WO2012077285A1

WO2012077285A1 - Heliostat and solar-light condensing system

Info

Publication number: WO2012077285A1
Application number: PCT/JP2011/006485
Authority: WO
Inventors: 齊藤　誠; 和彦櫻井; 田中　智; 基大田中
Original assignee: ナブテスコ株式会社
Priority date: 2010-12-06
Filing date: 2011-11-22
Publication date: 2012-06-14
Also published as: JP2012122635A

Abstract

Provided is a heliostat which enables the accurate and simple setting of a mirror reference position. A heliostat (300) is provided with: a mirror (310) which reflects solar light; a tilting portion (360) which tilts the mirror (310); a rotating portion (370) which rotates the mirror (310); a light emitting portion (320) which emits laser light to a light receiving portion mounted on a central tower; and a reference angle setting unit which sets the reference angle of the mirror (310) on the basis of the status of the laser light reception by the light receiving portion. Thus, the mirror reference position can be accurately and simply set.

Description

Heliostat and solar condensing system

The present invention relates to a heliostat having a mirror that reflects sunlight and a sunlight collecting system.

In recent years, interest in the global environment has increased, and renewable energy such as sunlight, wind power, and geothermal heat has attracted attention. In particular, solar power generation systems that collect sunlight and convert it into thermal energy and convert the thermal energy into electrical energy have attracted attention (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

In the solar light collecting systems described in

Patent Documents

1 and 2, a large number of heliostats are arranged on one central tower in order to increase power generation efficiency. It is necessary to install a stat. Currently, in the tower type solar condensing system in practical use, the maximum distance between the central tower and the heliostat is about 500 m. In the future, a solar thermal power generation system with the distance of 1500 m or more is planned. Yes.

JP 2009-198120 A JP 11-119105 A

In the solar light collecting systems described in

Patent Documents

1 and 2, high accuracy is required for adjusting the angle of the mirror in order to accurately apply the reflected sunlight to the receiver of the central tower. However, this accuracy is affected by manufacturing dimensional errors, deformation of the heliostat and central tower due to secular change, mirror deformation due to its own weight, etc., and accurately reflects the reflected sunlight to the central tower receiver. It was difficult.
In the solar light collecting system, a large number of heliostats are arranged around the central tower. In a large-scale solar condensing system planned in the future, the number of heliostats reaches 20000. Therefore, the adjustment work of the tilt angle of the mirror becomes a huge amount of work, and it is required that the adjustment work of the tilt angle of the mirror be simplified in the future.

An object of the present invention is to provide a heliostat and a solar light collecting system capable of setting a reference position of a mirror accurately and easily.

The heliostat according to the present invention is a heliostat arranged around the central tower,
A mirror that reflects sunlight, an inclined part that tilts the mirror, a turning part that turns the mirror, and a light emitting part that emits laser light to the light receiving part attached to the central tower side, or attached to the central tower side A light receiving unit that receives the laser light from the light emitting unit, and a reference angle setting unit that sets a reference angle of the mirror based on a light receiving state of the laser light by the light receiving unit.

According to the above configuration, when setting the reference angle of the mirror far away from the central tower, the reference angle of the mirror can be automatically changed based on the light receiving state of the laser light by the light receiving unit. As a result, the reference angle of the mirror can be set accurately and easily.
The reference angle of the mirror is an angle determined by the tilt angle of the mirror by the tilt portion and the swing angle of the mirror by the swivel portion.

In the above-described heliostat, the reference angle setting unit sets the reference angle of the mirror based on the deviation amount of the light receiving position of the laser beam by the light receiving unit with respect to the preset reference position of the light receiving unit.

According to the above configuration, the mirror reference angle can be set accurately and easily by measuring the deviation of the light receiving position of the laser beam from the reference position of the light receiving unit.

In the above-described heliostat, at least one of the inclined portion and the turning portion includes an eccentric oscillating speed reducer.

According to the above configuration, the mirror reference angle can be set more accurately by including at least one of the inclined portion and the turning portion including the eccentric rocking type reduction gear having high rigidity and low backlash.

In the above-mentioned heliostat, the reference position setting unit sets the reference angle of the mirror during the night time.

According to the above configuration, solar energy can be obtained by collecting sunlight during the daytime period, and the reference angle of the mirror can be set during the nighttime period. That is, the mirror reference angle can be set using a time period during which sunlight after sunset cannot be collected.

