JP2011222655A - Solar simulator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a solar simulator in which light spectrum distribution does not follow a change in light intensity without troublesome filter change.SOLUTION: A solar simulator (1) comprises: filter structures (22 and 32) that can continuously or gradually vary filter properties for a first illuminant (20) and a second illuminant (30) whose spectrum distribution is different from the first illuminant, respectively; light amount control aperture structures (24 and 34) that can continuously or gradually vary aperture values; and an integrator (15) that synthesizes the light that has passed through such structures. The solar simulator does not require filter change and a change in the light spectrum distribution does not follow a change in light intensity.

Description

  The present invention relates to a solar simulator for evaluating solar cells.

The solar simulator includes a light emitting system that emits light, an optical system that guides the light to a solar cell, and a control system that controls the solar simulator. The solar simulator uses, for example, light emitted from a xenon discharge lamp as pseudo-sunlight that approximates the spectral distribution of sunlight through an optical filter. However, the light emission principle is fundamentally different between light from a xenon discharge lamp and natural sunlight, and it has been difficult to approximate the spectral distribution using only an optical filter.
Reference 1 discloses a solar simulator that obtains light having a spectral distribution more similar to sunlight by combining different light emission systems, such as a xenon short arc lamp and an incandescent filament lamp, and synthesizing the light.

JP 59-218407

  There are various uses and varieties of solar cells in a social situation where natural energy is to be used effectively. For example, those installed in satellites and used in outer space, those installed on the roof of buildings such as houses and used outdoors, and those installed on watches and calculators used indoors. is there. When evaluating a solar cell, it is necessary to irradiate light suitable for the use of the solar cell.

  If it demonstrates using FIG. 1, the spectral distribution and intensity | strength of the light of the sun 103 will change with the environment of the path | route from the sun 103 to an irradiation place. For example, considering the outer space, the light of the sun 103 passes through the vacuum and reaches the irradiation place, so there is attenuation due to the distance, but there is no change in the spectral distribution. However, considering the irradiation location on the ground surface, the light of the sun 103 is absorbed by the earth atmosphere 102, and its spectral distribution and attenuation change. This is caused by absorption of a specific wavelength of light by the earth atmosphere 102. The degree of absorption of the earth atmosphere 102 also changes depending on the angle of the position of the sun 103 as viewed from the irradiation location on the earth 101. When the angle of the position of the sun 103 as viewed from the irradiation place is directly above, the light of the sun 103 passes through the earth atmosphere 102 at the shortest distance, so that the influence of absorption is small. Since the distance that passes through the atmosphere 102 becomes longer, the influence of absorption becomes larger.

  An optical filter used for correction to make the light emitted from the light emitting system of the solar simulator close to sunlight under various conditions is called an air mass filter (hereinafter abbreviated as AM filter). The AM filter has AM1 and the sun 103 for matching the spectral distribution of the ground surface when the AM0 (zero) sun 103 is directly above to match the spectral distribution of the light of the sun 103 outside the atmosphere (space). There are AM1.5 for adjusting to the spectral distribution when it is at an angle of 48.2 degrees from above, AM2 for adjusting to the spectral distribution when the sun 103 is at an angle of 60.1 degrees from directly above. Conventionally, when it is desired to change the spectral distribution of light emitted from the solar simulator, the built-in AM filter is removed and replaced with an alternative AM filter. However, this exchange is very troublesome. The troublesome filter replacement is a first problem of the conventional solar simulator.

  Also, if you want to change the intensity of the light, it was realized by changing the amount of energy in the light emitting system, but this method may be accompanied by a change in the spectral distribution of the emitted light, making the light approximate to sunlight For the purpose of a solar simulator, it was not desirable. Changing the amount of energy of the light emitting system means, for example, reducing the electric power applied to the incandescent filament lamp. In this case, the temperature of the filament decreases, and a phenomenon such as the spectral distribution of light changing to the long wavelength side occurs with a decrease in light emission amount. This change phenomenon is not desirable as described above, and is a second problem of the conventional solar simulator.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to solve the first and second problems described above. That is, it is an object of the present invention to provide a solar simulator that does not have the trouble of filter replacement and does not accompany the change in light intensity with the spectral distribution of light. The details of the solution will be described later. It should be noted that the definitions of terms used to describe the invention described in any claim are applicable to the invention described in other claims as far as possible, regardless of the description order, differences in expression, etc. And

