Solar Cells for Smart Farm

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023335661-A1
Application number	US-202218089314-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 27, 2022
Priority date	Apr 13, 2022
Publication date	Oct 19, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

According to a main objective of the present invention, the three-dimensional arrangement of solar cells is adjusted so as to use sunlight directly coming from the sun mainly for solar power generation while transmitting wavelengths necessary for the growth of plants and reflecting wavelengths unnecessary for or hindering the growth of plants among wavelengths of sunlight passing through the solar cells to use the reflected wavelengths for additional solar power generation.
Sunlight reflected by the dichroic optical filter may be used to additionally generate electricity using solar cells provided perpendicular to the dichroic optical filter, thereby maximizing the use efficiency of sunlight.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . Smart-farm solar cells comprising:
a solar cell adjusting transmission of sunlight coming from the sun by using a three-dimensional structure; a dichroic optical filter transmitting selected wavelengths of sunlight passing through the solar cell and reflecting other wavelengths of the sunlight; and a semi-transparent or transparent solar cell generating electricity by using sunlight directly coming from the sun, wherein not all wavelengths of sunlight reflected by the dichroic optical filter propagate to air but some of the wavelengths propagate to the solar cell and are reflected by the solar cell to the semi-transparent or transparent solar cell such that the semi-transparent or transparent solar cell additionally generates electricity using the wavelengths reflected thereto.

2 . The smart-farm solar cells of claim 1 , wherein the selected wavelengths, which the dichroic optical filter transmits, comprises a blue wavelength ranging from 400 nm to 500 nm and/or a red wavelength ranging from 640 nm to 700 nm which are necessary for plant cultivation, and the dichroic optical filter reflects other wavelengths.

3 . The smart-farm solar cells of claim 2 , wherein the dichroic optical filter transmits light in a wavelength band necessary for plant cultivation and reflects remaining visible light and all or a portion of infrared light in a wavelength band of 850 nm to 1300 nm.

4 . The smart-farm solar cells of claim 1 , wherein the smart-farm solar cells have an adjustable three-dimensional structure in which a plurality of solar cells are provided at a light entrance side of the dichroic optical filter in parallel to a direction in which sunlight is incident on the light entrance side of the dichroic optical filter, the solar cells having a set height in a direction perpendicular to the dichroic optical filter, a set width, and a set interval therebetween and being arranged in horizontal and/or vertical directions.

5 . The smart-farm solar cells of claim 4 , wherein when a sun plant is cultivated, sunlight passing through the solar cells provided horizontally and/or vertically with the set height, the set width, and the set interval is increased without markedly decreasing sunlight incident on the solar cells by decreasing the set height and/or increasing the set interval.

6 . The smart-farm solar cells of claim 4 , wherein when a shade plant is cultivated, sunlight passing through the solar cells provided horizontally and/or vertically with the set height, the set width, and the set interval is decreased while increasing sunlight incident on the solar cells by increasing the set height and/or decreasing the set interval.

7 . The smart-farm solar cells of claim 1 , wherein the smart-farm solar cells are provided as modular smart-farm solar cell module having an adjustable three-dimensional structure, and the smart-farm solar cells include a module case provided with stick-shaped or prism-shaped electrodes for fixing the dichroic optical filter having a quadrangular or polygonal shape from an outside of the dichroic optical filter,
wherein the smart-farm solar cells are assembled by inserting the smart-farm solar cells into recesses provided in the module case.

8 . The smart-farm solar cells of claim 7 , wherein the recesses provided in the module case are vertical, inclined, gradually inclined, or gradually vertical recesses.

9 . The smart-farm solar cells of claim 7 , wherein the module case comprises electrodes for electrical connection with an adjacent module case such that electricity generated by the smart-farm solar cells is supplied to an electric storage device through the electrodes.

10 . The smart-farm solar cells of claim 1 , wherein the smart-farm solar cells have an adjustable three-dimensional structure in which a power generation unit or power generation units are provided on a single side or both sides of the solar cell in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which sunlight is incident on the solar cell so as to generate electricity mainly using sunlight directly incident from the sun and additionally generate electricity using sunlight reflected from the dichroic optical filter.

11 . The smart-farm solar cells of claim 1 , wherein the smart-farm solar cells have an adjustable three-dimensional structure in which solar cells are horizontal and/or vertically provided at an oblique angle in the vicinity of a light entrance side of the dichroic optical filter with various heights, widths, and intervals therebetween so as to additionally generate electricity by using wavelengths of sunlight reflected from the dichroic optical filter.

12 . The smart-farm solar cells of claim 11 , wherein when a sun plant is cultivated, sunlight passing through the solar cells horizontally and/or vertically provided at the oblique angle with various heights, widths, and intervals is increased without markedly decreasing sunlight incident on the solar cells by adjusting the oblique angle to be close to a right angle, decreasing the various heights, and/or increasing the various intervals.

13 . The smart-farm solar cells of claim 11 , wherein when a shade plant is cultivated, sunlight passing through the solar cells horizontally and/or vertically provided at the oblique angle with various heights, widths, and intervals is decreased while increasing sunlight incident on the solar cells by adjusting the oblique angle to be within a range of 0 degrees to 90 degrees according to a sunlight amount necessary for the shade plant, increasing the various heights, and/or decreasing the various intervals.

14 . The smart-farm solar cells of claim 11 , wherein the smart-farm solar cells are provided as modular smart-farm solar cells having an adjustable three-dimensional structure in which the solar cells are assembled by inserting the solar cells into recesses provided in a module case, the module case comprising stick-shaped or prism-shaped electrodes for fixing the dichroic optical filter having a quadrangular or polygonal shape.

15 . The smart-farm solar cells of claim 14 , wherein the module case comprises electrodes for electrical connection with an adjacent module case such that electricity generated by the solar cells is supplied to an electric storage device through the electrodes.

16 . Smart-farm solar cells comprising:
a solar cell adjusting transmission of sunlight coming from the sun by using a three-dimensional structure; and a semi-transparent or transparent solar cell generating electricity by using sunlight directly coming from the sun and capable of adjusting the amount of sunlight passing through the semi-transparent or transparent solar cell to be equal to or greater than an amount necessary for plant growth.

Assignees

• Korea Inst Sci & Tech
• Univ Kookmin Ind Acad Coop Found

Inventors

• Lee Phillip
• Min Byoung Koun
• Jung Je Hyeong
• Do Young Rag
• Lee Chan Woo

Classifications

• H10F77/93

  Interconnections · CPC title

• H02S40/38

  Energy storage means, e.g. batteries, structurally associated with PV modules · CPC title

• H10F19/80

  Encapsulations or containers for integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells · CPC title

• H10F77/42 Primary

  directly associated or integrated with photovoltaic cells, e.g. light-reflecting means or light-concentrating means · CPC title

• H10F77/488

  Reflecting light-concentrating means, e.g. parabolic mirrors or concentrators using total internal reflection · CPC title