KR101751907B1 - Apparatus for generating power with tracking path of sun and method for controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

[0001] The present invention relates to a tracking type photovoltaic power generation device, and a tracking type photovoltaic power generation device according to the present invention includes a solar panel part; An elastic rotating part rotating in one direction by the accumulated elastic energy; A connecting gear portion for transmitting rotational force of the elastic rotation portion to the solar panel portion; A direction switching unit for controlling a rotating direction of a rotational force supplied from the elastic rotation unit; And a control unit for controlling the control unit to control the rotation of the solar panel unit.
According to the present invention, there is provided a tracking type solar power generation device capable of always controlling a solar panel without always driving the motor.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a tracking type photovoltaic power generation apparatus and a control method thereof,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tracking type photovoltaic power generation apparatus and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a tracking type photovoltaic power generation apparatus having an inclination angle according to an altitude of the sun and a control method thereof.

Typically, the solar tracking device measures the altitude and azimuth angle of the sun or, depending on time, tracks the sun through the solar collectors or photovoltaic devices according to pre-programmed methods, .

Here, the light collecting plate is a concept including both a solar collecting panel for obtaining heat energy from the sunlight and a solar panel for obtaining electric energy from the sunlight, and a plate-shaped panel for absorbing sunlight.

In the conventional tracking type solar cell apparatus, the motor is always driven to adjust the inclination angle of the light collecting plate. In such a case, not only the energy consumption for driving the motor but also the life of the motor is shortened as the motor is always driven, thereby causing a serious problem that it takes a lot of time and cost to maintain and repair the entire solar power generation system there was.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a tracking type photovoltaic generation apparatus and a control method thereof that can always control a solar panel without driving the motor at all times.

According to the present invention, the above object is achieved by a solar panel unit comprising: a solar panel part; An elastic rotating part rotating in one direction by the accumulated elastic energy; A connecting gear portion for transmitting rotational force of the elastic rotation portion to the solar panel portion; A direction switching unit for controlling a rotating direction of a rotational force supplied from the elastic rotation unit; And a control unit for controlling a control unit for controlling the rotation of the solar panel unit.

The apparatus may further include a charging unit connected to the elastic rotation unit and accumulating energy by winding the elastic rotation unit along the other direction.

In addition, the charging unit may include a manual handle extending from the elastic rotation unit so that the user can accumulate energy by winding the elastic rotation unit in the other direction.

The charging unit may include a motor that accumulates energy by winding the elastic rotation unit in the other direction.

The direction switching unit may include a forward gear that transmits the rotation direction of the rotational force provided from the elastic rotation unit to the coupling gear unit as it is. A reverse gear for switching the rotation direction of the rotational force provided from the elastic rotation part and transmitting the rotational direction to the connection gear part; And a driving member for selectively placing any one of the forward gear and the reverse gear between the elastic rotation part and the connection gear part.

In addition, the control unit may control the driving member such that the solar panel unit rotates in a predetermined direction.

Further, the elastic rotation part may include: an elastic member for supplying rotational force from the accumulated elastic force; A rotating shaft having one end extending from the center of the elastic member; And an operating gear connected to the other end of the rotating shaft and engaged with the direction switching unit.

In addition, the charging unit may include: a turning gear engaged with the operating gear; And a one-way bearing for restricting rotation so that the drive gear rotates only in one direction.

The elastic member may be a spring.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a solar panel, comprising the steps of: rotating the solar panel part in a forward direction while the elastic member is disengaged by an accumulative elastic force; Determining whether the elastic force accumulated in the elastic member is exhausted; Winding the elastic member to accumulate the elastic force when the elastic force accumulated in the elastic member is exhausted; And the gear is controlled in accordance with the rotation direction of the solar panel unit and the rotation direction of the elastic member.

According to the present invention, there is provided a tracking type photovoltaic power generation apparatus and a control method thereof, which can reduce the cost and time required for maintaining and repairing a solar panel by rotating the solar panel using an elastic member, Method is provided.

In addition, by selectively using the forward gear and the reverse gear as necessary, elastic energy can be accumulated in the elastic member without interrupting the rotation of the solar panel.

In addition, it is possible to prevent the live part from being damaged when the elastic member is rotated using the one-way bearing.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a tracking type photovoltaic generator according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 2 shows a daytime control method of the tracking type photovoltaic apparatus of FIG. 1,
3 is a view showing a nighttime control method of the tracking type photovoltaic device of FIG. 1,
Fig. 4 shows a control method in the case where elastic force is applied to an elastic member at night in the tracking type photovoltaic device of Fig. 1;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a tracking type photovoltaic generator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a tracking type photovoltaic generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, the tracking type photovoltaic power generation apparatus according to the present invention has an excellent condensing efficiency by switching the opposite directions according to the altitude of the sun and minimizes the energy consumed, A rotation unit 120, a direction switching unit 130, a connection gear unit 140, a charging unit 150, and a control unit 160.

