SUN FUNNEL Technical Field

This invention is related to a sun funnel that enables maximum utilization of solar power which enables obtaining sun lights more intense and on desired target by reflecting them at a preferred level.

Background of the Invention

Nowadays, fossil fuels are commonly used to meet the energy need. There is serious costs involved in procurement of fossil fuels. For the countries that do not have fossil fuel sources, energy is a significant economic expense. Moreover, the nature and environment are severely harmed due to use of fossil fuels. As a result of using fossil fuels, carbon (C02) is released to atmosphere and environment and this carbon emission negatively affect the atmosphere and the ecological balance. The importance of renewable energy sources is increasing rapidly as an alternative to fossil fuels which are rapidly getting consumed away nowadays and that damage the nature. As the renewable energy sources, solar power, wind power, geothermal energy and wave energy can be listed.

Solar power is one of the most important renewable energy sources in terms of capacity and prevalence. Solar power is utilized by various methods and the most common is solar panels. Solar cells (batteries) (photovoltaic diodes) are used in solar panels. Photovoltaic diodes are diodes made of semi-conductor materials which directly convert solar power to electrical energy. Today, solar cells have gained use in every part of life and they are used in numerous electronic assemblies. Solar cells are commonly used in solar panels. In operation of solar panels and solar cells, the sun beams are absorbed by the semiconductors and free electrons are released, an energy is obtained due to movement of these electrons.

It is the efficiency of the solar cells which defines the conversion rate of the solar power to electrical energy. In the solar panels set up by current implementations, the efficiency is about 10-20%. There are some applications for making solar power more efficient. In some of these applications, the solar panels are made moveable and change position depending of the incidence angle of the sun beams. Another application is thermic generator systems and in these systems it is aimed to increase the intensity of the sun beams. In thermic generator systems, the sun beams are reflected to increase the intensity of the sun beams and the beams are focused on a point as a result of the reflection. Thus, it is enabled to better utilize the sun beams. Solar panels convert the solar power obtained through mechanisms such as thermic solar generators to electrical energy by using steam generators via evaporated water or liquids with low boiling point or via sterling engine. In another application, solar power is used for heating. Solar energy heats a liquid and heating is performed by circulating the liquid in a certain area.

The most common system used for utilizing solar power is solar panels. Because the investment cost is low, production and installation is easy. Due to this kind of reasons, solar panels are the most preferred usage of solar power. The biggest disadvantage of the applications similar to solar panels is that the efficiency of the solar panels is very low. Furthermore, when it is considered that the geographic location, climate and environmental pollution negatively affect the solar power utilization efficiency, unfortunately we can say that we cannot make enough use of the solar power. When present problems and known solar power applications are considered, we can state that there is no implementation which enables maximum utilization of solar power, which makes energy conversion more efficient by intensifying solar beams, which makes sun beams advance in a narrowing structure such as a pyramid or cone and thus which increases the intensity of the sun beams.

Objects of the Invention

The object of the invention is to embody a sun funnel which intensifies the sun beams on a certain area by reflection and which enables maximum utilization of solar beams.

Another object of the invention is to embody a sun funnel which enables calculation required size of a mechanism to reflect sun beams at a preferred amount.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The sun funnel embodied to achieve the objects of the invention is shown in the appended figure, in which:

Figure 1 is the schematic view of the sun funnel.

The parts in the figures are individually enumerated, and the numbers refer to:

1. Sun funnel

2. Inlet

3. Reflection edge

31. Reflection surface

4. Outlet 5. Mobile platform

B: Primary edge point

C: Secondary edge point

D: Second reflection point

A: Vertex

AH: Center line

a/2: Beam incidence angle (Half the cone apex angle)

a: Apex angle

n: Number of reflection

bl: Inlet length

bn: Edge length (of any cross-section)

The sun funnel (1) which enables obtaining more intense, focused sun beams on desired area by reflecting sun beams at preferred amounts comprises;

- at least an inlet (2) through which sun beams enter;

at least a reflection edge (3) which surrounds the inlet (2) by narrowing down and on which the sun beams hit and reflected;

- at least a reflection surface (31) that covers the reflection edges (3) and that reflects the sun beams depending on the incidence angle, preferably that reflects all of the sun beams;

- at least an outlet (4) which has a smaller diameter than inlet (2), on which the sun beam entering from the inlet is intensified and exit.

The sun funnel (1) of the invention intensifies the sun beams by reflection and focuses them on an area. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the sun funnel (1) is preferably in the form of a cone, a pyramid that narrows down. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the sun funnel (1) is in the form of a cone or pyramid and the base (that is wide area) forms the inlet (2) and the narrow area forms the outlet (4). The sun beam preferably passes through the inlet (2) and enters into the sun funnel (1). The inlet (2) is preferably is on the top surface of the sun funnel (1). The inlet (2) is directed towards sun and preferably follows the movement of the sun. Thus, it is enabled that the sun beam comes as perpendicular as possible to inlet (2).

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, there is a reflection edge (3) which narrows down starting from the inlet (2). The reflection edge (3) is located between the inlet (2) and outlet (4). The top of reflection edge (3) is covered by the reflection surface (31). The reflection surface (31) is preferably coated with a material similar to a mirror. If the sun beams that enter from the inlet (2) are perpendicular to outlet (4), they directly exit from the outlet (4). If the sun beams are not perpendicular to outlet (4), then they hit the reflection edges (3) and advance to the outlet (4) by a zigzag pattern via reflecting from reflection surface (31).

