the outer lenses 11 ₂ , 11 ₆ , 11 ₉ , 11 are located on the inner concentric circle.
₁₁ , 11 ₁₉ , 11 ₁₆ opposite light guides 21 ₁₂ ,
21 ₆ , 21 ₉ , 21 ₁₁ , 21 ₁₉ , 21 ₁₆ are arranged concentrically, and the lenses 11 ₁₂ , 11 ₆ , 11 ₉ , 11 ₁₁ , 11 ₁₉ , 11 ₁₆ are arranged on the outside of each of them.
The lenses 11 ₃ , 11 ₂ , 11 ₈ ,
Light guide 21 facing 11 ₄ , 11 ₁₇ , 11 _15
13 , 21 ₂ , 21 ₈ , 21 ₄ , 21 ₁₇ , 21 ₁₅ are arranged, and lenses 11 ₁ , 11 ₇ , 11
Light guide 2 facing ₁₀ , 11 ₅ , 11 ₈ , 11 ₁₄
1 ₁ , 21 ₇ , 21 ₁₀ , 21 ₅ , 21 ₈ , and 21 ₁₄ are arranged to form approximately concentric circles. With this configuration, the light guides 21 ₁₂ , 21 ₆ , 21 ₉ , 21
₁₁ , 21 ₁₉ , 21 ₁₆ may have the same size and shape,
Similarly, the light guides 21 ₁₃ , 21 ₂ , 21 ₈ , 21 ₄ ,
21 _{17 and} 21 ₁₅ may also _{have the same} dimensions and _the same shape;
₁₄ may also have the same dimensions and shape; in the case of the illustrated example,
Essentially, it is sufficient to standardize and prepare three types of light guides, and the light guide production, installation work, and
The connection with the light guide 22 is facilitated, and since the light guides are arranged in an orderly manner, there is no risk of them becoming entangled or wrapped around the rotating shaft. Furthermore,
If the other end of the single light guide 22 to which a large number of light guides are connected as described above is arranged coaxially with the first rotating shaft 14 as shown in FIG. 22, the first rotating shaft 14 becomes free to rotate, and furthermore, if the light guide 22 is passed through the support arm 16 and disposed coaxially with the second rotating shaft 17, the first rotating shaft 14 becomes free to rotate. The second rotating shaft 17 also becomes free to rotate with respect to the light guide 22, making it easy to perform a tracking operation for causing the lens system to follow the movement of the sun. however,
As mentioned above, when trying to introduce sunlight focused by a lens into a light guide, it is extremely difficult to introduce all the light focused by the lens into the light guide, and it is difficult to introduce all the light focused by the lens into the light guide. Light inherently has a large focused image, which is practically larger than the area of the end face of the light guide, so it is difficult to introduce sky light into the light guide, and there is light that is not introduced into such a light guide. This, of course, leads to a decrease in solar power collection efficiency. The present invention also aims to provide a sunlight collecting device that can effectively collect and utilize the light that is not introduced into the light guide due to the above-mentioned reasons. Specifically, reference number 30 is shown in FIG.
As _{shown in FIG .} The light that was not introduced into the light guide is reflected by the condensing reflector plate 30 so that it can be effectively introduced into the light guide. That is, as mentioned above, FIG. 4 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of part A shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line -- in FIG.
₁ to 21 ₁₉ are gathered approximately concentrically at the center of the lens system and connected to the light guide 22. At this time, each of the light guides 21 ₁ to 21 ₁₉ receives reflected light from the condensing reflector plate 30. The light that is not introduced into the light guide by the lens is introduced into the light guide where it is focused by the light condensing reflector plate 30. In this way, according to the present invention, sunlight that is not introduced into the light guide by the lens system can also be introduced into the focused light guide using the reflector, thereby making it possible to , the solar light collection efficiency can be improved. The light guide 22 is wired through the boundary between the lenses as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 3, and its end is connected to the rotation axis 1 of the lens system as shown in FIG.
