US 12,203,806 B2
Sunshine recorder and sunshine measurement method
Toshikazu Hasegawa, Tokyo (JP); Kees Hoogendijk, Tokyo (JP); Mario Po, Tokyo (JP); and Isamu Chiba, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to EKO INSTRUMENTS CO., LTD., Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 18/578,107
Filed by EKO INSTRUMENTS CO., LTD., Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Mar. 1, 2022, PCT No. PCT/JP2022/008521
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 10, 2024,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/286323, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 19, 2023.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-118100 (JP), filed on Jul. 16, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0319005 A1, Sep. 26, 2024
Int. Cl. G01J 1/42 (2006.01); G01J 1/04 (2006.01); G01J 1/16 (2006.01); G01W 1/12 (2006.01)
CPC G01J 1/4204 (2013.01) [G01J 1/4228 (2013.01); G01J 1/0411 (2013.01); G01J 1/16 (2013.01); G01J 2001/4266 (2013.01); G01W 1/12 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sunshine recorder comprising:
a lens that emits, as projection light, natural light incident from half of the celestial sphere;
a sensor that photoelectrically converts the projection light projected onto a light receiving surface, and outputs the photoelectrically converted projection light; and
a determination circuit that determines the presence or absence of sunshine on the basis of an output of the sensor,
wherein the sensor has a plurality of detection areas on the light receiving surface, and is configured to output a signal corresponding to an intensity of the projection light incident on each of the detection areas, and
the determination circuit removes a scattered light component included in the projection light on the basis of a difference operation of the signal output from each of the detection areas to extract only a direct light component to be included in the projection light at the time of incidence of sunlight, thereby determining the presence or absence of sunshine in the natural light.