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Description  |
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This invention relates to a solar cooker that can be easily adjusted to
track the sun, requires no skill to focus, is not greatly affected by the
wind, and has easy access to the food being cooked. Present solar cookers
use the paraboloidal dish as a reflector and have no means of supporting
the reflector and cooking container in a near balance condition so the
cooker can be easily secured in focus. This invention uses the parabolic
cylinder reflector and is so mounted to provide a pivot point for the
cooker near it's center of gravity so that the focus may be held by a
light friction device. The invention is provided with a sliding friction
lock so it can be locked in the proper position and not be affected by the
wind. Also provided is an aiming device mounted on the cooker support that
uses shadows to show proper focus of the solar cooker. Also provided is a
cylindrical shaped cooking container or oven with a transparent plastic
bottom to transmit the sun's rays through the bottom to the food to be
cooked. The top of the cooking oven is an insulated cover lined inside
with a reflective material to conserve the heat. Also provided is a means
of quickly attaching or detaching the cooker legs for portability and a
means of folding together the two leg assemblies. Also provided is a
skewer mount and a skewer to support the food directly or support a pan to
hold liquid food. The pan being free to rotate on the skewer and suspended
below the skewer so it is automatically upright in any cooker position.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the solar cooker in it's operating position
for a low sun angle.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the cylindrical oven.
FIG. 3 is a front view of the cylindrical oven bottom, showing the skewer
and suspended cooking pan inside the oven.
FIG. 4 is a side view of the cooker pivot point and aiming device.
Referring to FIG. 1, the parabolic trough reflector 1 is comprised of a
plurality of glass mirror segments and is mounted to the longitudinal
supports 2, 3. The longitudinal supports 2, 3 are secured to the
perpendicular supports 4, 5. Each of the perpendicular supports 4, 5 has a
slot 6 cut in one end and a hole 7 drilled in the other end.
The folding leg assemblies 8, 9 each have holes 7 drilled in their upper
ends. The leg assemblies 8, 9 and the perpendicular supports 5, 6 are
pinned together through the hole 7 in such a manner to allow the parabolic
trough reflector 1, longitudinal supports 2, 3 and perpendicular supports
5, 6 to rotate around the pin in hole 7 and be supported on the leg
assemblies 8, 9. The pin in hole 7 also allows the leg assemblies 8, 9 to
be folded together when not supporting the parabolic trough reflector
assembly 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Secured to the longitudinal supports 2, 3 is a cylindrical oven assembly
10, 11, 12, 13 consisting of two round, flat ends cut into two pieces 10,
11 each, and a transparent plastic cylindrical bottom section 12 and an
insulating cylindrical top section 13.
Mounted on the leg assembly 9 is a pivoting, sliding lock 14 which has a
long slot cut in it, which engages a threaded stud 15 mounted on the
longitudinal support 2. The sliding lock 14 is secured in the desired
position, to the longitudinal support 2 by means of a threaded knob 16 on
the stud 15, as the threaded knob, 16 is turned, the screw thread of knob
16 will force the knob 16 and the sliding lock 14 against the longitudinal
support 2. Vertical tracking of the sun is accomplished by rotating the
reflector assembly 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 to the desired angle and locking in place
by tightening the knob 16 and sliding lock 14 against the longitudinal
support 2.
The reflector assembly 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 may be easily removed from the leg
assemblies 8, 9 by removing the knob 16 from the stud 15. Then grasping
the leg assemblies 8, 9 at their apexes and slightly pulling and bending
the apexes away from the perpendicular supports 4, 5 until the pin in hole
7 disengages from the hole 7 in the perpendicular support assemblies 4, 5.
Then lifting the reflector assembly 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 up and away.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the oven assembly top 11, 13 is set on the oven
assembly bottom 10, 12 and held in place by engaging a pin 17, secured to
the end pieces 11, into slots 18 cut into the end pieces 10 of the oven
bottom 10, 12. The oven assembly top 11, 13 has a reflective film or foil
19 glued to the inside of the oven top 11, 13 to rereflect any stray sun
rays and heat. The slot 18 in the end pieces 10 also serve to hold a
skewer 20 in place. The skewer 20 holds the item to be cooked on the focal
line. If the food is not skewerable, such as liquids, the skewer 20 serves
to suspend a cooking pan 21 inside the oven assembly 10, 11, 12, 13. As
the pan 21 is suspended on the focal line, the reflector assembly 1, 2, 3,
4, 5 and the oven assembly 10, 11, 12, 13 may be moved to any angle to
track the sun and the liquid contents of the pan 21 will not be spilled as
the pan 21 will remain upright.
Referring to FIG. 4, on the perpendicular support 4 a pin 22 is secured
near the open end of the slot 6 and allowed to protrude from the
perpendicular support 4 about 1/2 inch. At the opposite end of the
perpendicular support 4, between the hole 7 and the longitudinal support
2, two pins 23, 24 are secured to the perpendicular support 4 and allowed
to protrude from the perpendicular support 4 about 1/2 inch. Three pins
22, 23, 24 comprise the aiming device and is operated as follows, when the
reflector assembly 1 and supports 2, 3, 4, 5 are moved to an angle such
that the shadow of pin 22 falls between the shadows of pins 23, 24 as
observed on the upper portion of leg assembly 9, the reflector assembly 1
is in focus.
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