In the above-described heliostat, the tilt angle calculation unit that calculates the tilt angle of the mirror based on the position of the sun, and the tilt based on the deformation amount of the mirror arranged at the tilt angle calculated by the tilt angle calculation unit. And an inclination angle correction unit for correcting the angle.

According to the above configuration, the tilt angle calculated by the tilt angle calculation unit can be corrected even when the mirror is deformed by its own weight. Thereby, even if the part which hold | maintains a mirror and the rigidity of a mirror become relatively low in relation to the weight of a mirror, sunlight can be correctly reflected to a receiver.

In the above-described heliostat, the mirror assembly having the mirror, the inclined portion, and the turning portion is provided so as to be attachable to a support column that supports the mirror assembly at a predetermined height.

According to the said structure, a heliostat can be easily installed only by attaching the mirror assembly assembled in the factory and unitized to the support | pillar installed in the field. That is, a mirror assembly in which the mirror tilt angle and swivel angle are accurately assembled in a factory can be installed on site as it is.
In addition, since the mirror assembly assembled at the factory can be installed on site as it is, mass production of heliostats with fewer manufacturing errors and less variation in production accuracy than when assembling heliostats locally. It becomes easy.

The above-described heliostat further includes an operation switch for manually operating the inclined portion and the turning portion.

According to the above configuration, the operator can roughly set the tilt angle and the turning angle of the mirror by operating the operation switch. Thereby, when the reference angle of the mirror is automatically set by the laser light, the moving range of the mirror can be reduced. As a result, for example, in the initial adjustment performed at the time of installation, the time required to set the mirror reference angle can be shortened. In addition, the size of the light receiving portion can be reduced to some extent.

The solar light collecting system according to the present invention emits light from a mirror that reflects sunlight, a tilting part that tilts the mirror, a turning part that turns the mirror, a light emitting part that emits laser light, and a light emitting part. A light receiving unit that receives the laser light, and a reference angle setting unit that sets a reference angle of the mirror based on a light receiving state of the laser light by the light receiving unit.

This solar condensing system is a heliostat or a system including a heliostat and a central tower. That is, the heliostat which is a sunlight condensing system according to the present invention includes the above-described mirror, an inclined part, a turning part, a light emitting part, a light receiving part, and a reference angle setting part. Further, the solar light collecting system according to the present invention includes a heliostat and a central tower, and the heliostat includes the above-described mirror, an inclined portion, a turning portion, and a reference angle setting portion, The central tower includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. The reference angle setting unit may be provided in the central tower so as to be communicably connected to the heliostat.

According to the above configuration, when setting the reference angle of the mirror far from the central tower, the reference angle of the mirror can be automatically changed based on the light receiving state of the laser beam by the light receiving unit. As a result, the reference angle of the mirror can be set accurately and easily.

According to the heliostat and the sunlight condensing system according to the present invention, the reference position of the mirror is set accurately and easily.

It is the schematic which showed the whole structure of the sunlight condensing system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view which showed the whole structure of the sunlight condensing system shown in FIG. It is the schematic diagram which showed the light emission part (side surface) provided in a heliostat side, and the light-receiving part provided in the center tower side. It is the schematic diagram which showed the light emission part (plane) provided in the heliostat side, and the light-receiving part provided in the center tower side. It is the rear view which showed the state before the assembly | attachment of a heliostat. It is the rear view which showed the state after the assembly | attachment of a heliostat. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the setting method of the inclination-angle of a mirror. It is a block diagram of a heliostat and a central tower. It is a block diagram of the individual control part of a heliostat. It is the flowchart which showed the method of setting the reference angle of a mirror. It is the flowchart which showed operation | movement of the heliostat at the time of operation. It is the schematic diagram which showed the light emission part and light-receiving part which concern on a 1st modification. It is the schematic diagram which showed the light emission part and light-receiving part which concern on a 2nd modification. It is the schematic diagram which showed the light emission part and light-receiving part which concern on a 3rd modification.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Sunlight collection system 200 Central tower 220,320A, 320B2,220C2 Light-receiving part 300 Heliostat 310 Mirror 320,220A, 320B1,220C1 Light emission part 331 Reference angle setting part 332 Inclination angle calculation part 333 Inclination angle correction part 360 For inclination Motor 370 Rotating motor 380 Post 390 Operation switch 400 Mirror assembly

Hereinafter, a solar light collecting system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Overall configuration of solar condensing system>
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the solar light collecting system 100 according to the present embodiment includes a central tower 200 and a plurality of heliostats 300 arranged around the central tower 200. ing. The solar light collecting system 100 is a power generation system of a tower type solar thermal power generation system, and condenses sunlight reflected by the mirrors 310 of the plurality of heliostats 300 on a receiver 210 arranged in the central tower 200, Electricity is generated by the heat from the condensed sunlight. In the sunlight collecting system 100, the sunlight reflected by the mirror 310 from sunrise to sunset is changed by changing the inclination angle and the turning angle of the mirror 310 of each heliostat 300 over time in accordance with the movement of the sun. Is always focused on the receiver 210.

