Solar Doppler Shift-Based Solar Tracker

摘要

This solar tracker integrates a camera with a field of view (FOV) large enough to easily image the entire solar disc - co-boresited with a narrow-band spectrometer that measures the frequency of a Doppler shifted line - with an algorithm designed to drive zero Doppler shift rotation axis of the Sun. The tracker camera is pointed towards the Sun so that the Sun is within its field of view. Although a search pattern could be used, this first pointing step can also be accomplished using known orbital data. For example, for ISS (International Space Station) applications, knowledge of the solar ephemeris and ISS orbital characteristics allow for this initial pointing.