Circular arc solar concentrator

Claim 2

A roof structure for a building comprising: a plurality of anticlastic panels having a light concentrating surface being convex along an east-west axis and concave along a north-south axis so that light from a distant source is focused in a narrow and substantially straight zone of concentration that moves in a planar path regardless of the angle of incidence of light directed thereto; means for securing said panels together on adjacent edges; a frame for supporting said panels in a stationary position on a building; a collector means for absorbing the light and converting the light into heat and transferring the heat to a remote location, said collector means moving in the planar path of the zone of concentration according to changes in the location of the zone of concentration; and, said concave surface includes a crown being a generally circular arc of radius r xc , first and second concave edges being concave generally circular arcs parallel to the crown arc and having a radius r xe which is greater than r xc and first and second intermediate surfaces extending between said first and second concave edges and the crown wherein said intermediate surfaces are defined by generally circular arcs varying in a monotonic increase from the crown to the first and second concave edges.

Claim 3

A plurality of rigid light-concentrator panels having a reflective continuous anticlastic surface concave in a first direction having a curved arc cross-section in each plane extending in the first direction and being convex in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and having a curved arc cross-section in the second direction for providing a linear zone of concentration, said panels being contiguously aligned and used in a roof structure for a building, with the concave surface in said first direction of the panels being aligned along a north-south axis and the convex surface in said second direction is aligned along an east-west axis so that light from a distant source is focused in a narrow and substantially straight zone of concentration that moves in a planar path regardless of the angle of incidence of light directed thereto; means for securing said panels together on adjacent edges; a frame for supporting said panels in a stationary position on the building; a collector means for absorbing the light and converting the light into heat and transferring the heat to a remote location, said collector means moving in the planar path of the zone of concentration according to changes in the location of the zone of concentration; and, said concave surface of the panels having a crown being a substantially circular arc of radius r xc , first and second concave edges being concave substantially circular arcs parallel to the crown arc and having a radius r xe which is greater than r xc and first and second intermediate surfaces extending between said first and second concave edges and the crown wherein said intermediate surfaces are defined by substantially circular arcs varying in a monotonic increase from the crown to the first and second concave edges.

Claim 4

A plurality of rigid light-concentrator panels having a reflective continuous anticlastic surface concave in a first direction having a curved arc cross-section in each plane extending in the first direction and being convex in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and having a curved arc cross-section in the second direction for providing a linear zone of concentration, said panels being contiguously aligned and used in a roof structure for a building, with the concave surface in said first direction of the panels being aligned along a north-south axis and the convex surface in said second direction is aligned along an east-west axis so that light from a distant source is focused in a narrow and substantially straight zone of concentration that moves in a planar path regardless of the angle of incidence of light directed thereto; means for securing said panels together on adjacent edges; a frame for supporting said panels in a stationary position on the building; a collector means for absorbing the light and converting the light into heat and transferring the heat to a remote location, said collector means moving in the planar path of the zone of concentration according to changes in the location of the zone of concentration; and, said concave surface of the panels having a crown being a substantially circular arc of radius r xc , first and second concave edges being concave substantially circular arcs parallel to the crown arc and having a radius r xe which is greater than r xc and first and second intermediate surfaces extending between said first and second concave edges and the crown wherein said intermediate surfaces are defined by substantially circular arcs varying in a monotonic increase from the crown to the first and second concave edges.