<Central tower 200>
The central tower 200 is disposed substantially at the center of the solar light collecting system 100 and includes a receiver 210 that collects the sunlight reflected by the mirror 310. The receiver 210 functions as a heat exchanger that absorbs solar heat and conducts it to a heat medium.

Here, in the present embodiment, a light receiving unit 220 that receives laser light is provided in the vicinity of the receiver 210. As shown in FIG. 2, the light receiving unit 220 receives a laser beam L emitted from a light emitting unit 320 of a heliostat 300 described later. The light receiving unit 220 has a light receiving surface 221 composed of a plurality of elements, and a reference position P <b> 1 is provided at a substantially central position of the light receiving surface 221. The “near the receiver 210” where the light receiving unit 220 is provided is a position where the relative position of the receiver 210 does not change.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 230 of the central tower 200 (hereinafter referred to as the central control unit 230) is the control unit 330 of the heliostat 300 (hereinafter referred to as the individual control unit 330). Is communicably connected. When setting the reference angle (inclination angle R1 and turning angle R2 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B)) of the heliostat 300, the central controller 230 sets the reference angle to the heliostat 300. The individual light receiving state of the laser beam L is transmitted to the individual control unit 330. As shown in FIG. 2, the “light receiving state” of the laser light L in the present embodiment is a shift amount D of the light receiving position P <b> 2 of the laser light L with respect to the reference position P <b> 1 of the light receiving unit 220. This deviation amount D is a concept including a direction toward the light receiving position P2 with respect to the reference position P1 and a distance between the reference position P1 and the light receiving position P2.

<Heliostat 300>
As shown in FIG. 1B, the heliostat 300 is disposed around the central tower 200 and includes a mirror 310 that reflects sunlight. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the heliostat 300 includes a mirror 310, a frame 340 that supports the mirror 310, an inclined shaft 350 attached to the frame 340, and a horizontal axis (in the drawing). An electric tilting motor 360 that rotates about a vertical axis (a one-dot chain line indicated by V in the drawing), and a column 380 that rotates the mirror 310 about a vertical axis (a one-dot chain line indicated by V in the drawing). And an operation switch 390 (see FIG. 5).

The mirror 310 is a member that plays a role of reflecting sunlight. A frame 340 that supports the mirror 310 is provided on the back surface of the mirror 310. A light emitting unit 320 that emits laser light L is provided on the surface of the mirror 310.

Here, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a light emitting unit 320 that emits laser light L is attached to the light receiving unit 220 provided in the vicinity of the receiver 210 of the central tower 200 on the surface of the mirror 310. ing. The light emitting unit 320 is provided so as to emit the laser light L in the normal direction (dotted line indicated by N in the drawing) of the surface of the mirror 310 (dotted line indicated by F in the drawing). The laser beam L emitted from the light emitting unit 320 is received by the light receiving unit 220 of the central tower 200. The light emitting unit 320 may be provided anywhere other than the surface of the mirror 310 as long as the light emitting unit 320 is attached so that the relative position with the mirror 310 does not change even when the mirror 310 is tilted or swiveled.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the frame 340 is provided on the back surface of the mirror 310 in the vertical direction (arrow Z direction) and the horizontal direction (arrow X direction). An inclination shaft 350 that is rotatably supported by an inclination motor 360 described later is attached to the frame 340.

The tilting motor 360 and the turning motor 370 are responsible for changing the tilting angle and the turning angle of the mirror 310 so that the reflected light of the sunlight reflected by the mirror 310 is collected on the receiver 210 of the central tower 200. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the tilting motor 360 rotates the mirror 310 about the horizontal axis H by rotating the tilting shaft 350 extending in the horizontal direction about the horizontal axis H. Further, the turning motor 370 rotates the mirror 310 about the vertical axis V by rotating the tilting motor 360 disposed above the turning motor 370 about the vertical axis V.

