Batteries: thermoelectric and photoelectric – Photoelectric – Panel or array
Patent
1996-06-14
1998-02-03
Weisstuch, Aaron
Batteries: thermoelectric and photoelectric
Photoelectric
Panel or array
136257, 257435, H01L 31055
Patent
active
057140120
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a solar battery device which uses light as an energy source.
BACKGROUND ART
Solar batteries fabricated by processing materials such as single crystal silicon, polycrystal silicon or amorphous silicon have been used as an energy source for actuating various apparatuses including watches, electronic calculators and radios.
While such solar batteries have been installed exposed to view in some apparatuses, background colors of the solar batteries are directly visible from the outside, which is disadvantageous from a standpoint of the design of the apparatuses. Particularly in the case of decorative apparatuses such as watches, design diversity thereof could be hindered by the limitation of the solar batteries, thereby affecting the value of the products. Accordingly, improvements in solar batteries have been eagerly desired.
In response to such demand for improvement, it has been proposed to arrange a color absorbing filter or a layer of coloring means to control light transmission in a specific wavelength range in front of a solar battery so as to directly conceal it from the view (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 5-29,641).
However, when the color absorbing filter is used, the filter per se absorbs incident light to reduce the amount of light energy supplied thereto. Consequently, it is impossible to conceal the solar battery from view while supplying sufficient light energy necessary for power generation to the solar battery.
When a colored layer is employed as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 5-29,641, the solar battery can be concealed from view while supplying sufficient light energy to the solar battery. However, the aesthetic appearance of the product thus obtained is in question. That is, when a concealing effect for the solar battery is considered as the first priority, the colored layer exhibits a cloudy and weak reflection color of insufficient appearance to allow the design of products to be diverse.
It has also been proposed that a white diffusion layer and a transparent and fluorescent filter be laminated in that order in front of a solar battery to conceal the battery by the diffusion layer and to emit colored light toward the outside through the fluorescent filter (see, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 60-148,172).
According to the above mentioned conventional technique, while the fluorescent filter per se behaves as a waveguide to laterally transmit fluorescence emitted therein, the quantity of light energy reaching the solar battery is considerably reduced, although a satisfactory concealing effect for the battery can generally be obtained. In addition, the quantity of light to be changed to fluorescence and emitted outside by means of the transparent and fluorescent filter is reduced, which inconveniently results in a dark colored appearance.
The present invention has been made in view of such technical circumstances and accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to conceal a solar battery from view while supplying sufficient light energy to the solar battery and to diversify the design of products.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
To achieve the above mentioned object, a solar battery device in accordance of the present invention is constituted as in the following.
A solar battery device of the present invention comprises a diffuse transmission layer arranged on a front side of the solar battery device to diffuse light incident on the front side and a luminescent substance contained in the diffuse transmission layer to absorb a predetermined wavelength band of the light incident on the front side and to emit the light.
When light from the outside is incident on the above mentioned solar battery device, the light is diffused by the diffuse transmission layer, while light having a predetermined wavelength band is absorbed by the luminescent substance. Thereby the luminescent substance emits light, a portion of which is diffusively reflected in the diffuse transmission layer and emitted
REFERENCES:
patent: 4153813 (1979-05-01), Blieden et al.
patent: 4188239 (1980-02-01), Boling
patent: 4629821 (1986-12-01), Bronstein-Bonte et al.
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 10, No. 290 (P-503), 2 Oct. 1986 & JP-A-61 108988 (Sanritsu Kogyo KK) 27 May 1986.
Murata Yasushi
Nanya Takanori
Shibuya Yoshitsugu
Citizen Watch Co, Ltd.
Weisstuch Aaron
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