KR101085172B1 - A solar tracking apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A solar tracking apparatus is provided to remove accumulated errors in case of long-time operation by resetting the rotation angle of a panning device based on a detection signal of a photo-coupler. CONSTITUTION: A solar tracking apparatus comprises a main solar position information acquisition unit(120), a tilting device(140), a panning device(130), an encoder(170), a photo-coupler(180), and a main control unit(150). The main solar position information acquisition unit acquires solar position information. The tilting device supports and tilts a solar panel(110). The panning device is installed on a base to support the tilting device and pan the solar panel. The encoder detects the rotation angle based on the panning force of the panning device. The photo-coupler sets and detects the reference position of rotation azimuth of the panning device with respect to the base. The main control unit controls the tilting device and the panning device based on solar position information acquired by the main solar information acquisition unit, wherein the rotation angle of the panning device detected by the encoder is reset as an initial position based on the photo-coupler detection timing if the rotation angle of the panning device does not accord with the reference position of the photo-coupler at the detection timing.

Description

Solar tracker {A SOLAR TRACKING APPARATUS}

The present invention relates to a sun tracking device, and more particularly, to a sun tracking device capable of panning the skylight according to the position of the sun.

In recent years, as the society develops and modernizes, development of alternative energy is becoming active due to high oil prices and exhaustion of fossil energy, which are caused by an increase in the amount of fossil energy used as an existing energy source.

Among alternative energy, attention is focused on the solar energy field which can be used without pollution and infinitely. In particular, since photovoltaic power generation is a semiconductor element and a control part is an electronic component, there is no mechanical vibration or noise, and the life of the solar cell is longer than several decades, and the power generation system is semi-automated or automated, and operation and maintenance are possible. There is an advantage that can minimize the cost.

In addition, photovoltaic power generation has the advantage that it can be widely used for home use because small-scale power generation is possible without requiring large-scale power generation facilities.

On the other hand, since the sun moves along the orbit during the time from sunrise to sunset, when the skylight is fixed at a predetermined position for a long time, sunlight cannot be received under optimal conditions, thereby reducing the efficiency of the system.

Therefore, it is known that when the skylight mining plate tracks along the trajectory of the sun, it is possible to increase the efficiency of the system by receiving the sunlight in the optimal condition for a long time. For this reason, the development of solar tracking devices is being actively made.

As an example of a conventional sun tracking device, an apparatus for tracking sunlight by panning and tilting a skylight plate is used on the basis of the sun position information acquired by the sun position information acquisition unit for acquiring sun position information. . Specifically, by independently driving the panning device and the tilting device for tilting driving the skylight plate, it is possible to increase the photovoltaic power generation efficiency by allowing the skylight plate to track the sunlight while moving in accordance with the change of solar position. .

However, when the panning device and the tilting device are driven on the basis of the sun position information acquired by the sun position information acquisition unit as described above, the skylight plate accurately corrects the sun due to the accumulation of mechanical error and electronic error during long time operation. Since you may not be able to track, you need to make sure that the skylight is tracking and operating the sun correctly.

To this end, by installing a geomagnetic sensor on the skylight plate to detect the azimuth angle of the skylight plate, it is possible to check whether the skylight plate is moving while accurately tracking the sun position.

However, in the case of the geomagnetic sensor as described above, since an error may occur due to the geomagnetic field caused by the surrounding devices or other structures, it is difficult to identify the correct azimuth angle.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an improved solar tracking device that can accurately track the sun by reducing an error and detecting an accurate azimuth angle.

The solar tracking device of the present invention for achieving the above object, the main sun position information acquisition unit for obtaining the sun position information; A tilting device for supporting the skylight plate and tilting driving the skylight plate; A panning device which supports the tilting device and is rotatably installed with respect to a base to panning the skylight plate; An encoder for detecting a rotation angle based on a panning driving force of the panning apparatus; A photocoupler for setting and detecting a reference position of the rotational azimuth angle of the panning apparatus with respect to the base; And controlling the tilting device and the panning device based on the sun position information obtained by the main sun position information obtaining unit, and determining the rotation angle of the panning device detected by the encoder and the reference position at the time of detecting the photocoupler. If the comparison result is inconsistent, the main control unit controls driving of the panning device and the tilting device by resetting the rotation angle of the panning device detected by the encoder to an initial position based on the photocoupler detection time. It characterized by including.