As shown in FIG. 5, the tilting motor 360 is provided with an encoder 361 that senses the rotation angle of the output portion (outer hub or flange) of the tilting motor 360. Similarly, the turning motor 370 is provided with an encoder 371 that senses the rotation angle of the output portion (outer hub or flange) of the turning motor 370.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a flange 372 is formed on the lower surface of the turning motor 370, and a flange 381 is formed on the upper surface of the support column 380. . The flange 372 of the turning motor 370 and the flange 381 of the support column 380 are fastened by bolts (not shown).

The tilting motor 360 and the turning motor 370 each have an eccentric oscillating speed reducer. This eccentric oscillating speed reducer includes an internal gear, an external gear that rotates eccentrically around the axis of the internal gear and rotates with respect to the internal gear, and a carrier that supports the external gear. Yes. The carrier rotates with respect to the internal gear as the external gear rotates.

The operation switch 390 is provided for manually changing the tilt angle and the turning angle of the mirror 310. Specifically, by operating the operation switch 390, the tilting motor 360 and the turning motor 370 are driven, and the tilt angle and the turning angle of the mirror 310 are changed.

<Mirror assembly>
As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the mirror 310, the frame 340, the tilt shaft 350, the tilting motor 360, and the turning motor 370 are assembled in a factory as a mirror assembly 400. Carried to the site. And the said mirror assembly 400 is attached to the support | pillar 380 installed on the ground in the field. Specifically, the flange 372 of the turning motor 370 of the mirror assembly 400 is installed on the flange 381 of the support column 380 installed in the vertical direction (in the direction of arrow Z) (in this case, the flange surface 382 is a horizontal plane). The mirror assembly 400 is assembled to the column 380 by fastening both

flanges

372 and 381 with bolts.

<Control unit of heliostat 300>
As shown in FIG. 5, the individual control unit 330 of the heliostat 300 is connected to the light emitting unit 320, the tilting motor 360, the turning motor 370, and the operation switch 390 so as to communicate with each other. The individual control unit 330 receives a signal corresponding to the operation of the operation switch 390 by the operator. The individual control unit 330 transmits a control signal to the light emitting unit 320 to control the light emitting unit 320 so that laser light having a desired intensity is emitted from the light emitting unit 320. Further, the individual control unit 330 transmits a control signal to the tilting motor 360 and the turning motor 370 to control the driving of the tilting motor 360 and the turning motor 370.

Further, the individual control unit 330 is communicably connected to the central control unit 230 provided in the central tower 200. As a result, information can be transmitted and received between the central tower 200 and the heliostat 300. In this embodiment, the heliostat 300 transmits the laser light receiving state of the light receiving unit 220 from the central control unit 230 to the individual control unit 330, so that the heliostat 300 uses the tilting motor 360 and the turning motor based on the light receiving state. The drive of the motor 370 can be controlled to set the reference angle (inclination angle R1 and turning angle R2 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B)) of the mirror 310.

As shown in FIG. 6, the individual control unit 330 described above includes a reference angle setting unit 331, an inclination angle calculation unit 332, an inclination angle correction unit 333, a laser light control unit 334, a motor control unit 335, and a storage. A section 336 and a timer section 337 are included.

In the present embodiment, the reference angle setting unit 331 sets the reference angle of the mirror 310 based on the light receiving state of the laser light L by the light receiving unit 220. As shown in FIG. 2, the “reference angle” of the mirror 310 is a reference angle when changing the tilt angle and the turning angle of the mirror 310 in accordance with the movement of the sun. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the reference angle setting unit 331 has a shift amount D of the light receiving position P2 of the laser light L with respect to a preset reference position P1 of the light receiving unit 220 (center position of the light receiving unit 220). Based on the above, the reference angle of the mirror 310 is set. That is, the reference angle setting unit 331 adjusts the tilt angle and the turning angle of the mirror 310 so that the light receiving position P2 of the laser light L coincides with the reference position P1 of the light receiving unit 220, and the light receiving position P2 and the reference position P1. The tilt angle and the turning angle of the mirror 310 when the two coincide with each other are set as reference angles.

The tilt angle calculation unit 332 calculates the tilt angle of the mirror 310 according to the position of the sun. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the tilt angle calculation unit 332 indicates that the normal direction of the mirror 310 (the direction of the dotted line indicated by N in the figure) is the direction (in the figure) toward the receiver 210 of the central tower 200. The tilt angle of the mirror 310 is calculated so as to be intermediate between the direction of the dotted line indicated by T and the direction of the sun (the direction indicated by the dotted line indicated by S in the figure). As a result, sunlight is reflected by the mirror 310 arranged at the tilt angle and proceeds to the receiver 210. The position of the sun described above can be calculated from the position information (latitude, longitude) of the heliostat 300 and the current time. Note that sun trajectory data, which is a change in the position of the sun over time, is stored in the storage unit 336. Further, the position (latitude, longitude) of the heliostat 300 can be acquired by GPS. In addition, since the position information of the heliostat 300 acquired by the GPS may be measured when the heliostat 300 is installed, the heliostat 300 is not necessarily provided with the GPS. The current time is counted by the timer unit 337.

