A parallel mechanism designed for the sun-tracking system

In this paper, a parallel mechanism designed for the sun-tracking system was designed and presented. The system adopts the parallel mechanism, which is realized by connecting a fixed plate and a moveable plate with the spherical joints. The linear actuators, which consist of step motors and ball screws, are used to drive the spherical joints and realize the solar tracking movement. The whole system has a size of 1495mm×1495 mm, while the height is 327mm. The flat shape allows installation in different directions. The weight of the sun tracking system is approximately 40 kg. The solid angle of the sun tracking system is 4/3 while the whole sky is 2. Therefore, it can effectively track the sun for at least 8 hours in a day, considering season varying and weak sunlight at sunrise and sunset. Besides, the system has the advantages of a small enveloping space and high stiffness. The feasibility of solar tracking based on the parallel mechanism was verified.