(Characteristics of the invention of claim 1)
A solar simulator according to the first aspect of the present invention (hereinafter, appropriately referred to as “the simulator according to the first aspect”) includes a light emitting system that emits light and an optical system that projects the light. Here, the light emitting system includes a first light emitter that emits first light and a second light emitter that emits second light having a spectral distribution different from that of the first light. The optical system may include a first optical filter structure for correcting the first light, a second optical filter structure for correcting the second light, and any one before or after the first optical filter structure. A first light amount diaphragm structure disposed in the front of the second optical filter structure, a second light amount diaphragm structure disposed before or after the second optical filter structure, and the first light and the second light subjected to correction and light amount restriction, respectively. And an integrator for synthesizing. In addition, each of the first and second filter structures is configured to change the filter characteristics continuously or stepwise, and each of the first and second aperture structures is continuous or stepwise. The aperture value can be changed.

  According to the simulator of claim 1, the first light emitter of the light emitting system emits the first light, and the second light emitter emits the second light. The first light that has passed through the first optical filter structure and the first light quantity stop structure, and the second light that has passed through the second optical filter structure and the second light quantity stop structure are combined by an integrator. At this time, since the filter characteristics of the first filter structure and the second filter structure can be changed continuously or stepwise, it is not necessary to replace the filter itself. For this reason, there is no troublesome filter replacement. Further, since the light intensity is changed by the light amount change by the light amount diaphragm, there is an advantage that the change in the spectrum distribution is small compared to the light intensity change by the energy amount change or the like.

(Characteristics of the invention described in claim 2)
The solar simulator according to the invention described in claim 2 (hereinafter referred to as “the simulator of claim 2” as appropriate) is premised on the simulator of claim 1. In addition, each of the first and second optical filter structures includes a plurality of filters having different filter characteristics, and each of the filter characteristics of the first and second optical filter structures is one of the plurality of filters. Is configured to be available for selection. Here, the “plurality of filters” includes both physically separate filter groups having different filter characteristics and filters in which the filter characteristics change in stages even if they are physically single.

  According to the simulator of claim 2, it is possible to select and use a plurality of filters of the first optical filter. It's much easier to work than replacing because you only have to make a choice.

(Characteristics of Claim 3)
The solar simulator according to the invention described in claim 3 (hereinafter referred to as “the simulator of claim 3” as appropriate) is premised on the simulator of claim 1 or 2. In addition, the light emitting system emits light having a spectral distribution different from each of the first light and the second light and having different spectral distributions (n = 1, 2, 3). ,..., Further including a group of light emitters. The optical system further includes n optical filter structure groups and light quantity stop structure groups corresponding to the light emitter groups. Each of the optical filters constituting the optical filter structure group is configured to be able to change the filter characteristics continuously or stepwise, and each of the light amount stop structures constituting the light amount stop structure group is continuously or stepwise. The aperture value can be changed. Further, the integrator is configured to synthesize the light emitted from the n light emitters that have been corrected and reduced in amount, together with the first light and second light that have been corrected and reduced in amount, respectively. ing.

  According to the simulator of claim 3, the first light emitter of the light emitting system emits the first light, and the second light emitter emits the second light. In addition to these, each of the n light emitters, that is, (2 + n) light emitters emit light having different spectral distributions. Then, the n optical filter structures including the first and second optical filter structures respectively correct the corresponding light. Similarly, the n light quantity diaphragm structures including the first and second light quantity diaphragm structures respectively perform corresponding light quantity diaphragms. The integrator synthesizes the (2 + n) pieces of light. At this time, since the filter characteristics of each of the (2 + n) filter structures can be changed continuously or stepwise, it is not necessary to replace the filter itself. For this reason, there is no troublesome filter replacement. Further, since the light intensity is changed by the light amount change by the light amount diaphragm, there is an advantage that the change in the spectrum distribution is small compared to the light intensity change by the energy amount change or the like.

  According to the present invention, since it is not necessary to replace the filter itself when changing the filter characteristics, it is free from the troublesomeness. Furthermore, since the light spectral change is not accompanied by the light intensity change, it is possible to make light more similar to sunlight.