The inclination angle correction unit 333 shown in FIG. 6 corrects the inclination angle calculated by the inclination angle calculation unit 332 based on the deformation amount of the mirror 310 due to the weight of the mirror 310. The mirror 310 is deformed downward by its own weight. The amount of deformation differs depending on the inclination angle of the mirror 310, and the amount of deformation is calculated in advance in relation to the amount of inclination by structural calculation such as CAE (Computer Aided Engineering). Therefore, the tilt angle correcting unit 333 calculates the deformation amount of the mirror 310 based on the tilt angle calculated by the tilt angle calculating unit 332 and corrects the tilt angle according to the deformation amount. In order to reduce the cost of the heliostat 300, the deformation amount is calculated in advance so that an arithmetic device with low calculation capability can be used. However, the deformation amount is preliminarily calculated using an arithmetic device with high calculation capability. You may do it each time without calculating. Also, without depending on the structural calculation, for example, a strain gauge is attached to the mirror 310, and the deformation amount is calculated from the strain amount obtained from the strain gauge, or from the three-dimensional measurement data of the mirror 310 based on the laser scan or the camera image, The deformation amount may be calculated or may be calculated.

Now, when setting the reference angle, the laser light control unit 334 controls the light emitting unit 320 to emit the laser light L from the light emitting unit 320. In addition, the motor control unit 335 controls the tilting motor 360 and the turning motor 370 to change the tilt angle and the turning angle of the mirror 310.

The storage unit 336 stores sun trajectory data, heliostat 300 position information (latitude, longitude), daytime time zone, night time zone, and the like. The daytime time zone in the present embodiment is a time zone from sunrise to sunset, and is calculated based on position information (latitude and longitude) of the central tower 200 and a calendar. The night time zone is a time zone from sunset to sunrise, and is calculated based on position information (latitude and longitude) of the central tower 200 and a calendar.

The timer unit 337 is provided for measuring the current time. The current time measured by the timer unit 337 is used when the inclination angle calculation unit 332 calculates the position of the sun.

<Flow when installing a heliostat>
Next, with reference to FIG. 7, a method for setting the reference angle (inclination angle R1 and turning angle R2 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B)) of the mirror 310 when the heliostat 300 is installed will be described.

First, the operator manually points the mirror 310 toward the light receiving unit 220 of the central tower 200 by operating the operation switch 390 provided in the heliostat 300 (step S1). Then, the position (latitude, longitude, altitude) of the receiver 210 is acquired by GPS and stored in the storage unit 336 (step S2).

Next, the light emitting unit 320 of the heliostat 300 emits the laser light L to the light receiving unit 220 disposed in the vicinity of the position (latitude, longitude, altitude) (step S3). Then, the light receiving unit 220 of the central tower 200 receives the laser light L emitted from the light emitting unit 320 (step S4).

Next, the reference angle setting unit 331 calculates a deviation amount D between the light receiving position P2 of the laser light L in the light receiving unit 220 and the reference position P1 (step S5). When the deviation amount D is calculated (step S6: Yes), the motor control unit 335 drives the tilting motor 360 and the turning motor 370 in accordance with the deviation amount D, and the tilt angle of the mirror 310 and The turning angle is changed (step S7). Then, the process returns to step S5 again, and the operations of steps S5 to S7 are repeated until the amount of deviation D between the light receiving position P2 of the laser beam L and the reference position P1 in the light receiving unit 220 disappears. In step S6 of this embodiment, it is determined whether or not the deviation amount D disappears. However, when the deviation amount D becomes smaller than a predetermined value, the process may proceed to step S8 in the subsequent stage.

In step S6, when the amount of deviation D between the light receiving position P2 of the laser light L and the reference position P1 in the light receiving unit 220 disappears (step S6: No), the laser light control unit 334 is controlled by the light emitting unit 320 of the heliostat 300. The emission of the laser beam L is stopped (step S8). At this time, the light receiving position P2 of the laser light L in the light receiving unit 220 and the reference position P1 of the light receiving unit 220 are in a matched state. Then, the reference angle setting unit 331 sets the tilt angle and the turning angle of the mirror 310 when the shift amount D between the light receiving position P2 of the laser light L and the reference position P1 in the light receiving unit 220 disappears as a reference angle (step) S9). The reference angle is stored in the storage unit 336.

