Week01 Project Idea and Theory

Project Idea

In this project, we are expected to create a device that can reflect the sun from the sunrise till the sunset into a certain spot

The uses of this project are for small plants[bush] that are under big plants[palm tree] that shadows them making them unable to grow in certain spots, it is also possible luminate houses this way too.

Background

Earth Movement and Sun view

before we can start anything about the project, we have to figure out how we view the sun from earth and the road we see it take, the sun takes different angle path at noon when:-

1. Different Latitude.
2. Different Seasons.

we also have to consider the shape of the mirror that will benefit for this task the most Site used to find different sun angles at different seasons

Theory

1. Sun Angle, Law of reflection and simple mirror solution
   We are in Bahrain, sun angle has been measured according to our latitude of Bahrain, then we have calculated the angle of the sun at the 4 seasons in Bahrain at their peak.

The law of reflection has been explained in graph and solved for a simple mirror system.

1. Solution of Simple, Concave and Convex Mirror
   Summary of simple mirror were written and explanation of how it’s angle affect the resulting ray in distance and intensity(beam).

Concave Mirrors are not commonly used in luminating plants as they require more space to function efficiently and are more concentrated causing fire or damage plants and people when not attended to.

Convex Mirrors are commonly used in gardens that have huge amount of space, this type of mirrors requires a small about of space and can reflect the light it receives everywhere, its only flaw is that the light it reflects is weak with very low efficiency. However, People still use it since it does not require money and adds a scenery touch.

Among these mirrors, the one that is mostly fit for this project is the simple mirror which is mostly used in most of our appliances since it can add more efficiency when moved tracking the sun, the concave mirror requires a lot of funds and space to function properly and the convex mirror does not require to move.

1. Mirror Angle and Movement we do know that along the daytime, the sun is going from the sunrise to the sunset, so that the mirror can reflect the sunlight into the spot that we want, the sun light has to hit the mirror at an angle of 45 degrees while the angle for the LDR is going to be 90 degrees to set the mirror to be facing the sun before adjusting it to reflect. Also, for every 2 degrees the LDR cuts from sunrise to sunset, the mirror cuts 1 degree, degrees are distributed into a vertical and horizontal angles.

2. Axis Movement for sun tracking
   
   So far, there are 2 types of movements that can be used to track the sun, one is the single axis solar tracking[Simple] and the two axis solar tracking[Heliostat] using either an LDR or a compass.

Conclusion

Using the theory and the solar axis tracking methods, we have found 2 possible solution to the project, one of them was made as a simple solution and the other [heliostat] was made as the final solution when possible

1. First Design [Simple]
   
   This design focuses on providing a simple solution, its flaws are that its possible for the layers at a certain layers to shadow the LDR detector and/or the mirror which can cause an error in accuracy.

2. Second Design [Heliostat]
   This design is the modern one and most favored since it provides only 2 types of motion, its flaws are that it does not use a solar tracker, instead it uses a compass which is not as accurate as the LDR detectors

Link for how a heliostat works

Groupmates Links

Ali Al-Saegh Link - 3D Designs
Zainab’s Link - Programming

---

Last update: September 11, 2023