Batteries: thermoelectric and photoelectric – Thermoelectric – Electric power generator
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-14
2003-11-25
Diamond, Alan (Department: 1753)
Batteries: thermoelectric and photoelectric
Thermoelectric
Electric power generator
C136S206000, C136S215000, C136S216000, C136S224000, C136S246000, C136S259000, C136S253000, C310S300000, C310S306000, C310S308000, C313S523000, C313S524000, C313S539000, C313S542000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06653547
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a solar energy converter for converting solar energy emitted from the sun into electric energy.
BACKGROUND ART
Combustion of fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum for generating energy causes environmental issues worldwide. Further, fossil fuels are a limited natural resource. Thus, it is difficult to rely on fossil fuels as energy sources over the long term.
To resolve impending environmental issues as global warming and acid rain caused by carbon dioxide or nitrogen dioxide, which are generated by fossil fuel combustion, and to do away with apprehension of the imminent exhaustion of fossil fuels, it is necessary to develop a methodology and an apparatus that will efficiently convert solar energy. Development is indispensable for the survival of mankind. If the efficient conversion of solar energy into electric energy can be achieved, mankind can obtain a stable energy supply from the sun. Hence, various techniques relating to solar energy conversion have been diligently developed.
To foremost prerequisite in the methodology and apparatus for converting solar energy into electric energy is that it must be efficient. An associated requirement is that it must avoid using materials which may cause the destruction or deterioration of the environment, to make the best use of cleanliness of solar energy.
Another principal requirement is low cost manufacturing to enable widespread availability. To manufacture at low cost, materials, which are hard to obtain and high in a manufacturing cost, must be avoided. It is also desirable for the structure of the apparatus to be simple.
If the apparatus is simple, it is possible to use the apparatus for a long time with the replacement of the component parts. To use the apparatus for a long time, it is important that the apparatus has durability and a long operation-life. Further, it is desirable that maintenance and operational costs are low.
Further, it is desirable that the apparatus be lightweight and compact for use in many places.
Solar batteries using semiconductors are well-known, as an apparatus for directly converting solar energy into electric energy. In these conventional solar batteries, light wavelengths ranging from 400 nm to 450 nm in the vicinity of blue light are converted into electric energy, that is, only a part of the spectrum of sunlight is used. Namely, it is unattainable to convert all of the visible rays, from green to red, and infrared rays into electric energy in the conventional solar batteries. For this reason, many researchers have devoted themselves to increasing the efficiency of the solar batteries. However, it still remains, at best under 20%.
It is also known that semiconductors, which make up solar batteries, have high manufacturing costs and discharge materials that are environmentally unfriendly during manufacturing.
In the present circumstances, it is impossible to fulfill the above-mentioned requirements with the conventional methodologies and apparatuses.
It is a primary objective of the present invention to provide a solar energy converter which efficiently converts solar energy into electric energy by using a wide range of wavelengths from sunlight spectrum, including also a range of wavelengths which were not used for the conventional solar batteries, which can be manufactured at low cost, and which is environmentally friendly.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
To solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is for providing a solar energy converter which uses an electron emitter unlike conventional solar batteries (PN connection semiconductor) that utilize only a part of sunlight spectrum.
The electron emitter is an electrode, which emits thermal electrons. In general, an electron emitter is produced by impregnating metals having high electron emission ability such as tungsten, tantalum, scandium, iridium or the like with materials easily emitting thermal electrons such as barium oxide, iridium oxide, strontium carbonate, a compound of iridium or scandium or the like, or by applying the materials on the metals. The electron emitter is a material emitting thermal electrons due to a rise in temperature, such as a carbon compound with a diamond structure, a carbon nanotube or a nitride-boron nanotube. The thermal electrons emitted from the electron emitter are captured and collected by an electron collector, and thereby the solar energy can be converted into electric energy.
An electron emitter was described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,358,178 in 1967, U.S. Pat. No. 3,719,856 in 1973 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,393 in 1977. These disclosures made it possible to enhance efficiency of thermal electron emission and improve durability. This kind of technique has been mainly used in the fields of vacuum tubes and CRTs (Cathode Ray Tube).
There is a phenomenon called electric field emission, where a potential barrier on the surface of a solid body, which holds electrons inside the body, becomes lower and thinner if a strong electric field is applied to the surface, and then the electrons are emitted into a vacuum by a tunneling effect.
In particular, if a material having a small radius of curvature is placed in the electric field, electric charges are concentrated on a pointed region with the small radius of curvature, and accordingly it facilitates electron emission. This is the so-called point-concentration phenomenon, and is well known in the field of electric discharge physics.
One characteristic of material with a diamond structure is that electrons can be emitted easily by the effect of negative electron affinity.
Materials such as a needle-shaped carbon, a carbon nanotube and a diamond thin film have been mainly used as an electric field emission material in the fields of vacuum tubes, fluorescent display tubes and electrical field emission displays (CRT, FED, VFD).
The structure of the solar energy converter in the present invention is partly similar to that of vacuum tubes. The functions of vacuum tubes are amplification, rectification and oscillation, while the function of this solar energy converter is electric generation. Consequently, the solar energy converter according to the present invention is completely different from vacuum tubes in respect of function.
Specifically, in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, the solar energy converter comprises:
a light-concentrating device for concentrating sunlight;
a heating plate provided in a vacuum vessel and irradiated with sunlight concentrated by the light-concentrating device;
an electron emitter, which is thermally connected to the heating plate, provided in the vacuum vessel for emitting electrons into a vacuum due to a rise in temperature of the heating plate;
an electron accelerator provided opposite to the electron emitter in the vacuum vessel;
an electron accelerating power source in which its negative terminal is connected to the electron emitter and its positive terminal is connected to the electron accelerator;
an electron deflector provided in the vacuum vessel for deflecting electron beam starting from the electron emitter; and
an electron collector for collecting the flying electrons deflected by the electron deflector,
wherein the electron collector is regarded as a negative electrode of the electric generator and the electron emitter is regarded as a positive electrode of the electric generator by moving electrons from the electron emitter to the electron collector, and thereby electricity can be generated.
In accordance with the second aspect of the invention, the solar energy converter comprises:
a light-concentrating device for concentrating sunlight;
a heating plate provided in a vacuum vessel and irradiated with sunlight concentrated by the light-concentrating device;
an electron emitter, which is thermally connected to the heating plate, provided in the vacuum vessel for emitting electrons into a vacuum due to a rise in temperature of the heating plate;
an electron accelerator provided opposite to the electron emitter in the vacuum vessel; an electron accelerating pow
Akamatsu Norio
Diamond Alan
LandOfFree
Solar energy converter does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Solar energy converter, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Solar energy converter will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3169990