<Flow during operation of heliostat>
Next, the operation of the mirror 310 when the heliostat 300 is operated will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the central control unit 230 calculates solar trajectory data from the position (latitude, longitude, altitude) of the central tower 200 or the receiver 210 and the current time (step S10). The position of the central tower 200 is acquired by the GPS unit 500 (see FIG. 5), and the current time is acquired by the timer of the central control unit 230. In each heliostat 300, the tilt angle calculation unit 332 calculates the tilt angle and the turning angle of the mirror 310 based on the position of the sun (step S11). In this embodiment, the tilt angle correcting unit 333 calculates the deformation amount of the mirror 310 from the calculated tilt angle, and calculates the corrected tilt angle based on the deformation amount of the mirror 310 (step S12). Then, based on the corrected inclination angle calculated in step S12, the motor control unit 335 drives the inclination motor 360 and the turning motor 370 to change the inclination angle and the turning angle of the mirror 310 (step S13). . At this time, the mirror 310 is tilted and turned with reference to the reference angle stored in the storage unit 336. Steps S10 to S13 described above are repeated until sunset (step S14: No). Note that the normal line from the center of the mirror 310 and the optical axis of the laser light L from the light emitting unit 320 do not necessarily match due to the relationship with the mounting position of the light emitting unit 320. In addition, since the receiver 210 and the light receiving unit 220 are also provided at different positions, the reference angle or the calculated sun position is corrected by a constant coefficient so that the normal from the center of the mirror 310 is directed to the receiver 210. Needless to say.

Then, when it is sunset (step S14: Yes), the reference angle setting unit 331 sets the reference angle (step S20). This reference angle setting (step S20) does not have to be performed every day. For example, the setting of the reference angle (step S20) may be performed once a year.

Hereinafter, the details of the reference angle setting (step S20) by the reference angle setting unit 331 will be described.
First, after sunset, the motor control unit 335 drives the tilting motor 360 and the turning motor 370 so that the mirror 310 is arranged at the reference angle stored in the storage unit 336 (step S21). Then, the light emitting unit 320 of the heliostat 300 emits the laser light L to the light receiving unit 220 of the central tower 200 (step S22). Then, the light receiving unit 220 of the central tower 200 receives the laser light L emitted from the light emitting unit 320 (step S23).

Next, the reference angle setting unit 331 calculates a deviation amount D between the light receiving position P2 of the laser light L in the light receiving unit 220 and the reference position P1 (step S24). When the deviation amount D is calculated (step S25: Yes), the motor control unit 335 drives the tilting motor 360 and the turning motor 370 according to the deviation amount D, and the tilt angle of the mirror 310 and The turning angle is changed (step S26). Then, the process returns to step S24 again, and the operations of steps S24 to S26 are repeated until the amount of deviation D between the light receiving position P2 of the laser beam L and the reference position P1 in the light receiving unit 220 disappears. In step S25 of the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the deviation amount D disappears. However, when the deviation amount D becomes smaller than a predetermined value, the process may proceed to step S27 in the subsequent stage.

In step S25, when the shift amount D between the light receiving position P2 of the laser light L and the reference position P1 in the light receiving unit 220 is lost (step S25: No), the laser light control unit 334 is controlled by the light emitting unit 320 of the heliostat 300. The emission of the laser beam L is stopped (step S27). At this time, the light receiving position P2 of the laser light L in the light receiving unit 220 and the reference position P1 of the light receiving unit 220 are in a matched state. Then, the reference angle setting unit 331 sets the tilt angle and the turning angle of the mirror 310 when the deviation amount D between the light receiving position P2 of the laser light L and the reference position P1 in the light receiving unit 220 disappears as a new reference angle. (Step S28). The reference angle is stored in the storage unit 336.

Next, in order to respond to the sunrise of the next day, the motor control unit 335 drives the tilting motor 360 and the turning motor 370 to set the tilt angle and the turning angle of the mirror 310 (step S15). When sunrise occurs (step S16: Yes), the process returns to step S10 and the above-described control (steps S10 to S14, S20, S15, and S16) is repeated.