It is a figure which shows the relationship between the angle of the sun, and AM filter. It is a figure which shows the structure of a solar simulator. It is a figure which shows the structure which looked at the solar simulator shown in FIG. 2 from the arrow A direction (arrow B direction). It is a block diagram of a control system. It is an operation flow of a solar simulator. It is a figure which shows the modification 1 using an optical fiber, and its CC cross section. It is a figure which shows an example of a filter and aperture combination table. It is a figure which shows the modification 2 which added the 3rd light-emitting body, and its DD cross section. It is a figure which shows the modification which employ | adopted the gradation filter for the optical filter.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a solar simulator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration viewed from the A view and the B view in FIG. The configuration of each of the light emitting system 3 and the optical system 5 constituting the solar simulator 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Structure of light emitting system)
The light emitting system 3 includes a xenon lamp 20 (including a condenser mirror 21 and a xenon lamp driver 201 described later) as a first light emitter and a halogen lamp 30 (a condenser mirror 31 and a halogen described below) as a second light emitter. The lamp driver 301 is included) as a main component. The xenon lamp 20 is a discharge lamp in which xenon gas and two electrodes are sealed with quartz glass. When electric energy is applied between the electrodes via a xenon lamp driver 201 described later, an arc discharge is generated between the two electrodes, and the first light 20L is emitted (see FIG. 2). The spectral distribution of the first light 20L emitted from the xenon lamp 20 is similar to the spectral distribution of sunlight, and is more approximate to the spectral distribution of sunlight particularly at wavelengths shorter than around 800 nm. However, particularly at wavelengths longer than about 800 nm, the peak has a plurality of sharp and complex spectral peaks peculiar to the xenon lamp 20, and it is difficult to reduce the peaks with an optical filter. The xenon lamp 20 is installed on the focal axis of a condenser mirror 21 described later.

  The halogen lamp 30 is a filament lamp in which a halogen compound gas and a filament are sealed with quartz glass. When electrical energy is applied to the filament via a halogen lamp driver 301 described later, the filament glows and emits second light 30L (see FIG. 2). The spectral distribution of the second light 30L emitted from the halogen lamp 30 is similar to the spectral distribution of sunlight, and in particular, the distribution of wavelengths longer than about 800 nm is approximated by the spectral distribution of sunlight. The halogen lamp 30 is installed on the focal axis of a condenser mirror 31 to be described later.

  The condensing mirror 21 is an optical component having a function of condensing the first light 20L emitted from the xenon lamp 20 on the xenon optical axis 29 and causing the light to enter a light guide path 26 described later. The condensing mirror 31 has a function of condensing the second light 30 </ b> L emitted from the halogen lamp 30 onto the halogen optical axis 39 and entering the light guide 36, which will be described later. The condensing mirrors 21 and 31 in the embodiment have a hemispherical outer shape having an elliptic curve, and are made of glass obtained by vapor-depositing an optical reflecting material on the inner surface of the sphere. The spherical curves of the condenser mirrors 21 and 31 are not limited to elliptical curves, but may be any one that can collect the light emitted by the lamp. For example, a parabolic curve or an aspheric curve may be used.

(Optical system structure)
The optical system 5 includes a filter plate 22 (first optical filter structure) for correcting the first light 20L, a filter plate 32 (second optical filter structure) for correcting the second light 30L, and xenon. A diaphragm plate 24 (first light quantity diaphragm structure) disposed behind (may be in front of) the filter plate 22 viewed from the lamp 20, and a filter plate 32 (or front) of the filter plate 32 viewed from the halogen lamp 30. A diaphragm plate 34 (second light quantity diaphragm structure), and an integrator 15 that synthesizes the first light 20L (xenon optical axis 29) and the second light 30L (halogen optical axis 39) that have been corrected and light quantity reduced, respectively. It has.

(Filter plate structure)
The structure of the filter plate 22 will be described with reference to FIG. The filter plate 22 and the filter plate 32 described later share a basic structure except for filter characteristics. For this reason, the figure shown in FIG. 3 is made into the single figure in order to avoid duplication, and the member number of the filter board 22 and the member number of the filter board 32 described in the parenthesis are described together. The diaphragm plate 24 and the diaphragm plate 34 described later are also described in the same manner. Therefore, the description of the filter plate 22 and the diaphragm plate 24 also applies to the filter plate 32 and the diaphragm plate 34 to the extent possible in nature.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the filter plate 22 is a disc to which filters 261, 262, 263 and 264 described later are attached. The center of the filter plate 22 is connected to the filter motor 23 by a filter rotating shaft 231 and rotated at the position of the xenon optical axis 29 by rotating it according to the drive instruction of the control system from the filters 261, 262, 263, 264. The filter characteristics can be arbitrarily selected and used. The first light 20L emitted from the xenon lamp 20 and condensed on the xenon optical axis 29 by the condenser mirror 21 passes through the selected filter, and its spectral distribution is corrected.