The solar panel unit 110 is a panel-type structure in which a plurality of condensing units for collecting sunlight are installed.

In this embodiment, the solar panel unit 110 rotates by receiving a rotational force from the elastic rotation unit 120, which will be described later, and the angle of inclination of the solar panel unit 110 is adjusted so as to secure the maximum amount of condensed light according to the altitude of the sun. .

The elastic rotation part 120 is for rotating the above described solar panel part 110 by converting the accumulated elastic energy into rotational force and includes an elastic member 121, a rotation shaft 122 and an operating gear 123 .

The elastic member 121 is a member that accumulates an elastic force while being wound by an external force and generates a rotational force substantially by being unwound by the accumulated elastic force.

The elastic member 121 is not limited as long as it has a structure capable of accumulating elastic energy in a wound state, but in the present embodiment, the elastic member 121 is a spiral spring wound in a thin thin band metal structure, that is, .

In this embodiment, it is preferable that the overall diameter of the spring used as the elastic member 121, the thickness of the metal plate, the material of the metal plate, and the like are determined by calculating the necessary rotational force in consideration of the area of the solar panel unit 110.

The rotary shaft 122 is a shaft for transmitting the rotational force of the elastic member 121 to the outside, one end of which is mounted on the center of the spring, and the other end is mounted on the later-

The actuating gear 123 is mounted on the longitudinal end of the rotary shaft 122 and is connected to the direction switching unit 130 to transmit the rotational force generated from the elastic member 121, And is a gear for transmitting the rotational force to the elastic member 121 side.

The stopper (not shown) is a member that physically blocks the rotation of the operating gear 123. Therefore, when the stopper is operated, the rotation of the elastic member 121, the rotation shaft 122, and the operation gear 123 is stopped.

The direction switching unit 130 operates between the elastic rotation unit 120 and the connection gear unit 140 to control the rotation direction of the rotation force supplied from the elastic rotation unit 120 to either forward or reverse direction And includes a forward gear 131, a reverse gear 132, and a driving member 133.

The forward gear 131 meshes with the actuating gear 123 and the connecting gear 140 and connects them to transmit the rotational force supplied from the elastic member 121 to the connecting gear 140. At this time, the forward gear 131 transfers the rotational direction of the rotational force supplied from the elastic member 121 to the connecting gear portion 140 as it is, without switching it separately.

In this embodiment, a generally used gear, such as a spur gear, may be used as the forward gear 131.

The forward gear 131 of the reverse gear 132 meshes with the operating gear 123 and the connecting gear 140 and connects the forward gear 131 to the connecting gear 140 . In this case, unlike the forward gear 131, the reverse gear 132 reverses the rotational direction of the rotational force supplied from the elastic member 121 and transmits the rotational force to the connecting gear portion 140 side.

In this embodiment, the reverse gear 132 for switching the direction uses a gear having a structure well-known in the art, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In summary, assuming that rotational force in the same direction is supplied from the elastic member 121, the rotational direction of the solar panel unit 110 when the forward gears 131 are engaged with the reverse gear 132 The rotation directions of the solar panel unit 110 when they are engaged are opposite to each other.

One of the forward gear 131 and the reverse gear 132 is engaged between the direction switching unit 130 and the connecting gear unit 140. This is determined by the control unit 160 and the driving member 133, do. In more detail, the forward gear 131 and the reverse gear 132 are installed on a coaxial axis and operate by a predetermined distance movement by the driving force applied from the driving member 133. [

The driving member 133 applies a driving force such that any one of the forward gear 131 and the reverse gear 132 is positioned between the direction switching unit 130 and the connecting gear unit 140 so as to mesh with the forward gear 131 and the reverse gear 132.

In this embodiment, the driving member 133 is not limited as long as it can move the forward gear 131 and the reverse gear 132 repeatedly, such as a linear motor and a solenoid valve.

The connection gear unit 140 is a gear structure directly connected to the solar panel unit 110 to rotate the connection gear unit 140.

And is engaged with one of the forward gear 131 of the direction switching unit 130 or the reverse gear 132 of the direction changing unit 130 by the control unit 160 so as to receive a rotational force from the elastic rotation unit 120.