The panning apparatus may include a housing rotatably installed with respect to the base and supporting the tilting apparatus; A motor installed in the housing; It is preferable to include a; gear unit to rotate the housing relative to the base using the power of the motor.

The photocoupler may include a light emitting part and a light receiving part which are installed to correspond to each of the base and the panning apparatus, and the light emitting part and the light receiving part face each other once in one rotation of the panning apparatus. It is preferable that a light receiving signal is generated.

The tilt sensor may further include an inclination sensor installed in the skylight plate, and the main controller may compare the actual inclination value of the skylight plate detected by the inclination sensor with a theoretical inclination value of the tilting device to tilt the skylight plate. It is good to correct the position.

According to the solar tracking device of the present invention, by detecting the rotation angle of the panning apparatus through an encoder connected to the motor of the panning apparatus, and by setting the rotation reference point of the panning apparatus through a photocoupler, the panning apparatus through the encoder By resetting the rotation angle to a new reference point based on the detection signal of the photocoupler, it is possible to fundamentally eliminate the cumulative error accumulated during driving over a long time. Therefore, it is possible to increase the photovoltaic power generation efficiency by allowing the skylight to track the sun more accurately.

1 is a schematic block diagram showing a sun tracking device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a perspective view showing a sun tracking device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a front view of the sun tracking device shown in FIG.
4 is a side view of the solar tracking device shown in FIG.
5 and 6 are each an extract showing the panning apparatus of the sun tracking device shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, a solar tracking device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 6, the solar tracking device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main sun position information acquisition unit 120, a panning device 130 for panning the light plate 110, and And a tilting device 140 for tilting and driving the light plate 110, a main controller 150, an encoder 170, and a photo coupler 180.

The skylight plate 110 is for mining sunlight from the sun, and has a predetermined width. Photovoltaic power generation may be performed by mining sunlight from the skylight plate 110.

The skylight plate 110 is panned by a panning apparatus 130 which is driven based on the solar position information acquired by the main solar position information acquisition unit 120 so that sunlight can be optimally obtained. And, the tilting is driven by the tilting device 140 while the posture and position changes so as to track the sun is installed to be able to light the light in the best state.

The main sun position information acquisition unit 120 in advance based on information (coordinate information including altitude and longitude, information such as date and the like) of the installation position of the corresponding tracking device input through the input unit 123, Through the execution of the program for calculating the programmed solar position information, it is possible to calculate and obtain the solar position information by date and time. The main sun position information acquisition unit 120 provides theoretically calculated information to the main control unit 150. Therefore, the main controller 150 controls the skylight plate 110 to track the sun by driving control of the panning device 130 and the tilting device 140 based on the received theoretical solar position information. .

First, the tilting device 140 may include an actuator 141, a support bracket 142, and a main bracket 143. The support bracket 142 is installed to be connected to one side of the panning device 130. The main bracket 143 has a predetermined frame shape, is rotatably installed in the housing 131 of the panning apparatus 130, and the skylight plate 110 is installed at an upper portion thereof. One end of the actuator 141 is connected to the support bracket 142 connected to the panning device 130, and the other end is connected to the main bracket 143 supporting the light plate 110. Here, the actuator 141 may be provided in plural and installed at different points. In addition, the actuator 141 may include, for example, a hydraulic cylinder device including a piston and a cylinder, the length of which may be adjusted when driven, and various kinds of actuators may be used.

According to the above configuration, the light guide plate 110 can be rotated up and down by the independent driving of the actuator 141 to be tilted to be driven, so that the sunlight can be tracked in the optimal state according to the sun position. Will be.

On the other hand, the configuration of the tilting device 140 as described above can be various examples, and does not limit the present invention, further detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The panning apparatus 130 may include a housing 131 rotatably installed with respect to the base 160, a motor 132 installed in the housing 131, and a power of the motor 132. The gear unit 133 allows the 131 to rotate relative to the base 160, and a turntable bearing 137 rotatably supporting the housing 131 on the base 160.

The tilting device 140 is installed in the housing 131 to be tiltable. The motor 132 is provided outside the housing 131, specifically, below the housing 131. The motor 132 may be driven forward and reverse by the drive control signal of the main controller 150.

The gear unit 133 is fixed to the base 160, the fixed shaft 133a is installed to extend into the housing 131 and the rotation speed of the power output from the motor 132 by decelerating A first worm gear 134 to be transmitted, and a second worm gear 135 to receive the power of the first worm gear 134 to transmit to the fixed shaft (133a). Here, the housing 131 is rotationally driven about the fixed shaft 133a by the relative movement of the second worm gear 135 and the fixed shaft 133a.

