Design and Preliminary Performance Test of a Daylighting Device with Mini-Dishes

The objective of this paper is to introduce the design concept of a daylighting device comprised of small mini-dishes, optical fiber bundles and diffusers at the end. Each mini-dish (typically has a 20 to 30 cm in diameter) is designed with a simple parabolic profile, concentrating sun light (after the glass glazing cover to avoid dust deposition on the reflector and facilitate cleaning) onto a centrally-located small mirror which is placed on the bottom side of the transparent glass cover. The focused sun light is reflected by the mirror surface onto a focal point where the receiving aperture of a homogenizer is located. Optical fibers are used to carry high-density solar rays to the other end where diffusers are mounted for indoor illumination. Preliminary tests are performed using a prototype system to actually assess the practicability of the device.