  The filter motor 23 has a function of rotating the filter plate 22 via the filter rotation shaft 231. The filter motor 23 in the embodiment is a motor called a stepping motor or a pulse motor. The filter motor 23 is rotated by a rotation angle determined by giving an instruction from the control system via the motor wiring 232 and stopped in a state having a braking force. To do.

  The filters 261, 262, 263, and 264 are optical filters that correct the spectral distribution of the light emitted from the passing xenon lamp 20. In this embodiment, the filter 261 has a function to realize AM0 representing the spectrum of sunlight in outer space. In the embodiment, optical characteristics are not passed through light having a wavelength longer than 800 nm, and the spectral distribution of light shorter than 800 nm is corrected to the spectral distribution of sunlight in outer space. Similarly, the filter 262 implements AM1, the filter 263 implements AM1.5, and the filter 264 implements AM2.

  In this embodiment, four types of filters are attached to the filter plate 22, but the types of filters are not limited to four, and may be two or more. Also, the optical characteristics of the filter are not limited to the air mass (AM) representing the so-called spectral distribution of sunlight, but may be anything that realizes the spectral distribution necessary for solar cell evaluation. In order to evaluate the battery, it may be adapted to the spectral distribution of an artificial light source such as a fluorescent lamp.

  The description will continue with reference to FIG. Filters 361, 362, 363, and 364 attached to the filter plate 32 are optical filters that correct the spectral distribution of the second light 30L emitted from the passing halogen lamp 30. In the present embodiment, the filter 361 has a function for realizing AM0 representing the spectrum of sunlight in outer space. In the embodiment, the optical characteristics are not allowed to pass through light having a wavelength shorter than 800 nm, and the spectral distribution of light longer than 800 nm is corrected to the spectral distribution of sunlight in outer space. Similarly, the filter 362 implements AM1, the filter 363 implements AM1.5, and the filter 364 implements AM2.

  In this embodiment, four types of filters are attached to the filter plate 32. However, the types of filters are not limited to four types, and two or more types may be used, which is not different from those of the filter plate 22 described above. . However, this does not mean that the number of filters of the filter plate 32 and the number of filters of the filter plate 22 must be the same. Any number of 2 or more is acceptable. The optical characteristics of the filter of the filter 32 are not limited to what is corrected to the air mass (AM) representing the so-called solar spectrum distribution, and any optical characteristics may be used as long as the spectral distribution necessary for solar cell evaluation is realized. For example, in order to evaluate a solar cell used indoors, the spectral distribution of an artificial light source such as a fluorescent lamp may be corrected.

(Structure around the diaphragm plate)
First, the structure around the diaphragm plate 24 will be described, and then the characteristics around the diaphragm plate 34 will be described. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the aperture plate 24 has a function of adjusting the amount of light emitted from the xenon lamp 20. The diaphragm plate 24 has a diaphragm hole 241 whose width increases or decreases depending on the rotation angle, and the amount of light passing through the diaphragm plate 20 is determined by which part of the diaphragm hole 241 the light from the xenon lamp 20 passes through. The center of the aperture plate 24 is connected to the aperture motor 25 by an aperture rotation shaft 251 and is rotated by a drive instruction of the control system, thereby setting an arbitrary width of the aperture hole 241 at the position of the xenon optical axis 29 and passing light quantity. decide. The aperture hole 241 of the present embodiment has a shape in which the width increases or decreases depending on the rotation angle, but is not limited to this shape and may have any function for dimming light passing through the aperture plate 24. For example, a shape in which a plurality of minute holes are formed and the density of the holes increases or decreases depending on the rotation angle may be used.

  The aperture motor 25 has a function of rotating the aperture plate 24 via the aperture rotation shaft 251. The aperture motor 25 in the embodiment is a motor called a stepping motor or a pulse motor, and rotates at a rotation angle determined by giving an instruction from the control system via the motor wiring 252 and stops with a braking force. To do.

  The light guide path 26 has a function of guiding light emitted from the xenon lamp 20 and the light guide path 36 guides light emitted from the halogen lamp 30 to an exposure surface 17 described later via an integrator 15 described later. The light guide paths 26 and 36 in the embodiment are made of glass having a quadrangular prism or cylinder shape, and one of the two surfaces in the major axis direction is a surface on which light is incident, and the other surface is a surface from which light is emitted. . The light guide paths 26 and 36 are not limited to glass in the shape of a quadrangular prism or a cylinder, and may be any one that can transmit incident light to a surface that emits light. For example, a lens that guides light by combining a convex lens, a concave lens, or a space, or a lens that guides light by bundling optical fibers may be used.