The first worm gear 134 includes a first worm 134a receiving power from the motor 132 and a pair of first worm wheels 134b geared to a gear of the first worm 134a. . The first worm 134a is installed in parallel with the fixed shaft 133a and is rotatably installed at a predetermined distance from the fixed shaft 133a. The pair of first worm wheels 134b are installed symmetrically with each other with the first worm 134a therebetween. Therefore, the power of the first worm 134a is divided into 1/2 by a pair of the first worm wheels 134b so that they can be simultaneously transmitted.

The second worm gear 135 receives power from the first worm gear 134 and transmits the power to the fixed shaft 133a. The pair of second worms 135a and the pair of second worms And a second worm wheel 135b receiving power simultaneously from the 135a.

The pair of second worms 135a are coaxially connected to the first worm wheel 134b and installed in the housing 131 so as to be integrally rotated with the first worm wheel 134b.

The second worm wheel 135b is installed between the pair of second worms 135a to simultaneously receive power from the pair of second worms 135a. That is, the second worm wheel 135b receives the same rotational force simultaneously from the pair of second worms 135a at two points symmetrical with each other in the circumferential direction with respect to the rotation center. The second worm wheel 135b is coaxially installed at the center of rotation of the fixed shaft 133a and is maintained in a posture fixed state together with the fixed shaft 133a. As the rotational force is transmitted in the state fixed to the fixed shaft 133a as described above, the housing 131 rotatably installed on the base 160 may be driven around the fixed shaft 133a.

In this way, the power provided from the motor 132 is divided into 1/2 by using the first and second worm gears 134 and 135, and then transferred to be combined again at the point of time transmitted to the fixed shaft 133a. By decelerating and transmitting the speed, a small rotational load is balanced in the circumferential direction based on the rotational center of the final fixed shaft 133a. Therefore, not only the wear of the gear due to the unbalanced load can be prevented, but also the large output can be obtained by using the small motor 132, so that a small capacity motor can be employed. Therefore, there is an advantage that can reduce the weight of the device as well as the size of the overall device.

In addition, the configuration includes a first worm gear 134 having a pair of worm wheels (134b), and a second worm gear 135 having a pair of worms (135a), the power of the motor 132 fixed shaft By having the configuration to transmit to the (133a), the housing 131 that is relatively rotated relative to the fixed shaft (133a) can be rotated more stably, the external pressure (for example, wind pressure, etc.) acting on the housing 131 ) Can be firmly and stably supported.

The turntable bearing 137 is installed on the fixed shaft 133a to rotatably support the housing 131. The upper part of the housing 131 is supported on the upper end of the fixed shaft 133a, and the lower part is supported to be rotated by the turntable bearing 137. Here, the fixed shaft 133a has a sufficiently large outer diameter at its lower end and is firmly fixed on the base 160. In addition, the housing 131 is rotated while being supported by the turntable bearing 137 capable of supporting a large load, so that a large load including the skylight plate 110, the tilting device 140, the housing 131, and the like. It can be supported stably even. Therefore, the stable driving of the panning apparatus 130, as well as can be used without a long time failure.

In addition, it is preferable that a plurality of reinforcing bars 139 are further installed in the housing 131. The reinforcing bar 139 is installed across the inside of the housing 131. The reinforcing bar 139 is the load of the tilting device 140 and the light plate 110 is transmitted to the housing 131, the deformation of the housing 131, or the housing 131 is stable from being subjected to a single load It will reinforce it to maintain its state.

In addition, according to the solar tracking device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration, by the first and second worm gears (134, 135) by decelerating power transmission and having a structure that distributes the power to deliver the mining The plate 110 and the tilting device 140 can be stably supported, and the power can be stably transmitted through a balanced support force rather than an eccentric structure. Therefore, the skylight plate 110 can be stably supported even against large wind power, and even if a small capacity motor is installed, the skylight plate 110 can be stably panned.

The encoder 170 is for acquiring a panning angle, that is, a rotational azimuth angle, of the panning apparatus 130 through a driving signal of the panning apparatus 130. Specifically, the encoder 170 is connected to the motor 132 and the motor 132. By measuring the actual rotational drive value of the rotation angle of the light plate 110 is obtained, and the obtained rotation angle is transmitted to the main controller 150. Therefore, the main controller 150 can check the theoretical azimuth angle changed from the set initial position (initial azimuth angle) through the measured value measured by the encoder 170, and more accurately track the sun based on the identified azimuth angle. It is possible to provide a control signal to make. That is, the azimuth angle of the skylight plate 110 driven by the actual panning apparatus 130 may be calculated through the output value output from the motor 132 and the gear reduction ratio due to the gear train in the gear unit 133.

