JPS6193905A - Digital solar sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make possible the digital detection of the coordinates of the solar image by means of two pieces of detectors by providing repeaters for every optical fibers of respective lines and lows and controlling the interruption and transmission of the light signal to be transmitted. CONSTITUTION:One of respectively two optical fibers 5 of plural cord glasses 3 which are disposed in the line and row directions and act as photodetecting faces is bundled for each of the line and the remaining one is bundled for each of the row and is made into a fiber bundle 7. An intermediate member 14 which transmits and shuts off light is filled in the repeater 8 attached to the intermediate of each bundle 7 and the control of the transmittivity of the medium 14 is accomplished by a device 9. The solar light Sl is transmitted in the 2nd line of the bundle 7 and therefore the output of a photodetector 6 is invariable. A signal processing unit 10 turns the signal of a register 16 corresponding to the 1st line of the repeater 8 to 1 and interrupts the transmittance of the repeater 8 of (2-n) the line successively and the signal of the register 16 corresponding to the line number of the repeater 8 when the output of the detector 6 falls to a certain level or below to 0. Then the coordinates of the solar image are detected as the combination of the line and row numbers at which both signals turn to 0.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] This invention relates to a digital sun sensor that can detect the direction of the sun as a digital signal using a limited number of detection elements regardless of the number of pixels. It is.

[Conventional technology]

First, conventional technology will be briefly explained.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the structural concept of a digital solar sensor disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-96311. In this figure, (1) is a lens, (2) is a cord glass light receiving surface, (3) is a cord glass, (4) is a fixed frame, (6j is a photodetector, and (7) is an optical fiber bundle.

In such a configuration, sunlight sl passing through the lens (11) forms an image on the cord glass light receiving surface (2).

The cord glass light receiving surface (2) is constructed by attaching a plurality of cord glasses (3) to a fixed frame (4) as shown in FIG. 3 (bl). The side opposite to the light-receiving surface of each cord groove (3) is configured to extract optical signals through two optical fibers (5), as shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the arrangement of cord glasses in the row and column directions. In the figure, (5) is an optical fiber.

Two optical fibers (5) are attached to each side of the cord glass (3) opposite to the light-receiving surface, as shown in Figure 2.

Optical fiber + for each row (1 to n) and each column (1 to m)
51. Bundle them together to make one optical fiber bundle (because the optical signal is extracted as power, 1, for example, sunlight sl is the 4th
When the image is focused on the position shown in the figure, the sunlight is guided through the optical fiber (5) to the optical fiber bundle (7) and illuminates the photodetector (6) placed at the cut end. Let us assume that the output signal of the photodetector (6) at this time is "1", and that the output signal of the photodetector (6) that is not irradiated with light is "0".

A combination of "1" and "0" signals as shown in FIG. 4 is obtained in the row and column directions.

Depending on the position of the light image, ・1″ in the row and column directions,
Since the combination of "0" signals is determined, the direction of the sun is measured as a vector.

[Problem to be solved by the invention J] In the conventional technology, in order to detect the position of the sun's image as described above, it is necessary to provide a photodetector for each optical fiber bundle in each row and each column. m+n) photodetectors were required.

This invention was made to solve this problem, and uses two photodetectors, one for each row of optical fiber bundles and one for each column of optical fiber bundles.
The objective is to obtain a digital sun sensor that can detect the coordinates of one solar image.

[Failure to solve the problem]

Digital solar senna according to this invention each line.

A repeater provided for each optical fiber bundle in each row, an intermediary medium filled in the repeater, a transmittance control device that controls light transmittance, and an output signal from the transmittance control device and photodetector. A signal processing section that detects the coordinates of the image of the sun based on the coordinates of the image of the sun is provided.