The charging unit 150 is for charging the elastic energy when the elastic energy accumulated in the elastic rotation unit 120, more specifically, the elastic member 121 is exhausted. The charging unit 150 includes a motor 151, a driving shaft 152, And includes a turning gear 153 and a one-way bearing 154.

The motor 151 is for charging the elastic member 121 with elastic energy, and is connected to a drive shaft 152, which will be described later.

Alternatively, a method of winding the elastic member 121 by using a separate power source may be adopted. However, in a modification of this embodiment, a manual handle may be attached to the drive shaft 152, have. In this case, there is no power consumption at all.

In another modification of this embodiment, both the motor 151 and the manual handle may be attached to the drive shaft 152, and any one selected may be used. That is, the elastic member 121 can be wound in such a manner that the user directly drives the manual handle in an emergency situation, such as when the motor 151 is normally used but the motor 151 is disabled.

A method of operating the above-described various modifications will be described later.

One end of the drive shaft 152 is installed at the rotation center of rotational force transmitted from the motor 151 or the manual handle and the other end is provided at the rotation gear 153 described later.

The rotating gear 153 meshes with the operating gear 123 and transmits the rotating force of the motor 151 (manual handle) to the elastic rotating part 120.

The unidirectional bearing 154 is installed on the rotating gear 153 so that the rotating gear 153 is free to rotate in one direction determined on the driving shaft 152 and idle in the other direction, To limit rotation to rotate together.

Since the operating gear 123 and the rotating gear 153 are always engaged with each other and may be a problem when the rotational force generated when the elastic member 121 is disengaged is transmitted to the motor 151 or the manual handle, The unidirectional bearing 154 allows the rotation gear 153 to rotate freely.

The unidirectional bearing 154 does not allow the free rotation of the turning gear 153 but causes the free end of the driving shaft 152 and the turning gear 153 to rotate freely, So that the rotational force can be transmitted to the operating gear 123.

The control unit 160 controls the rotation of the solar panel unit 110. A method of controlling the rotation of the solar panel unit 110 through the control unit 160 will be described later.

FIG. 2 shows a daytime control method of the tracking type photovoltaic apparatus of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 shows a nighttime control method of the tracking type photovoltaic apparatus of FIG. 1, And shows a control method in the case where the elastic member 121 is charged with an elastic force at night of the photovoltaic device.

Hereinafter, a method of controlling the tracking type photovoltaic apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. FIG.

1. Daytime (weekly) control method

First, referring to FIG. 2, a method of rotating the solar panel unit 110 according to the altitude of the sun during the daytime (daytime) will be described. Hereinafter, the direction in which the solar panel unit 110 rotates in the daytime is defined as a 'forward direction'.

The elastic member 121 is unwound and the rotating shaft 122 rotates while the elastic member 121 accumulates the elastic energy in a fully wound state and the actuating gear 123 connected thereto also rotates. At this time, the rotational direction of the rotational force generated when the elastic member 121 is disengaged is defined as 'one direction', and the opposite rotational direction is defined as 'other direction'.

At this time, the controller 160 controls the driving member 133 such that the forward gear 131 is engaged between the operating gear 123 and the connecting gear 140. The rotation of the operating gear 123 causes the forward gear 131 and the connecting gear 140 to rotate at the same time so that the solar panel unit 110 mounted on the distal end of the connecting gear 140 rotates . By this operation, the inclination angle of the solar panel unit 110 is changed so that the light collection efficiency can be maximized corresponding to the altitude of the sun.

The rotating gear 153 rotates freely from the driving shaft 152 by the unidirectional bearing 154 so that the driving shaft 152 does not rotate And does not affect the motor 151 physically.

2. Control method of night time (nighttime)

When night time (nighttime) is reached, the operation of returning the solar panel unit 110 to its original position is started. That is, the solar panel unit 110 is rotated in the reverse direction, which is the opposite direction to the normal direction, and will be described.

The control unit 160 determines whether or not the elastic force accumulated in the elastic member 121 is exhausted when the solar panel unit 110 is to be rotated in the reverse direction. Hereinafter, the control method in each case will be described in detail.

⑴ control method for a case that the elastic force accumulated in the elastic member 121 remains

When the controller 160 detects the state of the elastic member 121 and determines that the elastic member 121 is not fully released, the control unit 160 controls the driving member 133 to release the forward gear 131, (132) is engaged between the operating gear (123) and the connecting gear part (140).

3, when the reverse gear 132 is engaged, the rotational direction of the rotational force supplied by the elastic member 121 is switched to be provided to the connecting gear portion 140, and the rotation of the solar panel portion 110 ) Is rotated in the opposite direction and restored to its original position.