(Effect in this embodiment)
In the heliostat 300 according to the present embodiment, when setting the reference angle of the mirror 310 far from the receiver 210, the reference angle of the mirror 310 is automatically set based on the light receiving state of the laser light L by the light receiving unit 220. Can be changed. As a result, the reference position P1 of the mirror 310 can be set accurately and easily.

In this embodiment, the reference position of the mirror 310 can be set accurately and easily by measuring the deviation D of the light receiving position P2 of the laser light L with respect to the reference position P1 of the light receiving section 220.

In the present embodiment, the tilting motor 360 and the turning motor 370 include a highly rigid and low backlash eccentric oscillating speed reducer, so that the reference angle of the mirror 310 can be set more accurately. it can.

Further, in this embodiment, solar energy can be obtained by collecting sunlight during the daytime period, and the reference angle of the mirror 310 can be set during the nighttime period. That is, the reference angle of the mirror 310 can be set using a time period during which sunlight after sunset cannot be collected.

In this embodiment, even when the mirror 310 is deformed by its own weight, the tilt angle calculated by the tilt angle calculation unit 332 can be corrected. Thereby, even if the rigidity of the frame 340 holding the mirror 310 and the mirror is relatively low in relation to the weight of the mirror 310, sunlight can be accurately reflected to the receiver 210.

Further, in this embodiment, the heliostat 300 can be easily installed simply by attaching the mirror assembly 400 assembled at the factory to the column 380 installed on site. Specifically, the heliostat 300 can be easily installed simply by fastening the flange 372 of the mirror assembly 400 and the flange 381 of the support column 380 with bolts. That is, the mirror assembly 400 in which the tilt angle and the turning angle of the mirror 310 are accurately assembled in the factory can be installed on site as it is.

Further, in this embodiment, the mirror assembly 400 assembled at the factory can be installed on the site as it is, so that the manufacturing error is reduced and the manufacturing accuracy varies as compared with the case where the heliostat 300 is assembled on site. The mass production of the heliostat 300 with a small amount becomes easy.

In the present embodiment, the operator can roughly set the tilt angle and the turning angle of the mirror 310 by operating the operation switch 390. Thereby, when the reference angle of the mirror 310 is automatically set by the laser light L, the moving range of the mirror 310 can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to reduce the time required for setting the reference angle of the mirror 310 during installation and operation of the heliostat 300. In addition, the size of the light receiving portion can be reduced to some extent.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described based on drawing, it should be thought that a specific structure is not limited to these embodiment. The scope of the present invention is indicated not only by the above description of the embodiments but also by the scope of claims for patent, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims for patent.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the light emitting unit 320 is provided in the heliostat 300 and the light receiving unit 220 is provided in the central tower 200 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is illustrated in the first modified example in FIG. As described above, the light receiving unit 320A may be provided in the heliostat, and the light emitting unit 220A may be provided in the central tower.
That is, the heliostat according to the first modification shown in FIG. 9 includes a mirror 310 that reflects sunlight, a tilting part that tilts the mirror 310 (tilting motor 360), and a turning part that turns the mirror 310 (turning) Motor 370), a light receiving unit 320A that receives laser light L from a light emitting unit 220A attached to a receiver 210 that collects sunlight reflected by the mirror 310, and a light receiving state of the laser light L by the light receiving unit 320A And a reference angle setting unit 331 for setting the reference angle of the mirror 310. The configuration other than the light receiving unit 320A of this heliostat is the same as that of the above embodiment.

In the embodiment and the first modification, the heliostat is provided with either the light emitting unit or the light receiving unit, and the central tower is provided with either the light emitting unit or the light receiving unit. Not limited to this, both the light emitting unit 320B1 and the light receiving unit 320B2 may be provided in the heliostat as in the second modified example shown in FIG. At this time, by providing the reflection part 220B in the central tower, the laser light L emitted from the light emitting part 320B1 of the heliostat is reflected by the reflection part 220B of the central tower and received by the light receiving part 320B2 of the heliostat. . In this case, the reference angle of the mirror 310 of the heliostat is set with respect to the reference position P1 (the emission position P1 of the laser light L) based on the deviation amount D of the light receiving position P2 in the light receiving unit 320B2 of the reflected light.
That is, the above-described heliostat includes a mirror 310 that reflects sunlight, an inclined portion that tilts the mirror 310 (tilting motor 360), a turning portion that turns the mirror 310 (turning motor 370), and a laser beam L. The light emitting unit 320B1 that emits light, the light receiving unit 320B2 that receives the laser light L emitted from the light emitting unit 320B1 and reflected by the reflecting unit 220B of the central tower, and the light receiving state of the laser light L by the light receiving unit 320B2 A reference angle setting unit 331 for setting the reference angle of the mirror 310.

