Patent ID: 8017895

Claim:
Apparatus for tracking a light source comprising: a support column; a platform rotatably mounted to said support column and having a sight axis extending perpendicular from said platform; a base slidably received on said support column for motion along an axis thereof; a plurality of linear actuators equally angularly spaced about said column, each actuator rotatably mounted at one location to said platform and rotatably mounted at a second location to said base; at least one sensor for each actuator, each sensor responsive to incident radiant energy, said sensors arranged to directly receive energy from said light source in different lateral sectors of said platform when said sight axis intersects the light source and not having line-of-sight access to any other of said sensors; and a controller for each associated sensor and actuator, each controller generating a signal to extend an associated actuator when incident radiant energy above a predetermined level is received by said sensor and to retract when incident radiant energy is below said predetermined level.