Patent ID: 7813041

Claim:
A solar tracking system mountable above a skylight of a building, comprising: a control box; an electrical motor within the control box that drives the control box about a shaft that extends below the control box; a vertical support structure positionable above a central portion of the skylight, the vertical support structure having an upper portion that receives the shaft extending from the control box; a motion control circuit within the control box that controls the motor to cause the control box to rotate about the extended shaft; a voltage supply circuit within the control box to provide electrical energy to the motion control circuit and the motor; a solar array mechanically and electrically coupled to the control box, the solar array producing electrical energy in response to sunlight and providing the electrical energy to the voltage supply circuit within the control box sufficient to operate the control box without any other source of electrical energy; and a mirror support structure coupled to the control box to rotate with the control box, the mirror support structure supporting at least one mirror positioned at an angle to reflect sunlight through the skylight into the building.