US 12,345,446 B2
Instrumentation and methods for optical metrology of heliostats
Ryker Eads, Tucson, AZ (US); and James Roger P. Angel, Tucson, AZ (US)
Assigned to Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (US)
Appl. No. 18/281,217
Filed by Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (US)
PCT Filed Mar. 8, 2022, PCT No. PCT/US2022/019407
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 8, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/192302, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 15, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/158,173, filed on Mar. 8, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0159432 A1, May 16, 2024
Int. Cl. F24S 40/90 (2018.01); F24S 23/71 (2018.01); F24S 50/20 (2018.01); G01M 11/00 (2006.01); G01M 11/02 (2006.01)
CPC F24S 40/90 (2018.05) [F24S 23/715 (2018.05); F24S 50/20 (2018.05); G01M 11/005 (2013.01); G01M 11/025 (2013.01); F24S 2050/25 (2018.05)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for providing a contour map of the surface of a heliostat from reflected sunlight using a fly's eye camera comprising:
an entrance screen configured to receive sunlight reflected by the heliostat;
an array of imaging apertures extending across the entrance screen, each aperture forming an image of said heliostat from a different viewpoint to provide a plurality of heliostat images;
one or more digital cameras configured to view all of said plurality of heliostat images;
an image processor configured to map out from said plurality of heliostat images a location of sunlight delivered to said entrance screen by each of a plurality of different resolved subsections of the heliostat reflecting surface to obtain a plurality of maps, and to provide, based on centroids of said maps a tip and tilt of each said subsection,
wherein a reflecting surface profile of the heliostat is obtained by integration of said subsection tilts across all the subsections.