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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7357132 | Positioning system and method of orienting an object using same A system (22) for orienting an object (28) relative to a base (24) to which the object (28) is rotatably coupled includes a braking surface (46) in fixed relation with the base (24). A brake (48) is engaged with the b... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7162833 | Hillside farming module and system A network of modules is provided that maximizes agricultural land usage. Each module includes a water collection structure supported above agricultural land. The water collection structure may include a mechanism for distributing photonic energy to plants growing on... | 01/16/2007 |
| 6971756 | Apparatus for collecting and converting radiant energy A radiant energy collecting and converting device having at least one array of slat-like concave reflective elements and an elongated receiver. The device efficiently concentrates and converts radiant energy, such as sunlight, to other useful types of energy, such a... | 12/06/2005 |
| 6284968 | Solar-tracking system A solar-tracking system that provides a polar rotation at a constant velocity of 366.25 revolutions clockwise per year, and orbital revolution that is one revolution per year in the counter-clockwise direction. The support for the orbital drive system is ... | 09/04/2001 |
| 6031177 | Shadowing timer for a photovoltaic solar cell array and photovoltaic power source comprising same A photovoltaic power source includes a shadowing timer comprising at least one shadowing member (i.e. vane element) secured proximal to an array of photovoltaic solar cells electrically connected in series. The shadowing members are arranged such that the... | 02/29/2000 |
| 5829427 | Orientable pyramid-shaped solar collector device Solar collector device constituted by a pyramid-shaped structure comprising three faces 1, 2, 3 or more and a base 4. The face 1, on which various solar energy collecting means are mounted, is the only face used as a planar solar collector, the other face... | 11/03/1998 |
| 5632823 | Solar tracking system The solar tracking system maintains a solar collector with its responsive surface normal to the sun rays. It includes a shaft supported for rotation about an axis parallel to the north-south axis of the earth, a stepper motor for intermittent rotation of ... | 05/27/1997 |
| 5227618 | Variably pressurable support and tracking apparatus and method for tracking moving radiation source A variably pressurizable support system for supporting and orienting a radiation detector, and a method for orienting a radiation detector on a moving radiation source are disclosed. The support system comprises at least one pressurizable support membrane... | 07/13/1993 |
| 5151520 | Cationic dye-triarylmonoalkylorate anion complexes A cationic dye-borate anion compound represented by the formula: ##STR1## where D+ is a cationic dye moiety selected from the group consisting of cationic cyanine, carbocyanine, hemicyanine, rhodamine, and azamethine dyes; R1 is alkyl; and... | 09/29/1992 |
| 5058675 | Method and apparatus for the destructive distillation of kerogen in situ A method and apparatus for the destructive distillation of kerogen and extraction of oil and gas from oil shale. The method and apparatus includes generating super heated steam or air, injecting super heated steam or air into oil shale, heating the keroge... | 10/22/1991 |
| 4890599 | Solar panel mounting assembly A solar tracking control system selectively energizes and deenergizes a motor. The motor causes a rotatable shaft supported on a base and situated parallel to the earth's axis of rotation to be rotated. A U-member is connected to the rotatable shaft and t... | 01/02/1990 |
| 4823772 | Apparatus and method for extracting focused solar radiant energy There is provided solar heat collecting apparatus which comprises a solar collector panel rotatably supported about a horizontal and a vertical axis and drive means for rotating the panel simultaneously about the two axes. The collector panel comprises a ... | 04/25/1989 |
| 4723826 | Lens type solar collector requiring no orientation system A conventional fiber optic solar collector employs a matrix of lenses mounted in an enclosure similar to that of a conventional flat plate collector. Each lens focuses a solar image upon the open end of a respective optical fiber. The fibers are bundled t... | 02/09/1988 |
| 4583520 | Balanced solar concentrator system This solar concentrator system is configured such that the base pedestal attachment point is located on the beam connecting the curved solar reflector and the heat energy receiver power conversion unit, herein envisioned as a Stirling engine. This attachm... | 04/22/1986 |
| 4564275 | Automatic heliostat track alignment method A method of automatically aligning heliostats by comparing the actual sunbeam centroid position on a target to a command reference position to determine the error in the sunbeam centroid location. The sunbeam centroid position error is then analyzed to correla... | 01/14/1986 |
| 4561423 | Solar parabolic collector A water-heating solar parabolic collecting and concentrating apparatus comprises a pair of inclined parabolic reflectors positioned side by side on a rotary framework with upwardly extending water-heating tubes positioned along the focal lines of the resp... | 12/31/1985 |
| 4548195 | Solar energy apparatus with automatic tracking alignment adjustments Automatic alignment adjustments are incorporated into the tracking control program of a concentrating solar collector apparatus to skew the alignment of aspheric, nonparabolic reflectors slightly off the half angle between the sun and fixed receivers. The... | 10/22/1985 |
| 4509501 | Solar energy collecting system using a primary reflector based on a pyramid structure A primary reflector formed as a modified pyramid having a polygonal base located in open exposure to the sun has faces above the base which include reflecting surfaces that intersect at obtuse angles along lines lying in planes perpendicular to the base. ... | 04/09/1985 |