The photocoupler 180 includes a light emitting unit 181 and a light receiving unit 182 which are installed at positions corresponding to each other on the base 160 and the housing 131. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the light emitting unit 181 is fixedly installed on the base 160 to irradiate light toward the housing 131, and the light receiving unit 182 faces the base 160. When installed in the lower portion of the housing 131 to face the light emitting unit 181, it receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit 181, and provides a light receiving signal to the main controller 150.

According to the above configuration, the light emitting unit 181 and the light receiving unit 182 face each other once in each rotation of the panning apparatus 130, so that the light receiving unit 182 emits the light emitting unit every rotation of the panning apparatus 130. The light irradiated from 181 can be received. Therefore, when setting the positions at which the photocouplers 180 face each other as an initial orientation value, the main controller 150 initializes and sets the azimuth angle of the light plate 110 based on the light reception signal from the light receiver 182. You can do it. Therefore, when using for a long time, it is possible to solve the problem due to the accumulated error due to the occurrence of mechanical error and electronic error and repetition of the error. Subsequently, the azimuth angle of the skylight plate 110 is set to an initial value, and the driving of the panning device 130 and the tilting device 140 can be controlled based on the initial value, whereby the skylight plate 110 is controlled. By accurately tracking the sun at all times, you can increase the reliability of your device and maximize your photovoltaic efficiency.

On the other hand, the photocoupler 180 may be installed at a plurality of points, for example, based on a reference point of each of the north, south, east, west, and north, or only one may be installed. In addition, the photocoupler 180 has been described as an example of a light emitting sensor, but various types of sensors (including a contact, a non-contact sensor, a mechanical sensor, and an electronic sensor) may be applied. In addition, the installation positions of the light emitting unit 181 and the light receiving unit 182 may be changed.

In addition, an inclination sensor 190 may be further installed on the skylight plate 110. The inclination sensor 110 measures an actual inclination value of the skylight plate 110, and the measured value is transmitted to the main controller 150. Therefore, the main controller 150 compares the actual tilting value measured by the tilt sensor 190 with the theoretical tilting angle (tilt angle) measured by the tilt sensor 190 by driving the tilting device 140 to tilt the light guide plate 110. By driving the tilting device 140 by correcting the tilting angle of the skylight panel 110, the skylight panel 110 can be controlled to track the sun more accurately.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention as claimed in the claims. Anyone skilled in the art can make various modifications, as well as such modifications are within the scope of the claims.

110 .. Skylight 120. Main sun position information acquisition unit
130. Panning device 140. Tilting device
150..Main control unit 160..Base
170. Encoder 180. Photocoupler

Claims (4)

A main sun position information acquisition unit for obtaining sun position information;
A tilting device for supporting the skylight plate and tilting driving the skylight plate;
A panning device which supports the tilting device and is rotatably installed with respect to a base to panning the skylight plate;
An encoder for detecting a rotation angle based on a panning driving force of the panning apparatus;
A photocoupler for setting and detecting a reference position of the rotational azimuth angle of the panning apparatus with respect to the base; And
The tilting device and the panning device are controlled based on the sun position information acquired by the main sun position information acquisition unit, and the rotation angle of the panning device detected by the encoder is compared with the reference position at the time of detection of the photocoupler. If the result is inconsistent, the main control unit for controlling the driving of the panning device and the tilting device by resetting the rotation angle of the panning device detected by the encoder to the initial position on the basis of the photocoupler detection time; Solar tracking device comprising a. The method of claim 1, wherein the panning apparatus,
A housing rotatably installed with respect to the base and supporting the tilting device;
A motor installed in the housing;
And a gear unit configured to rotate the housing with respect to the base by using the power of the motor. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the photocoupler,
A light emitting part and a light receiving part installed to correspond to each other in the base and the panning apparatus;
And the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit face one time during one rotation of the panning apparatus to generate a light receiving signal from the light receiving unit. The method of claim 3,
Further comprising a tilt sensor installed on the skylight plate,
And the main controller corrects the tilting position of the skylight plate by comparing the actual tilt value of the skylight plate detected by the tilt sensor with a theoretical tilt value of the tilting device.

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