  The periphery of the diaphragm plate 34 has the following structure while the peripheral structure is made common with that of the diaphragm plate 24 described above. That is, the reflecting plate 13 disposed at the exit of the light guide path 36 has a function of guiding the first light 20L emitted from the halogen lamp 30 and passing through the light guide path 36 to the prism 14 described later. The reflection plate 13 employed in the present embodiment is a mirror in which a metal that reflects light is deposited on a flat glass. The reason why the reflecting plate 13 is provided is that the filter plate 22 (aperture plate 24) is arranged in front of the integrator 15 as shown in FIG. This is because the halogen optical axis 39 that has passed through must be shifted from the front surface of the integrator 15, and the shift is corrected together with the prism 14 described later. If deviation correction is unnecessary, the reflector 13 and the prism 14 may be omitted, or a reflector and a prism (both not shown) may be assigned to both the halogen optical axis 39 and the xenon optical axis 29. Further, the reflector 13 is not an indispensable part for the solar simulator, and can be omitted if the optical axis of the prism 14 is aligned with the optical axis of the halogen lamp 30 and the light guide path 36 in FIG. .

  The prism 14 has a function of emitting light emitted from the halogen lamp 30, passing through the light guide path 36, and reflected by the reflecting plate 13 to an integrator 15 described later. The prism 14 shown in the embodiment has a shape obtained by cutting a rectangular column of transparent optical glass at an angle of 45 degrees, and is held in contact with the integrator 15.

  The integrator 15 is an optical component called a rod lens or fly-eye lens that has a function of combining incident light and averaging and emitting so that the amount of light per unit area is uniform. The integrator 15 in this embodiment has a quadrangular prism or cylinder shape, and one of the two long-axis surfaces is a surface on which light is incident, and the other surface is a surface from which light is emitted. In this embodiment, the light emitted from the xenon lamp 20 and the halogen lamp 30 is deformed due to the shape of the aperture holes 241 and 341 formed in the aperture plates 24 and 34, but passes through the integrator 15 so as to be exposed on the exposure surface 17 described later. Uniform averaged light.

  The projection lens 16 has a function of projecting light emitted from the integrator 15 as parallel light perpendicular to an exposure surface 17 described later. The projection lens 16 in the embodiment is a convex lens, and the curve of the lens has a shape that changes the light emitted from the integrator 15 into parallel light. The exposure surface 17 is a surface on which a solar cell to be evaluated is installed. The exposure surface 17 is arranged so that light emitted from the projection lens 16 is irradiated vertically.

(Control system configuration)
Next, the configuration of the control system of the solar simulator 1 will be described with reference to FIG. A CPU 501 (Central Processing Unit) is a central processing unit that controls the solar simulator 1 by performing determinations and calculations. The CPU 501 controls the solar simulator 1 by reading and executing a program from a ROM (Read Only Memory) 502 described later.

  The ROM 502 does not lose the stored information even when the power is turned off. That is, the ROM 502 is a non-volatile memory element and stores a program executed by the CPU 501 and data to be referred to. The ROM 502 of the embodiment uses a semiconductor memory element, but has a characteristic of not losing stored information even when the power is turned off, and has a function of storing a program read and executed by the CPU 501 and data to be referred to. I just need it. For example, it may be a magnetic storage device such as a hard disk drive, or an optical storage device such as a CD (Compact Disc) or MO (Magneto-Optical disk).

  The filter / diaphragm combination table 5021 shown in FIG. 7 includes a light emitting system 3 including the xenon lamp 20 and the halogen lamp 30 shown in FIG. 2, and filter plates 22 and 32 and an aperture constituting the optical system 5 shown in FIGS. It is the table | surface which memorize | stored how it becomes the light approximated to AM0, 1, 1.5, 2 when the position of the plates 24 and 34 is combined. In the present embodiment, a table associated with the spectral distribution of the air mass (AM) is used, but a table associated with the spectral distribution of the artificial light source may be used. This table shows spectral distribution data of the xenon lamp 20 and the halogen lamp 30, optical characteristics data of the filters 261, 262, 263, 264, 361, 362, 363, and 364, rotation angles of the diaphragm plates 24 and 34, and light amount attenuation data. The light approximated to AM0, 1, 1.5, and 2 may be calculated and tabulated based on the above, or the exposure surface of the solar simulator 1 may be actually measured with an optical measuring instrument such as a spectrum spectrometer while changing the filter and aperture. While measuring the spectral distribution of 17, it may be adjusted so that the light approximates AM0, 1, 1.5, 2 and the values of the filter and aperture at that time may be tabulated.

