Solar Energy Assembly

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to energy generating devices and is directed more particularly to a solar energy assembly.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Current concern over the depletion of fossil fuels has intensified public interest in providing alternative energy sources. Solar energy has long been recognized as being one of the most promising sources of energy for the future. In the past a great variety of proposals have been offered for harnessing this virtually limitless and nonpolluting energy source.

Examples of such proposals may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 695,136, issued Mar. 11, 1902 to M. M. Baker; 3,194,228, issued July 13, 1965 to M. A. Bargues; 3,321,012, issued May 23, 1967 to D. E. Hervey; 3,951,129, issued Apr. 20, 1976 to L. W. Brantley, Jr.; 3,964,464, issued June 22, 1976 to V. J. Hockman; 3,965,887, issued June 29, 1976 to E. J. Gramer; and 3,976,508, issued Aug. 24, 1976 to A. I. Mlavsky.

Even after the above advances, there still exists a need for a relatively inexpensive and non-complex assembly for collecting solar energy and exchanging heat therefrom for useful purposes.

An object of the present invention is to provide a relatively non-complex and inexpensive assembly for collecting solar energy and exchanging heat therefrom for useful purposes.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, a feature of the present invention is the provision of a solar energy collector and heat exchanger assembly comprising a housing having a bottom wall and upstanding side walls, a transparent top disposed on the housing, a transparent wall disposed in the housing in a plane parallel to the plane of the top, the transparent wall being about its entire periphery adjacent inner surfaces of the upstanding side walls, whereby to divide the housing into upper and lower chambers, the upper chamber having an air inlet and an air outlet, the lower chamber having a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet interconnected by a conduit extending through the lower chamber, photo cells disposed in the lower chamber and adapted to provide heat to the conduit, and reflective means disposed in the lower chamber for directing sunlight to the photo cells and for reflecting sunlight toward the upper chamber.

The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims. It will be understood that the particular device embodying the invention is shown by way of illustration only and not as a limitation of the invention. The principles and features of this invention may be employed in various and numerous embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which is shown an illustrative embodiment of the invention from which its novel features and advantages will be apparent.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of one form of assembly illustrative of an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view thereof.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the illustrative assembly includes a housing 2 having a bottom wall 4 and upstanding side walls 6, 8, 10, and 12. A transparent top 14, preferably of acrylic plastic, is disposed on the housing 2. A transparent wall 16, preferably of clear fibreglass, is disposed in the housing 2 in a plane parallel to the plane of the top 14. The wall 16 is further disposed about its entire periphery adjacent inner surfaces of the side walls 6, 8, 10, 12, to divide the housing into upper and lower chambers 18, 20.

The upper chamber 18 is provided with an air inlet 22 and an air outlet 24 disposed respectively on opposite sides 6, 8 of the housing 2. The upper chamber is further provided with a series of staggered barriers 26 disposed transversely between the air inlet 22 and air outlet 24. The barriers 26 comprise a series of rigid bars connected at an upper edge to the top 14 and at a lower edge to the wall 16, and having a first end connected to an inside surface of an upstanding side wall 10 and a second end disposed nearer to but removed from an inside surface of the opposite wall 12. The barriers 26 thereby cause air from the air inlet 22 to travel through a plurality of transverse paths before reaching the air outlet 24. Such back and forth movement of the air as it winds its way through the upper chamber 18 ensures that the air is subjected to the sun's rays passing through the top 14 for as long a period as practicable, depending upon the rate of flow of the air.

The lower chamber 20 is provided with a liquid inlet 30 and a liquid outlet 32 interconnected by a conduit 34 extending through the lower chamber 20. Photo cells 36 are disposed in the lower chamber 20 and are adapted to provide heat to the conduit 34, as will be further described below. The lower chamber 20 is further provided with reflective means 38 arranged for directing sunlight to the photo cells 36 and also for reflecting sunlight toward the upper chamber 18, as will be further described hereinafter.

The reflective means 38 preferably comprises a plurality of frusto-conically shaped cups 40, each having a central aperture 42 therein in alignment with a photo cell 36. In the preferred embodiment, the cups 40 are interconnected to form a unitary tray, the tray being connected to the wall 16 and to the side walls, as shown in FIG. 1. The upper surface of the cups 40 are provided with a coating of highly reflective material to enhance their reflective capabilities.

The botom wall 4 has attached thereto on the upper surface thereof a layer of absorptive material 44 on which is disposed the conduit 34 and the photo cells 36. Thus, rays from the sun are reflected by the upper walls of the reflective means 38 through the apertures 42 to the photo cells 36 which are heated by the sun and which in turn heat the absorptive material 44 which in turn provides heat to the conduit 34 and the liquid flowing therein.

In use, the air inlet 22 may be connected to a hot air heating system of a household so as to receive air from the "cold" side thereof. Such air is directed through the upper chamber 18 crossing back and forth in the chamber subject to the sun's rays passing through the top 14. Upon reaching the air outlet 24 the heated air is discharged into the "hot" side of the household air heating system.

Simultaneously with the operation of the upper chamber 18 a liquid, such as water, is introduced in the lower chamber by way of the liquid inlet 30 to flow through the conduit 34, the conduit crossing back and forth in the lower chamber 20 so as to receive the benefit of heat from a great multiplicity of photo cells 36 and the absorptive material 44. The water or other liquid is then exited through the liquid outlet 32 into a hot water system of a household or, if another liquid is used, to an appropriate heat exchanger downstream.

Thus, there is provided a solar energy collector and heat exchanger which operates to heat two mediums simultaneously for the benefit of a household or other structure.

It is to be understood that the present invention is by no means limited to the particular construction herein disclosed and/or shown in the drawings, but also comprises any modifications or equivalents within the scope of the disclosure.