Solar heating apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10955170-B2
Application number	US-201816183013-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2018
Priority date	Oct 17, 2017
Publication date	Mar 23, 2021
Grant date	Mar 23, 2021

Abstract

The solar heating apparatus has a base box and a main axle mounted on the base box. At least one mirror support arm is mounted orthogonal to the main axle and supports a plurality of mirrors. In a first embodiment, a circular plate on the side of the base box rotates the main axle to bank the mirrors to track azimuth and a belt or chain drive rotates the mirror support arms to track elevation. In a second embodiment, the main axle is a beam mounted on a rotating circular plate on top of the base box to track azimuth and bevel gears drive a belt or chain drive that rotates the mirror support arms to track elevation. In a third embodiment, the mirror support arms are driven to rotate by bevel gears and the main axle through belt or chain drives.

First claim

We claim:

1. A solar heating apparatus, comprising at least one column of solar reflectors having:
a base box defining a housing having at least one side wall;
at least one stanchion;
a two rotational axis coupler mounted on the stanchion, the coupler being elongated and supporting rotation both axially and laterally, orthogonal to the axial rotation;
an elongated main axle supported above and parallel to the ground by the base box and the stanchion, the main axle having a first end rotationally supported on the at least one side wall of the base box, the main axle extending axially into the coupler and supported for axial rotation thereby;
at least one mirror support arm extending laterally from the coupler and supported for lateral rotation orthogonal to the main axle, the mirror support arm having a plurality of solar reflectors mounted thereon;
an azimuthal drive mechanism housed in the base box and coupled to the main axle, the azimuthal drive mechanism comprises an azimuth gear box and an endless loop drive mechanism, the azimuthal drive mechanism selectively rotating the main axle to bank the mirrors for tracking changes in the sun's azimuth;
an elevation drive mechanism housed in the base box and coupled to the at least one mirror support arm, the elevation drive mechanism selectively rotating the at least one mirror support arm to tilt the mirrors for tracking changes in the sun's elevation, the elevation drive mechanism including an elevation gear box, a jack screw having an extendable and retractable shaft, and an endless loop drive mechanism connecting the elevation gear box and the jack screw;
a circular plate rotatably mounted on the at least one sidewall of the base box, the circular plate having the two rotational axis coupler extending therefrom outside the base box and an axle extending therefrom inside the base box, the endless loop drive connecting the azimuth gear box and the circular plate axle to drive rotation of the circular plate, wherein the circular plate further comprises an eccentrically mounted pass through tube;
a drive sprocket extending laterally from the coupler fixed to the circular plate;
a crank arm pivotally attached to the drive sprocket, the shaft of the jack screw extending through the pass through tube and being connected to the crank arm so that extension and retraction of the jack screw shat rotates the drive sprocket; and
an endless loop drive extending between the drive sprocket and the at least one mirror support arm.

2. The solar heating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each said endless loop drive comprises a chain drive.

3. The solar heating apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an azimuth tracking motor;
an azimuth power transmission shaft extending from the azimuth tracking motor through the azimuth gear box, the azimuth tracking motor selectively activating the azimuth gear box to rotate said main axle and bank said mirrors;
an elevation tracking motor; and
an elevation power transmission shaft extending through said elevation gear box, the elevation tracking motor selectively activating said elevation gear box to rotate said at least one mirror support arm to tilt said mirrors.

4. The solar heating apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein said at least one column comprises a plurality of columns, said azimuth power transmission shaft and said elevation power shaft extending through the azimuth gear box and the elevation gear box, respectively, of each said base box to simultaneously bank and tilt the mirrors in each said column to track changes in the sun's azimuth and elevation.

5. The solar heating apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein said at least one stanchion comprises a plurality of stanchions, each of the stanchions having a corresponding said two rotational axis coupler, said elongated main axle being segmented and the corresponding said two rotational coupler supporting different segments at opposite axial ends of said coupler, the segments being slaved to rotate together, and a corresponding said at least one mirror support arm mounted thereon on order to define a plurality of rows of mirrors, the apparatus further comprising a series of endless loop drive mechanisms connecting said mirror support arms for tilting the rows of mirrors simultaneously.

Assignees

• Univ King Saud
• Qudra Energy Company

Inventors

• Almotlaq Yousef Abdullah
• Baabbad Mazen Abdullah
• Alansary Hany Abdulrahman
• Al Ammar Essam Abdulaziz

Classifications

• F24S23/70

  with reflectors · CPC title

• F24S2030/135

  in the form of threaded elements · CPC title

• F24S2030/12

  Coupling means · CPC title

• F24S2030/134

  in the form of gearings or rack-and-pinion transmissions · CPC title

• F24S23/77

  with flat reflective plates · CPC title