US1220091A - Solar device. - Google Patents

Description

B. C. GOFF.

SOLAR DEVICE.

" APPLICATION FILED APR- 13, 1916.

1.220991. Patented Mar. 20, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

IllllIlllllllllllllIllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll |n |||u| llllllllllum B. C. GOFF.

SOLAR DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED APR- !3, I916.

Patented Mal-.20, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- avwemtoi ,ZerZ 6? 01? wit-Mesa m BERT c. GOFF, or DENVER, INDIANA.

SOLAR, DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 20, 1917.

Application filed April 13, 1916. Serial No. 90,941.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BERT C. Gorr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Miami and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Solar Devices; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention which relates to improvements in solar devices has for its object to provide simply constructed yet eiflcient means whereby power may be generated from the rays of the sun.

With this general object in view, the invent-ion resides in certain novel features of construction and in unique combinations of parts to be hereinafter fully described and claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by the accompanying drawings which constitute a part of this application and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved device;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view thereof taken on the plane indicated by the line 22 of Fig. 1; l

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the plane of the line 38 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 isan enlarged horizontal section on the plane of the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section of the heat utilizing means.

In specifically describing the construction shown in the drawings above, briefly described, similar characters will be placed on corresponding parts throughout the several views and reference will be herein made to y the numerous elements by their respective indices. To this end, the numerals 1 designate a pair of posts rising from a base 2 which will in most cases be constructed of cement or the like, said posts being braced as shown-at 3.

Rockably mounted in bearings carried by the upper ends of the posts 1 is a pair of horizontally alined shafts 4 carrying forks 5 on their inner ends, which forks support a pair of rollers 6 whose axes are disposed at right angles to the aforesaid shafts. The rollers 6 are preferably though not necessarily equipped'with gear teeth on their peripheries, and said rollers serve to adjustably support a frame 7 here shown as constructed of two opposed arcuate track sections 8 disposed on the same are and having peripheral flanges 9 between which the rollers 6 are received to hold said rollers and the frame in operative relation. The rollers 6 bear on thetrack sections 8 below the plane of the axis of the frame 7 as shown, and thus support the weight of said frame. v

The intermediate portions of the tracks 8 are rigidly connected by side bars 10 and are braced to said bars as shown at 11 whereby to provide a structure which may not easily be canted or warped. An'insert 12 is interposed between the lower ends of the tracks 8 and is secured thereto by plates or the like 13, said insert having its lower side curved on the same are with the peripheries of the aforesaid tracks, gear teeth 14 being formed on said side of the insert and on the peripheries of the tracks for reasons to be hereinafter set forth.

Held rigidly within a frame 15 which rises from the insert 12 is a boiler 16 preferably of greater size at its top than at its bottom, said boiler having a central heat distributing member 17 in the form of an inverted hollow, cone whose lower end 18 is preferably concavo-convex in section with its concave side disposed upwardly. The top of the boiler aroundthe member 17 is closed while the upper end of said member is open in order that light rays may be.con-.

centrated therein by a device such as the double convex lens indicated at 19.

The lens 19 is received in a gap which prevails between the upper ends-of the two tracks, diametrically opposite portions of the edge of said lens being received in seats 20 carried by said ends of the tracks. Connecting wires 21 extend from the ends of the seats 20 around the edge of the lens 19 and are spaced from said edge by appropriate spacing-members 22. By this arrangement the lens will be reliably held in position and spreading of the upper ends of the tracks 8 is prevented.

The light rays from the sun are adapted to pass through the lens 19 and to be concentrated thereby into the member 17 of the boiler 16, this being permitted since the entire frame 7 may move in one direction due to its mounting on the rollers 6 and may be then turned arcuately in a direction at right rockably"mounted. Thus, the lens 19 andthe member 17 'may be positioned in operative relation with respect to the sun, with the result that the concentrated rays from the latter will heat the water in the boiler 16 and convert the same into steam, the latter being removed through suitable outlets 23 which are preferably in the form of flexible tubes leading from certain of a series of steam valves 24 with which the boiler 16 is equipped. Four of these valves are here shown, this number being usually desirable in order that regardless of the angle at which the boiler isplaced, steam may be taken from the same above the water level therein. A water valve 24? is also provided for filling the boiler.

Since the entire structure is rather large and therefore comparatively heavy, it becomes expedient to provide some simple means for adjusting the frame 7 upon the rollers 6 according to the angle of the sun,

which angle varies as the seasons change. Although this may be done in any one of a number of ways, a pinion 25 will be preferably carried by one end of a shaft 26 having a hand wheel 27 said pinion being positioned below the frame 7 and being adapted for engagement with the gear teeth 14, whereupon rotation of the hand wheel 27 will turn the frame 7 in the desired manner. Normally, however, one end of the shaft 26 is lowered to disengage the pinion 25 from the teeth 14, but when adjustments are to be made, a jack 28 is employed for so raising the shaft as to move the pinion into operativerelation with the aforesaid teeth.

Secured to one of the shafts 1 is a gear or the like 29 by means of which any appropriate power may be applied to so turn said shafts and the frame 7 supported thereby as to retain the lens 19 and'the member 17in operative relation with the sun from morning until night, it being understood that said shafts are positioned on a line extending north and south and therefore that the lens 19 must be slowly moved from east to west in order that the rays of the sun may be concentrated in the member 17 throughout the day. In the nmrning the shafts 1 will be turned to position the lens 19 toward the will state that although certain specific de-' tails have been shown and described for accomplishing probably the best results, numerous changes may be made within the scope of the invention as. claimed without sacrificing the main advantages thereof.

I claim:

1. A solar device of "the class described comprising a movably mounted frame including a. pair of opposed arcuate tracks spaced apart at one end, a pair of seats carried by said ends, a light intensifying lens having diametrically opposite portions of its edge engaged with said seats, heat utilizing means upon which said lens is adapted to concentrate light rays, supporting rollers upon. which the aforesaid tracks rest, and supports for said rollers, said supports being mounted rockably upon axes at right angles to the axes of said rollers.

2. A solar device of the class described comprising a circular frame disposed in substantially a Vertical plane and having at diametrically opposite points heat utilizing means, and means for concentrating rays of light on said utilizing means, a pair of supporting rollers upon which the sides of said frame rest, said rollers being below the.

plane of the axis of said frame and extending between flanges on the tracks for retaining said frame and rollers in operative relation, and supporting members for said rollers rockably mounted upon alined axes at right angles to the axes of the rollers.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

I BERT O. GOFF. Witnesses:

M. M. DUKES,

Aonr. DUKES.

Images