  Returning to FIG. A RAM 503 (Read Only Memory) is a volatile memory element and is used as a work area when the CPU 501 operates. The RAM 503 in this embodiment uses a semiconductor memory element.

  The display unit 504 is an output unit of a man-machine interface that displays various information to the user by the solar simulator 1. The display unit 504 includes a light emitting diode, a liquid crystal display panel, a speaker, and the like, and transmits the operation status of the solar simulator 1 to the user through vision and hearing.

  An operation unit 505 is an input unit of a man-machine interface for a user to operate the solar simulator 1. The operation unit 505 includes various switches and volumes (variable resistors), and the user operates the solar simulator 1 by inputting instructions to the CPU 501 by operating them.

  An I / O 506 is an element that performs input / output. The CPU 501 outputs to various drivers, which will be described later, via the I / O 506, and inputs signals issued from the driver. The output to the driver means an instruction to turn on / off the lamp, an instruction to move the motor clockwise, or the like. The signal emitted from the driver means a lamp lighting success signal, a motor overheat error signal, or the like.

  A bus 509 is a digital data transmission path including an address bus indicating addresses of memory elements and I / O elements, a data bus indicating information transmitted / received by the CPU 501, and a control bus indicating the status of the CPU 501 and other elements.

  The xenon lamp driver 201 is an electric circuit that drives and turns on the xenon lamp 20. When the CPU 501 sends a lighting start signal to the xenon lamp driver 201 via the I / O 506, a high voltage for starting the discharge is generated to start the discharge, and then the xenon lamp 20 is controlled to a constant power or a constant current. Drive as follows. Further, the xenon lamp driver 201 sends status information of the xenon lamp 20 and the xenon lamp driver 201 itself such as a lighting failure signal and a lamp error signal to the CPU 501 via the I / O 506. The xenon lamp driver 201 is preferably a direct current lighting method in order to avoid pulsation (light ripple) of the amount of light generated when the xenon lamp 20 is turned on by alternating current.

  The halogen lamp driver 301 is an electric circuit that drives the halogen lamp 30 to light it. When the CPU 501 sends a lighting start signal to the halogen lamp driver 301 via the I / O 506, the halogen lamp 30 is lit while being controlled so that no inrush current flows. Thereafter, the halogen lamp 30 is driven so as to be controlled to a constant voltage or a constant current. Further, the halogen lamp driver 301 sends status information of the halogen lamp 30 and the halogen lamp driver 301 itself such as a filament cutting signal and an overheat error signal to the CPU 501 via the I / O 506. The halogen lamp driver 301 is preferably a direct current lighting method in order to avoid pulsation (light ripple) of the amount of light generated when the halogen lamp 30 is alternatingly lit.

The motor driver 252 is an electric circuit that drives and rotates the filter motor 23 and the aperture motor 25 related to the xenon lamp 20. When the CPU 501 sends a selection signal, a rotation direction signal, and a rotation angle signal of the motor to be driven via the I / O 506 to the motor driver 252, the motor is driven according to the received signal.
The motor driver 352 is an electric circuit having the same function as that of the motor driver 252 except that the motor to be driven is the filter motor 33 and the diaphragm motor 35 related to the halogen lamp 30, and the description thereof will be omitted.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the solar simulator 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. When the solar simulator 1 is powered on, the CPU 501 reads the program from the ROM 502, expands the work area in the RAM 503, and executes the program. At the same time, the CPU 501 displays to the user on the display unit 504 that the operation of the solar simulator 1 has started and that initial alignment is being performed (S501).

  Next, the CPU 501 drives the aperture motors 25 and 35 via the motor drivers 252 and 352 to drive the aperture plates 24 and 34 to the initial positions. The initial position in the embodiment is a position where the aperture holes 241 and 341 of the aperture plates 24 and 34 do not overlap the xenon optical axis 29 and the halogen optical axis 39. As a result, even if the xenon lamp 20 and the halogen lamp 30 are turned on, the light cannot pass through the diaphragm plates 24 and 34 and does not reach the exposure surface 17 (S502).

  Next, the CPU 501 drives the filter motors 23 and 33 via the motor drivers 252 and 352 to drive the filter plates 22 and 32 to the initial positions. The initial position in the embodiment is a position where the filter 264 overlaps the xenon optical axis 29 and the filter 364 overlaps the halogen optical axis 39 (S503).