In this case as well, the turning gear 153 rotates freely by the one-way bearing 154, and does not rotate the driving shaft 152 connected to the motor 151.

⑵ control method in the case where the elastic force accumulated in the elastic member 121 is exhausted

When the control unit 160 detects the state of the elastic member 121 and determines that the elastic member 121 has been completely released and the energy is exhausted, .

4, the control unit 160 drives the motor 151 to rotate the drive shaft 152 and the rotation gear 153. As shown in FIG. At this time. Since the unidirectional bearing 154 restricts the free rotation of the rotating gear 153 and the driving shaft 152 with respect to the driving direction of the motor 151, the rotating gear 153 and the driving shaft 152 rotate in conjunction with each other.

As the rotating gear 153 rotates, the engaged gear 123 is rotated, and the elastic member 121 is rotated in the other direction by the rotational force to accumulate the elastic force.

The control unit 160 controls the driving member 133 to rotate the solar panel unit 110 in the reverse direction while the elastic member 121 is wound by the motor 151, 123 and the connecting gear portion 140 are engaged with each other. By this process, the solar panel unit 110 can be rotated in the reverse direction even when the elastic force is being charged.

The control unit 160 controls the driving member 133 to release all of the gears between the operating gear 123 and the connecting gear unit 140 so that the rotation of the solar panel unit 110 For a short time.

When all of the elastic members 121 are wound, the controller 160 stops driving the motor 151. The control unit 160 controls the driving member 133 to rotate the reverse gear 132 between the operating gear 123 and the connecting gear unit 140 So that the solar panel unit 110 can be rotated in the reverse direction from the one-directional rotation of the elastic member 121. [

On the other hand, when the solar panel unit 110 returns to the home position, the stopper is operated to stop the rotation of the elastic member 121. [

A control method of the direction switching unit 130 according to the rotation direction of the solar panel unit 110 and the rotation direction of the elastic member 121 in the present embodiment can be summarized as shown in Table 1 below.

The direction of rotation of the solar panel part The direction of rotation of the elastic member The gear (direction switching portion) Forward (weekly)
One direction Forward gear Other direction Reverse gear Reverse (nighttime)
One direction Forward gear Other direction Reverse gear

Although the charging of the elastic member 121 using the motor 151 has been described above, the use of the motor 151 is completely eliminated by charging the elastic member 121 by operating the manual handle by the user without a separate power source Thereby reducing energy consumption and increasing lifetime.

In addition, both the motor 151 and the manual handle may be provided, and the elastic member 121 may be charged in a manner of selecting any one of them.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the external power source is minimally used during the rotation of the solar panel unit 110, the energy consumption is small and the motor 151 is not always used, .

Further, by controlling the direction switching unit 130, there is an effect that the elastic member 121 can be charged with energy without stopping the rotation of the solar panel unit 110.

The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but may be embodied in various forms of embodiments within the scope of the appended claims. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

110: solar panel part 120: elastic rotation part
130: direction switching unit 140: connecting gear unit
150: charger 160:

Claims (10)

A solar panel part;
An elastic rotation part having a spring that rotates in one direction by the accumulated elastic energy;
A connecting gear portion for transmitting rotational force of the spring to the solar panel portion;
A direction switching unit for controlling a rotational direction of a rotational force supplied from the hand-held lobe;
A control unit for controlling rotation of the solar panel unit;
And a charger connected to the handwheel and including a motor for winding the handwheel along the other direction to accumulate elastic energy,
Wherein the direction switching unit includes a forward gear that transmits the rotation direction of the rotational force provided from the handwheel to the coupling gear unit as it is, A reverse gear for switching the rotation direction of a rotational force provided from the hand-held spring and transmitting the rotational direction to the connecting gear portion; And a driving member for selectively placing either the forward gear or the reverse gear between the spring and the connecting gear,
Wherein the elastic rotation part includes: a rotation axis whose one end extends from a center of the spring; And an operating gear connected to the other end of the rotating shaft and engaged with the direction switching unit,
The charging unit includes: a turning gear that is engaged with the operating gear and is arranged to rotate on an axis at a position spaced apart from the rotating shaft; Further comprising: a one-way bearing provided coaxially with the rotating gear to restrict rotation of the rotating gear so as to rotate in only one direction,
Wherein the control unit drives the motor only when all the elastic energy stored in the spring is consumed to accumulate elastic energy of the spring, and the driving member is controlled so that the solar panel rotates in a predetermined direction Tracked photovoltaic devices. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the charging unit includes a manual handle extending from the handwheel so that the user can accumulate energy by winding the handwheel in the other direction. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete

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