Kollektor

Kollektor is a German noun meaning collector or gatherer, and it is used in several technical and everyday contexts. In general usage, it can refer to a person who collects items or to a device that gathers something, such as heat, particles, or data.

In electronics, Kollektor denotes the collector terminal of a bipolar junction transistor (BJT) or the analogous region in vacuum tubes. In German-language technical literature, the Kollektor is the electrode through which charge carriers are collected, typically connected to a positive supply in common configurations. The term appears in schematics and discussions of transistor operation, alongside Emitter (E) and Basis (B).

In solar and thermal engineering, Solarkollektor or Kollektor refers to a solar collector that absorbs sunlight and transfers the resulting heat to a working fluid. These devices are used in solar thermal systems for space heating and domestic hot water. Common types include flat-plate collectors and evacuated-tube collectors, with efficiency influenced by factors such as absorptivity, insulation, and fluid temperature.

Other uses of the term reflect its general meaning as a gathering device. For example, dust collectors, rainwater collectors, or data-collection devices may be described as Kollektoren or Kollektoren in German technical contexts.

Etymology and related terms: Kollektor derives from Latin collectus via French collecteur, and is related to the English word “collector.” Related terms in German include Solarkollektor and Kollektorbezeichnungen in electronics.