The sun funnel (1) of the invention intensifies the sun beams by reflection and enables the sun beams to exit from outlet (4) more intense. The inlet (2) of the sun funnel (1) is wide and the outlet (4) is narrow, therefore since the sun beams move by reflecting from a wide area to a narrow area, they get intensified and exit through a point. The sub funnel (1) is preferably mounted on a mobile platform (5). The mobile platform (5) enables the sun funnel (1) to move horizontal and/or vertical directions towards sun. The mobile platform (5) moves the sun funnel (1) such that the sun beams come perpendicular to sun funnel (1).

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the sun funnel (1) has a narrow-top- truncated cone or pyramid shape. In order to provide maximum energy, the sun funnel (1) has a wide inlet (2) and narrow outlet (4). Therefore, sun beams enter into the sun funnel (1) as much as possible and maximum energy is provided by exiting at high intensity. However, for the beams to pass through the narrowing section, the apex angle (a) of the cone or the pyramid must be acute angle. Because the less the apex angle, the more beam entering from the base travels inside the funnel (1) without reflecting back. Thus, the beam increases its intensity by passing through a narrower section.

The sun funnel (1) of the invention can be made from various cones or pyramids. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is a pyramid with equal side edges or it has a cone shape with an isosceles triangle vertical cross-section.

Some basic relations are shown for the preferred embodiment by the application of the invention. For applications with different geometric shapes, deviations may occur from these values.

The vertex (A) of the sun funnel (1) is the lowest point. The boundary points of the inlet (2) are the primary edge point (B) and secondary edge point (C). The distance between edge points (B, C) gives the length or diameter of the inlet (2). The sun beams hit the edge points (B, C) or side surfaces and reflect. If the inlet (2) of the sun funnel (1) is perpendicular to sun beams; the incidence angle between the sun beam and the reflection edge (3) cross-section is (a)/2 and the sun beams are parallel to the center line (AH) passing through the center of the sun funnel (1) (parallel lines intersecting the same straight line, makes the same angle with the intersecting line). After the sun beam performs the first reflection from the reflection edge (3), the angle of which the same beam makes from the second reflection point (D) increases by an angle (a), that is the apex angle (a). Therefore, the sun beam is reflected from the second reflection point (D) by an angle of 3 a/2. Because the external angle of (D) of ABD triangle is equal to the sum of its non- neighboring two internal angles, that is a + a/2. Thus, after each reflection, the incidence and reflection angle increase by an angle (a - alpha), that is the apex angle of the cone. The sun beam continues to travel inside the cone until the exit angle is 90° and gradually its intensity increases. After said reflection and reflection number, the beams start to reflect back and the system eventually loses energy. The main criterion of the system is to find the section before the beams return back and by using this to determine the outlet section of the cone and gaining the energy at its maximum value. The maximum values are found for the beams that hit and reflect from points (B and C). Because these are the boundary points. Therefore the number of beams that hit and reflect from the points close to apex of the cone are reflected in less numbers. Because these beams travel a smaller distance after the first reflection.

The number of reflections occur in the sun funnel (1) of the invention is (n). The sun beam reflects forward (i.e. towards outlet (4)) in the funnel (1) while it maintains (2n-l) a/2 < 90° value. When (2n-l) a/2 value is bigger than 90°, the sun beam reflects back. Backwards reflection in the sun funnel (1) (energy loss) is an undesired situation.

For example, in a sun funnel (1) with an apex angle (a) of 90°, number of reflections (n) is zero. That is, the sun beams that enter perpendicular to the sun funnel (1) exit without any reflections. In this case, since the sun beam does not travel any distance in the reflection edge (3) (i.e. in the cone), the intensity of the beam does not increase.

In a sun funnel (1) in which the apex angle (a) is 60°, that is when the sun beams enter from the inlet (2) at 30 degrees, number of reflections (n) is one (n=l). The sun beams entering from the inlet (2) at 30° reflect ones on the reflection edge (3) and if the outlet section is beyond the second reflection point then the second reflection does not occur and it backfires at second reflection point. However, if the outlet section is between the first and second reflection points the beam exits out, but since there is no substantial change in the sectional area of the points (b and C) no significant increase in the beam intensity is observed.

In a sun funnel (1) in which the apex angle (a) is 30°, that is when the sun beams enter from the inlet (2) at 15° degrees, number of reflections (n) is three (n=3). The sun beams entering from the inlet (2) at 15 degrees reflect three times on the reflection edge (3) and since it travels a bigger distance in the sun funnel, it exits from a narrower section. Therefore when compared to 60° degrees, the intensity of the beam is higher.

In the sun funnel (1) of the invention, a sun funnel (1) with different efficiency and size can be obtained by changing the size of the inlet (2), width of the outlet (4), height of the reflection edge (3) and the apex angle (a). Depending on the beams coming towards points (C and D), number of maximum reflection that a beam can make and correspondingly the maximum distance it can travel are geometrically calculated. The section corresponding to said distance is considered to be the maximum energy section. Since some beams return upwards from said distance there is an energy loss, however since the area is wider at sections near the base, the energy intensity is low.

The sun funnel (1) of the invention reflects and intensifies the sun beams coming towards it and ejects them from the outlet (4). The solar power obtained by the sun funnel (1) can be used in various ways and in various devices. The intensified and focused solar power obtained by the sun funnel (1) can be used in solar powered heating. Cooking can be performed with the focused solar power and it can be used for purposes such as cooking or drying food.

The solar power obtained by the sun funnel (1) of the invention can be used in a sterling engine to directly provide electrical energy. The solar power is intensified and focused to an outlet (4) by the sun funnel (1) of the invention. Therefore, the focused solar power with high intensity exits from the outlet (4) and behaves like a single source.