  Next, the CPU 501 turns on the xenon lamp 20 via the xenon lamp driver 201. When the CPU 501 issues a lighting instruction, the xenon lamp driver 201 applies a high voltage for starting discharge to the xenon lamp 20. When the discharge is started and the xenon lamp 20 is turned on, the xenon lamp driver 201 performs constant power or constant current drive to make the light quantity constant, and sends a lighting success signal to the CPU 501 (S504).

  Next, the CPU 501 turns on the halogen lamp 30 via the halogen lamp driver 301. When the CPU 501 issues a lighting instruction, the halogen lamp driver 301 applies the rated voltage of the lamp to the filament of the halogen lamp 30 while preventing an inrush current. When the halogen lamp 30 is turned on, the halogen lamp driver 301 performs constant voltage or constant current driving to make the light quantity constant, and sends a lighting success signal to the CPU 501. The CPU 501 completes the initial alignment of the aperture motors 25 and 35 and the initial alignment of the filter motors 23 and 33. After receiving the successful lighting signal of the xenon lamp 20 and the successful lighting signal of the halogen lamp 30, the CPU 501 displays the display unit 504. The information indicating the completion of the operation preparation of the solar simulator 1 and the state in which the operation instruction can be accepted is displayed to the user (S505).

  The CPU 501 determines whether the user has changed the aperture value via the operation unit 505. If the aperture value has been changed, the process jumps to S507, and if not, the process jumps to S508. The operation flow of FIG. 5 does not distinguish between the aperture on the xenon lamp 20 side and the aperture on the halogen lamp side, but even if only one of the aperture values is changed, it is regarded as “change in aperture value”. (S506).

  The CPU 501 drives the aperture motors 25 and 35 via the motor drivers 252 and 352 as instructed by the user. The diaphragm plates 24 and 34 connected to the diaphragm motors 25 and 35 through the diaphragm rotation shafts 251 and 351 rotate in conjunction with each other, and the diaphragm holes 241 and 341 at the positions overlapping the xenon optical axis 29 and the halogen optical axis 39 are rotated. The amount of light passing through the width is changed (S507).

  The CPU 501 determines whether the user has changed the filter via the operation unit 505. If the filter has been changed, the process jumps to S509, and if not, the process returns to S506. The operation flow of FIG. 5 does not distinguish between the filter on the xenon lamp 20 side and the filter on the halogen lamp side, but even if only one of the filters is changed, it is regarded as “filter change”. (S508).

  The CPU 501 drives the filter motors 23 and 33 through the motor drivers 252 and 352 as instructed by the user. The filter plates 22 and 32 connected to the filter motors 23 and 33 through the filter rotation shafts 231 and 331 rotate in conjunction with each other, and the filter at the portion overlapping the xenon optical axis 29 and the halogen optical axis 39 is changed and passed. Change the spectral distribution of light. Then, the process returns to S506 (S509).

  In the above description, the use form in which the user arbitrarily sets the aperture and the filter has been described after S506. However, by using the filter / diaphragm combination table 5021 in the ROM 502 stored in advance, the user can use the operation unit 505. Light that approximates AM0, 1, 1.5, and 2 can be created with simpler operations. For example, when the user operates the operation unit 505 to generate AM0 light, the CPU 501 reads the filter and aperture value associated with AM0 from the filter / aperture combination table 5021 in response to an instruction from the user. Then, by driving the filter motors 23 and 33 and the aperture motors 25 and 35 via the motor drivers 252 and 352, light similar to AM0 is generated.

(Modification of this embodiment)
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention can be implemented with a various form as follows. A modification will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Modification 1)
In the present embodiment shown in FIG. 2, light emitted from the xenon lamp 20 and the halogen lamp 30 is subjected to a change in spectral distribution by the filter, and the light having undergone a change in the amount of light by the diaphragm is guided by the light guide path 26, the light guide path 36, and the reflector. 13 and the prism 14 to enter the integrator 15. In the first modification, the optical fibers 18A and 18B are used instead of them and are made incident on the integrator 15. The optical fibers 18A and 18B in the first modification are bundled with a plurality of optical fibers made of thin quartz, the periphery is protected with a bellows-like metal, and both ends are polished to form a light entrance and a light exit. Can be bent and used. Since the optical fibers 18A and 18B can be used by being bent, the degree of freedom in arrangement of the xenon lamp 20 and the halogen lamp 30 inside the solar simulator 1 is increased.

