The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 09, 1977
Filed:
Jun. 07, 1976
Louis Sebastian Napoli, Hamilton Square, NJ (US);
Richard Everet Marx, Jamesburg, NJ (US);
RCA Corporation, New York, NY (US);
Abstract
An opaque open-ended cylindrical tube, with a flange on one end, has its other end connected to a surface of a platform with the axis of the cylinder normal to the surface. When rays of the sun are substantially normal to the surface, a lens causes a concentrted illumination of a group of tracking photocells carried on the surface within the cylinder. In response to the concentrated illumination, the tracking photocells provide signals that cause the platform to rotate in a direction that maintains the surface substantially normal to the rays of the sun. Additionally, outside of the cylinder and adjacent thereto, a group of acquisition photocells are shielded by the flange from the sun when the rays thereof are substantially normal to the surface. When there is a large angle between a normal to the surface and the rays of the sun, the acquisition photocells provide signals that cause the platform to rotate in a direction that reduces the angle.