Electric generation by light-variable capacitance

An improvement in a method of generating electric power by high voltage light or radiation variable electric capacitors is disclosed in which two distinct generating units are maintained in electrically separated circuits, neither unit interacting with the other electrically, thereby providing for a simple means of overcoming waste of collected and concentrated radiant energy in that a simple shutter alternates the beam of light or radiation back and forth between two or more radiation variable capacitors to prevent waste by preventing the concentrated energy from ever falling upon an unreactive surface and further to prevent waste by preventing momentary counter e.m.f. inherent in some prior art.

This invention relates to the unusual class of electric generators which 
produce useful electric power by the use of electric fields rather than by 
magnetic fields. It also relates to energy conversion techniques which 
convert radiant energy into electric energy with few moving parts. This 
invention therefore relates to a combination of the art of electric power 
development by changing electric capacitance and the art of converting 
radiation into a capacitance change in the light sensitive dielectric of a 
variable capacitor in a variable capacitance generator. In prior patent 
applications, Ser. No. 338,088, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,938, and an 
application called, "Improvement in Solar-Electric Generation", Ser. No. 
663,927 circuitry and materials have been described for a workable 
light-variable capacitance generator. In the most recent improvement in 
this art a circuit is described which precludes energy loses to any great 
extent due to relatively inefficient shuttering of radiant energy in the 
initial generators. Accordingly, in the prior art shuttering was disclosed 
which directed a beam of light alternately to various light sensitive 
capacitors and in so doing the beam was never absent from one or other of 
the energy capacitors. Push pull type circuitry was developed to integrate 
with the shutter system designed to prevent wasted energy. Active element 
placement units have also been described in the prior art wherein parts of 
the same beam are never interacting to oppose the action of other parts of 
that beam. 
Now, however, in my present invention an inherent and efficiency-limiting 
effect of the prior art is discovered and corrected in the electric 
circuitry as it relates to the peculiar dynamics of the light sensitive 
elements being oppositely shuttered to produce the necessary constantly 
changing capacitance. Specifically, this improvement relates to effects in 
the push pull circuitry of the second application referred to above and 
called, "Improved Solar-Electric Generation." In this application for 
patent two instead of one light-variable capacitors shared an electric 
charge in an essentially isolated electric circuit, which contained a 
transformer in series with these condensers. There the light alternating 
repeatedly from one to another condenser caused the charge shared by the 
two to be distributed unevenly, the newly illuminated of the two always 
receiving more of the charge as the light beam alternates beam alternates 
between the two. The transformer is continually acting to induce useful 
current flow into the secondary from the part of the condensers' charge 
which is cycling back and forth through the primary. This circuit is 
effective in that light in the way described is always reacting upon some 
reactive condenser and never wasted by merely being shuttered aside. 
However, the circuit does contain an inherent inefficiency in that the 
condenser which is darkening or darkened during particular time periods is 
subject to electroluminescence caused by the voltage increase on that 
capacitor. This consumes energy from the circuit. Fluorescent materials 
suited to produce dielectric constant change as a light variable 
dielectric also produce electroluminescence when in a dark state and when 
a changing voltage field is produced across them. Therefore the 
improvement in this art provided by this present invention comprises 
maintaining the alternate light sensitive dielectrics before a beam which 
alternates between them, but it also consists in rejecting the use of 
light sensitive in a push pull configuration in which the condenser being 
illuminated can contribute (by virtue of its lowering voltage) to a 
changing field across the darkened condenser. In this improvement then the 
original fixed condensed of the first application is always employed in 
each generating unit but now in this present invention the units are 
always grouped in multiples before the shutter and the units are 
electrically isolated one from the other and to the extent of preventing 
dynamic action of one from causing wasteful electroluminescence in the 
other. In short in this invention concentrated and collected radiant 
energy moves back and forth between two virtually seperate generators. 
In other words the utilization of multiple and electrically separated 
generating circuits has the uniquely advantageous effect of assuring that 
within each generating circuit no dynamic source of field voltage change 
external to a darkened condenser will be consuming light energy to produce 
electroluminescence instead of simply producing electricity. In the former 
art during a light variable condenser's dark period, part of its voltage 
increase is due to the dynamic enlargement of capacitance and decline of 
voltage of the opposite or illuminated condenser caused by the increase of 
its dielectric constant under illumination. The illuminated condenser is 
absorbing radiant energy, having its dielectric constant increased and 
thereby assisting in a current flow which is producing useful work as well 
as wasteful electroluminescence. This adverse condition of dark period 
electroluminescence is greatly diminished or removed in the case in which 
two light-active condensers do not operate in a push pull configuration as 
in this present improvement where not one but two uniquely separated units 
receive shuttered light. 
A second distinctive characteristic of this present invention derives from 
the fact that in it no collected radiant energy simultaneously directed 
against two light-variable condensers at the same time because of 
imperfect shuttering will ever produce opposing simultaneous counteracting 
currents. This undesireable situation is possible in the prior art in the 
case in which two light-variable capacitors are receiving portions of the 
same beam for a short period as a rotating beam of some width is leaving 
one light-variable and moving on to the opposite one in the same circuit. 
During that brief period both dielectrics are simultaneously partially 
excited thereby briefly counteracting to impede current flow.

Referring then to FIG. 1 of the drawings, when light-variable capacitors 1 
and 2 share an electric charge and light falling upon the dielectric of 1 
causes its capacitance to increase then the capacitor 2 having its voltage 
increase and its capacitance decrease has an increasing field potential 
across its plates produce electroluminescence in the light sensitive 
material. Some of the voltage increase in 2 is caused by the action of 1 
wherein light is increasing the capacitance of 1 lowering the capacitance 
of 1 relative to 2, capacitor 1 thereby assisting in increasing the field 
voltage and electroluminescence in 2 producing wasted energy there. 
Similarly, when 2 is illumed and 1 is darkened the voltage elevation in 1 
is partially caused by 2 and 2 utilizes light energy to produce 
electroluminescence and waste in 1. 
Referring then to FIG. 2, the mirror 10 mounted in a transparent vacuum 
chamber receives concentrated and focused light from reflectors below (not 
shown) and as 10 rotates it directs the beam first onto light-variable 
capacitor 11 and then to 12. The condenser 11 shares a charge with 
condenser 13. Independently of 11 and 13 the light-variable capacitor 12 
shares a charge with condenser 14. Portions of the charge shared between 
11 and 13 cycle through transformer 15 as light and dark periods alternate 
upon 11. Portions of the charge of 12 and 14 cycle through transformer 16 
as light and dark periods alternate upon light variable condenser 12. This 
arrangement comprises two separate generator units utilizing the collected 
light energy reflected by rotating mirror 10. No energy is wasted by the 
shutter 10 in that 10 does not at any time reflect light away from all 
reactive capacitors. The electrodynamic activity in 11 has no direct 
electrical effect upon what is happening in 12 and vise versa. There can 
be no opposing current flow and waste produced by the relationship between 
the two since 11 and 12 do not interact electrically. 
Referring then to FIG. 3 which shows in a more schematic fashion the 
circuitry of FIG. 2 and shows as well how the essentially isolated 
generating units of FIG. 2 may be combined to a common d.c. output without 
destroying the essential isolation. The light that interacts with 21 
increases its capacitance to receive a larger portion of a charge shared 
with 23. When 21 is illumened 22 is darkened and at that time the charge 
it shares with 24 has a larger portion residing in 24 due to the elevated 
voltage in 22 at that time. Transformers 25 and 26 separately transform 
the moving charge energy into useful electric power. Rectifier bank 27 
rectifies the a.c. currents from the secondaries and sums them up.