(Modification 2)
In the present embodiment and Modification 1, two types of light emitters having different spectral distributions, which are a xenon lamp 20 and a halogen lamp 30, are used. The light emitters constituting the present invention are not limited to two types, and three or more types of light emitters may be used in combination. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the light emitted from 3 (2 + 1) types of light emitters is corrected through the optical fiber 18X, 18Y, and 18Z after correcting the spectral distribution by the optical filter and changing the amount of light by the diaphragm. The light may enter the integrator 15 '. In other words, n (n = 1, 2, 3,...) Light emission having at least two kinds of light emitters and having a spectral distribution different from each other and different from each other. A body (not shown) may be provided, and although not shown, a filter plate (optical filter structure) and a diaphragm plate (light quantity diaphragm structure) corresponding to each light emitter may be provided.

(Modification 3)
In this embodiment, the filters 261, 262, 263, and 264 held on the filter plate 22 or the filters 361, 362, 363, and 364 held on the filter plate 32 are switched by rotating the filter plates 22 and 32. It was used in stages. As the optical filter constituting the present invention, not only a single filter but also a filter whose optical characteristics continuously change may be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a material whose optical characteristics continuously change is applied to a filter plate 22p made of glass, quartz, transparent resin, or the like fitted in an annular opening 22h opened along the circumference of a disk 22p. By mixing and adhering, a continuous change in optical characteristics can be realized.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Solar simulator 3 Light emission system 5 Optical system 13 Reflector 14 Prism 15 Integrator 15 'Integrator 16 Projection lens 17 Exposure surface 20 Xenon lamp (1st light emission body)
21 Condenser mirror 22 Filter plate 22p Filter plate 22h Annular opening 23 Filter motor 24 Diaphragm plate 25 Diaphragm motor 26 Light guide 29 Xenon optical axis 30 Halogen lamp (second light emitter)
31 Condenser mirror 32 Filter plate 33 Filter motor 34 Aperture plate 35 Aperture motor 36 Light guide 39 Halogen optical axis 201 Xenon lamp driver 231 Filter rotation shaft 232 Motor wiring 241 Aperture hole 251 Aperture rotation shaft 252 Motor wiring 261 Filter 262 Filter 263 Filter H.264 filter 301 Halogen lamp driver 331 Filter rotation shaft 332 Motor wiring 341 Restriction hole 351 Motor rotation shaft 352 Motor wiring 361 Filter 362 Filter 363 Filter 364 Filter 501 CPU
502 ROM
503 RAM
504 Display unit 505 Operation unit 506 I / O
509 Bus 5021 Filter / Aperture Combination Table

Claims (3)

In a solar simulator comprising a light emitting system that emits light, and an optical system that projects the light,
The light emitting system includes a first light emitter that emits first light, and a second light emitter that emits second light having a spectral distribution different from that of the first light,
The optical system includes a first optical filter structure for correcting the first light, a second optical filter structure for correcting the second light, and either before or after the first optical filter structure. The first light amount stop structure disposed and the second light amount stop structure disposed either before or after the second optical filter structure are combined with the first light and the second light that have been corrected and light amount reduced, respectively. And an integrator
Each of the first and second filter structures is configured to change the filter characteristics continuously or stepwise,
Each of said 1st and 2nd aperture | diaphragm | squeeze structures is comprised so that an aperture value can be changed continuously or in steps. The solar simulator characterized by the above-mentioned. The solar simulator according to claim 1,
Each of the first and second optical filter structures includes a plurality of filters having different filter characteristics from each other,
Each of the filter characteristics of the first and second optical filter structures is configured so that any one of the plurality of filters can be selected and used. In the solar simulator according to claim 1 or 2,
The light emitting system emits light having a spectral distribution different from each of the first light and the second light and having different spectral distributions (n = 1, 2, 3,...). ) Further comprising a group of illuminants,
The optical system further includes n optical filter structure groups and light quantity stop structure groups corresponding to the light emitter groups,
Each of the optical filters constituting the optical filter structure group is configured to be able to change the filter characteristics continuously or stepwise,
Each of the light quantity diaphragm structures constituting the light quantity diaphragm structure group is configured to change the diaphragm value continuously or stepwise,
The integrator is configured to synthesize the light emitted from the n light emitters corrected and light-reduced together with the first light and the second light whose light is corrected and light-reduced, respectively. A solar simulator characterized by that.

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