Further, in the second modified example described above, an example in which both the light emitting unit 320B1 and the light receiving unit 320B2 are provided in the heliostat has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and as illustrated in the third modified example of FIG. You may provide both the light emission part 220C1 and the light-receiving part 220C2 in a central tower. At this time, the heliostat is provided with a reflecting portion 320C, and the laser light L emitted from the light emitting portion 220C1 of the central tower is reflected by the reflecting portion 320C of the heliostat and received by the light receiving portion 220C2 of the central tower. . In this case, the reference angle of the heliostat mirror 310 is set with respect to the reference position P1 (the emission position P1 of the laser light L) based on the deviation amount D of the light receiving position P2 in the light receiving unit 220C2 of the reflected light.
That is, the above-described solar light collecting system includes a heliostat and a central tower. The central tower includes a light emitting unit 220C1 that emits laser light L and a light receiving unit 220C2 that receives the laser light L emitted from the light emitting unit 220C1 and reflected by the reflecting unit 320C of the heliostat. . The heliostat also reflects a mirror 310 that reflects sunlight, an inclined portion that tilts the mirror 310 (tilting motor 360), a turning portion that turns the mirror 310 (turning motor 370), and a laser beam that reflects. And a reference angle setting unit 331 for setting the reference angle of the mirror 310 based on the light receiving state of the laser light L by the light receiving unit 220C2.

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which both the tilting motor 360 and the turning motor 370 include the eccentric oscillating speed reducer has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the tilting motor 360 and the turning motor 370 are included. Any one of these may include an eccentric oscillating speed reducer.

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the mirror tilt angle and the swivel angle are set by the mirror tilt and the mirror swing has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, in addition to the mirror tilt and the mirror swing, You may change the height of the mirror.

(Correspondence between each component of claims and each part of the embodiment)
In the above embodiment, the heliostat 300 corresponds to the “heliostat”, the mirror 310 corresponds to the “mirror”, the tilting motor 360 corresponds to the “tilting portion”, and the turning motor 370 corresponds to the “turning portion”. The

light emitting units

320, 220A, 320B1, and 220C1 correspond to “light emitting units”, the

light receiving units

220, 320A, 320B2, and 220C2 correspond to “light receiving units”, and the reference angle setting unit 331 includes “reference angle setting”. The inclination angle calculation unit 332 corresponds to the “inclination angle calculation unit”, the inclination angle correction unit 333 corresponds to the “inclination angle correction unit”, and the mirror assembly 400 corresponds to the “mirror assembly”. The support column 380 corresponds to the “support column”, the operation switch 390 corresponds to the “operation switch”, and the solar light collecting system 100 corresponds to the “solar light collecting system”.

Claims

A heliostat placed around the central tower,
A mirror that reflects sunlight,
An inclined portion for inclining the mirror;
A turning part for turning the mirror;
A light emitting unit that emits laser light to the light receiving unit attached to the central tower side, or a light receiving unit that receives laser light from the light emitting unit attached to the central tower side,
A heliostat, comprising: a reference angle setting unit configured to set a reference angle of the mirror based on a light receiving state of the laser beam by the light receiving unit.
The reference angle setting unit sets the reference angle of the mirror based on a deviation amount of the light receiving position of the laser light by the light receiving unit with respect to a preset reference position of the light receiving unit, The heliostat according to claim 1.
The heliostat according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the inclined portion and the turning portion includes an eccentric oscillating speed reducer.
The heliostat according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reference angle setting unit sets the reference angle of the mirror during night time.
An inclination angle calculation unit for calculating an inclination angle of the mirror based on the position of the sun;
5. An inclination angle correction unit that corrects the inclination angle based on a deformation amount of the mirror arranged at the inclination angle calculated by the inclination angle calculation unit. The heliostat according to any one of the above.
The mirror assembly including the mirror, the inclined portion, and the turning portion is provided so as to be attachable to a support column that supports the mirror assembly at a predetermined height. The heliostat according to any one of the above.
The heliostat according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising an operation switch for manually operating the inclined portion and the turning portion.
A mirror that reflects sunlight,
An inclined portion for inclining the mirror;
A turning part for turning the mirror;
A light emitting unit for emitting laser light;
A light receiving unit that receives the laser light emitted from the light emitting unit;
And a reference angle setting unit configured to set a reference angle of the mirror based on a light receiving state of the laser light by the light receiving unit.