4, the light guide 22 will not cast a shadow on the lens surface. Furthermore, in the above explanation, it has been explained that the lens 11 ₃ is located at the center, but in reality, this lens 11 3 is located at the center.
₃ should be omitted, in which case light guide 2
It is preferable to use the central part of the light guide 213 instead of the light guide ₂₁₃ .

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, a large number of sunlight focusing lenses are provided, and sunlight focused by the lenses is introduced into a light guide disposed opposite to each lens. In the solar light collecting device, each light guide can be arranged in an orderly manner, and each light guide can be standardized, making the work of arranging the light guides easier. By making it possible to use a light guide rod as a light guide, it is possible to reduce the cost of light guides.Furthermore, these multiple light guides can be connected to a single light guide, and transmission can be carried out through each light guide. Incoming sunlight can be transmitted to any desired location through the single light guide.
The installation work becomes easier and the cost can be reduced, but in addition, by arranging the light guide coaxially with the rotation axis, the lens surface can be made to follow the direction of the sun. The rotating shaft can be made to rotate freely. Furthermore, by providing a condensing reflector plate on the back side of the space formed by a large number of lenses and a large number of light guides, it is possible to prevent light from entering the light guide by the lenses. Light can also be introduced into the light guide, which has the advantage of improving sunlight collection efficiency.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic overall configuration diagram for explaining an example of a sunlight collecting device to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of main parts for explaining an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a back view of the lens and light guide section, Figure 4 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of part A shown in Figures 2 and 3, and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the - line in Figure 4. be. 3...Capsule, 10...Solar collection device, 1
1 ₁ - 11 ₁₉ ... lens, 21 ₁ - 21 ₁₉ ... optical fiber, 22 ... light guide, 30 ... condensing reflection plate.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of lenses arranged substantially concentrically to focus sunlight, a sensor to detect the direction of the sun, and a light-receiving end face arranged at the focal position of each lens. a plurality of light guides arranged and into which sunlight focused by the lens is introduced, and a single light guide to which the plurality of light guides are connected and sunlight transmitted through each light guide is introduced. a first rotating shaft rotatably supporting the plurality of lenses and a member integrally formed with the lens; a supporting arm supporting the first rotating shaft; a second rotating shaft rotatably supported around an axis orthogonal to the first rotating shaft; the sensor detects the direction of the sun and the first rotating shaft and the second In the sunlight collection device, the rotation axis is controlled such that the light-receiving surface of the lens faces the sun, and sunlight focused by the lens is introduced into the light guide. A light emitting end side of the light guide is disposed toward the lens surface at the center of the substantially concentric circle and connected to the single light guide, and the other end of the light guide is disposed coaxially with the first rotation axis, The sunlight collecting device is further arranged coaxially with the second rotating shaft through the support arm. 2. A large number of lenses arranged substantially concentrically to focus sunlight, a sensor to detect the direction of the sun, and a light-receiving end face arranged at the focal position of each lens, and a sensor for detecting the direction of the sun. a plurality of light guides through which focused sunlight is introduced; a single light guide to which the plurality of light guides are connected and into which sunlight transmitted through each light guide is introduced; a first rotating shaft that rotatably supports a large number of lenses and members integrally configured with the lenses; a supporting arm that supports the first rotating shaft; and a supporting arm that is connected to the first rotating shaft. and a second rotation axis rotatably supported around orthogonal axes, and the sensor detects the direction of the sun and rotates the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis of the lens. A sunlight collecting device configured to control the light receiving surface to face the sun and introduce sunlight focused by the lens into the light guide, including the plurality of lenses and the light guide. A light condensing reflector is provided on the back side of the space, and the light output end side of the light guide is arranged toward the lens surface at the center of the substantially concentric circle and connected to the single light guide. , and wherein the light guide does not have a cladding layer at least near the center. 3. The sunlight collection device according to claim 2, wherein the focal point of the light condensing reflector is on the central axis of the substantially concentric circles. 4. Solar collector according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that each of the light guides is connected to the single light guide in a substantially concentric manner in relation to each of the lenses. Device.