| 4483311 | Solar power system utilizing optical fibers, each fiber fed by a respective lens A mosaic of lenses is oriented to face the sun. Each lens focuses a solar image upon the open end of a respective optical fiber. The several fibers converge to form a bundle. The bundle passes to a receiver generally inside a building. The radiation deliv... | 11/20/1984 |
| 4440150 | Heliostat control An improvement in a system and method of controlling heliostat in which the heliostat is operable in azimuth and elevation by respective stepper motors and including the respective steps or means for calculating the position for the heliostat to be at a c... | 04/03/1984 |
| 4432343 | Solar energy collector system A trough-like concentrator having a reflective surface contoured to image the sun at a linear focus. The reflective surface is supported by a structural tube having plural ribs. A microcomputer is programmed to exclusively aim the concentrator at the sun.... | 02/21/1984 |
| 4354484 | Solar collection system A solar energy collection system for receiving and collecting a concentrated supply of available energy from the sun includes a reflector having an internal structural frame covered by a thin deformable film at the front and a membrane cover enclosing the... | 10/19/1982 |
| 4349245 | Modular natural lighting system A modular natural lighting system having a microprocessor controlled heliostat which collects the sun's rays. The collected rays are directed towards a dielectric mirror that reflects visible solar radiation through an aperture in the roof of a building. ... | 09/14/1982 |
| 4347834 | Variable entropy solar energy harvester A collector of solar energy has, in cross-section, the profile of a nested, truncated and inverted trough which is formed as an array of concentric annular conic frusta. The array ascends from a base, defined by the outermost frustum, to a vertex defined ... | 09/07/1982 |
| 4318394 | Solar energy concentrator A solar energy concentrator is provided which includes a flexible reflective surface to focus solar flux on absorber tubes. The surface is mounted above a plurality of partially evacuated chambers. As the relative position between the sun and the concentr... | 03/09/1982 |
| 4266530 | Sun ray tracker A solar energy collector, including an assembly of reflectors supported pivotally upstanding upon a circular carriage that rotates once a day upon horizontal, circular tracks, the reflector assembly being adjustable in inclination, so as always to face th... | 05/12/1981 |
| 4266179 | Solar energy concentration system A solar radiant energy concentrating system for concentrating solar radiation on a radiant to electric power thermionic conversion transducer. The radiated energy concentration system utilizes multiple reflector units that collectively together or selecti... | 05/05/1981 |
| 4261335 | Solar energy apparatus The solar energy apparatus of the present invention collects, concentrates, and transmits solar radiation to a light converter, which converts solar radiation to another energy form. The apparatus includes aspheric reflectors which are used in conjunction... | 04/14/1981 |
| 4257401 | Solar heat collector The present invention relates to a solar heat collecting system comprising a lens focusing sunlight at a flat mirror which is spaced from the lens by half of its focal length, the flat mirror reflects the sunlight back at the lens and brings the focused s... | 03/24/1981 |
| 4223662 | Structural solar collector assembly A structural support assembly and its method of formation for collecting solar energy, regulating heat gain and loss, controlling light transmission and being adapted to be interconnected with other structural elements to form a building. The support syst... | 09/23/1980 |
| 4217884 | Collection and utilization of solar energy A solar energy utilization system employing a glazed, insulated, collector box that houses a plurality of swingably mounted, conduit type, energy absorber assemblies; together with associated, arcuately shaped booster mirrors for collecting solar rays and... | 08/19/1980 |
| 4215410 | Solar tracker An open loop servo controller for controlling motors which drive a solar energy utilizing device about its azimuth and altitude axis to track the sun. The controller has a central processor and elements for inputting data corresponding with the present da... | 07/29/1980 |
| 4192583 | Solar receiver heliostat reflector having a linear drive and position information system A heliostat for a solar receiver system comprises an improved drive and control system for the heliostat reflector assembly. The heliostat reflector assembly is controllably driven in a predetermined way by a light-weight drive system so as to be angularl... | 03/11/1980 |
| 4162825 | Method for adjusting the radius of curvature of a spherical mirror A method and apparatus for controlling the astigmatic focusing of a spherical mirror by adjusting the radius of curvature configuration thereof. Adjustment is made by applying a couple to the outer edge of the spherical mirror. A floating support mechanis... | 07/31/1979 |
| 4159712 | Solar energy conversion unit A solar energy conversion unit having a collector forming a focal area in which is disposed a core assembly including a governor arranged for varying the surface area of fluid carrying tubes partly forming the core assembly that is exposed to solar radiat... | 07/03/1979 |
| 4137897 | Unified array for collection and concentration of solar energy A reflector array is disclosed that provides for the collection and concentration of a relatively constant daily total quantity of usable energy for one or more energy receivers through use of a collector array support configuration that provides for the ... | 02/06/1979 |
| 4040411 | Apparatus for concentration of solar radiation An apparatus for the concentration of solar radiation to a utilizable flux by directing it vertically downward upon the reflecting surface of a rotating liquid and utilizing the concentrated radiation at or near the focal point of the resulting optical sy... | 08/09/1977 |
