Patent ID: 9632167
Date: 2017-04-25
CPC Classifications: G01S

Claim:
1. A solar tracker device for controlling the orientation of a heliostat reflecting surface along two axes of rotation so as to continuously capture available sun rays to be redirected towards a fixed target having a target central point, said solar tracker device comprising: a mirror with a pre-defined shape fixedly mounted parallel to said heliostat reflecting surface, said pre-defined shape defining a mirror center point; an imaging device having an optical axis passing through said mirror center point, said imaging device being connected electronically to an electronic board; and a partially transparent and partially reflective dome extending between the imaging device and the mirror on one side and the sun and the fixed target on a second side, such that when sun rays penetrate said dome, said mirror substantially reflects back these sun rays toward said dome and a portion of these sun rays are reflected back by said dome to said imaging device to form an image of said mirror whose shape defines an image of said mirror center point, and such that an image of the fixed target is formed on the imaging device through the partly transparent dome and defines an image of said target center point, and wherein the solar tracker device is mounted on the heliostat surface, and wherein whenever said images of said mirror center point and said target center point are not in coincidence, said electronic board is activated to rotate said heliostat reflecting surface toward an orientation for which coincidence of said images is obtained.