Development of a Novel Spherical Light-Based Positioning Sensor in Solar Tracking.

Area of Science:

• Engineering
• Renewable Energy Systems
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Solar energy production efficiency is significantly enhanced by solar tracking systems.
• Recent advancements in solar tracking utilize custom light sensors, cameras, and intelligent control systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel spherical-based sensor for measuring light source emittance and localization.
• To improve the accuracy and applicability of solar tracking technologies.

Main Methods:

• A spherical sensor was constructed using miniature light sensors on a 3D-printed body with integrated electronics.
• Data acquisition software, preprocessing, and filtering techniques (Moving Average, Savitzky-Golay, Median) were employed.
• The light source's position was determined by calculating the center of gravity from filtered sensor data.

Main Results:

• The developed spherical sensor system successfully measured light source emittance and localized the light source.
• Different filtering methods demonstrated effectiveness in determining the light source's position.
• The system proved robust in accurately locating the light source.

Conclusions:

• The novel spherical sensor system offers a versatile solution for various solar tracking applications.
• This measurement system is also applicable for localizing light sources in robotics and other mobile platforms.
• The study contributes a new sensor technology for enhanced solar energy efficiency and light source localization.