[Effect]

In this invention, the transmittance of light in the repeater provided for each optical fiber bundle in each row and each column is sequentially reduced by a transmittance control device, and the number of the repeater in the optical signal cut-off state is determined by the repeater number in each row and each column. The optical fiber bundles are further bundled in each row, and each
The coordinates of the stellar image are detected from changes in the output of a photodetector placed at each end of a bundle of optical fibers.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the structural concept of a digital solar sensor showing an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, (1) to (
7) is exactly the same as the conventional sensor described above. (8
) is a repeater, (9) is a transmittance control device, aω is a signal processing device, and ae is a register. Further, FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating in more detail the configuration of the transmittance control device (9) and the repeater (8), which are the components of FIG. 1.

The interior of the repeater (8) is filled with an intermediary medium α4, and an electrode α9 is also incorporated therein. Further, the optical fiber bundle (in a disconnected state is fixed to the repeater (8)).

The transmittance control device (9) is composed of a switch control circuit section (+1+), a switch section 0, and a power supply circuit α.

In such a configuration, sunlight S/ that has passed through the lens (2) passes through the cord glass (3 lenses) placed at the focal point.

For example, a cord glass (3) with 2 rows and 2 columns is irradiated. The solar light S/ conducts the optical fiber bundle (7) from the optical fiber (5) to the second row repeater (8) and the second row repeater (8).
In this state, the switch control circuit (Ill) that constitutes the transmittance control device (9) first corresponds to the repeater (8) in the first row. When the switch S of the switch section a is closed, an electric signal is applied from the power supply circuit α to the electrode haze.

For example, if a liquid crystal or the like is used as the intermediary medium I, cloudiness occurs, the light transmittance decreases, and the conduction of sunlight sl can be blocked. When the switch S is opened by the switch control circuit αυ,
When the electric signal is cut off, the intermediary medium αa regains high light transmittance, and sunlight sl is conducted. However, in this embodiment, since the sunlight S/ is conducted through the optical fiber bundle (7) in the second row, the output of the photodetector (6) remains unchanged with respect to the above operation, and the signal processing device αl is the first row repeater (8)
The signal of the register ae corresponding to is set to "1". below,
2°3, . . . , the optical conduction of the repeaters (8) in n rows is successively interrupted.

In this process, when the output of the photodetector (6) drops below a certain level, the signal in the register OQ corresponding to the row number of the repeater (8) is set to 0''.The repeater (8) on the column side Exactly the same operation is performed for .Then, the coordinates of the solar image are determined by the combination of row number and column number where both the signals are "0", that is, (2, 2) in this example. can be detected.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, a repeater is provided for each optical fiber bundle in each row and each column, and the structure is configured to control the blocking and transmission of optical signals conducted within the repeater. The coordinates of the solar image can be digitally detected using these detectors.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration concept of a digital sun sensor according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a transmittance control device and a repeater, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration concept of a conventional digital sun sensor. The figure shows the arrangement of cord glasses. In the figure, (1) is the lens, (2) is the cord glass light receiving surface, (3) is the cord glass, (4) is the fixed frame, and (5) is the cord glass.
is an optical fiber, (6) is a photodetector, (power is an optical fiber bundle, (8) is a repeater, (9) is a transmittance control device, 01 is a signal processing device. ■ is a switch control circuit section, and u2 is a The switch section, 13 is a power supply circuit, 0 is an intermediary medium, 1:9 is an electrode, and αQ is a resistor. In the two figures, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A plurality of cord glasses arranged in rows and columns to form a light-receiving surface, two optical fibers each attached to the side opposite to the light-receiving surface of each cord glass, and two optical fibers attached to each of the above-mentioned cord glasses. Bundle one of them for each row and make one each.
An optical fiber bundle made into a book, an optical fiber bundle in which the remaining one optical fiber is bundled in each row into one optical fiber bundle, a repeater installed in the middle of each of the above optical fiber bundles, and a repeater installed in the middle of the above repeater. an intermediary medium that transmits or blocks light;
A transmittance control device that controls the light transmittance of the intermediate medium, and one end of each optical fiber bundle pulled out from each repeater and further bundled row by row and column by column to form one optical fiber bundle. a signal processing device that receives output signals from the transmittance control device and the photodetector and outputs a combination of signals in the row and column directions corresponding to the solar direction; and an output from the signal processing device. A digital solar sensor characterized by comprising: a resistor for holding a.