Illumination – Self powered lamp – Rechargeable electrical source of with external connections
Patent
1994-05-04
1995-11-14
Weisstuch, Aaron
Illumination
Self powered lamp
Rechargeable electrical source of with external connections
136246, 136291, 2502034, 353 3, F21L 1300, H01L 31042
Patent
active
054672570
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to solar lamps.
The invention relates more particularly to a solar panel unit for a solar lamp.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Normally, the solar panel converts solar energy during the day time into electrical power to charge up or to maintain a charge in a battery power pack which supplies the lamp during the night as required.
Customarily, the panel is oriented to be directly facing the sun, that is, with its planar surface at least approximately perpendicular to the direction of the sun at noon each day. The conversion of solar energy by a solar panel is most efficient in this position but as the sun moves throughout the daylight hours, the panel is for most of the day operating at considerably less than its optimum efficiency.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to overcome or at least reduce this problem.
According to the invention there is provided a solar panel unit comprising a movable solar panel arrangement support carriage and a drive motor for moving the carriage to orient the panel arrangement relative to the sunlight into optimum orientations for receiving solar energy, in which the panel arrangement comprises two panels to convert solar energy into electrical power to charge up or to maintain a charge in a battery power pack, in which the two panels are somewhat angularly off-set from one another and from a central mean optimum orientation of the panel arrangement, including means for sensing the intensity of solar energy converted by each panel and controlling operation of the motor whenever the two converted energies are significantly unequal to move the panel arrangement towards optimum orientations as the sun moves relative to the unit.
The carriage may be pivotably supported about an axis and the motor arranged to move the carriage about the axis, which axis in use is positioned generally perpendicular to the radius of the arc of daily movements of the sun.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A solar panel unit according to the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 shows a sectional front view of the unit;
FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of the unit; and
FIG. 3 shows an electrical circuit arrangement for the unit.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to the drawings, in FIGS. 1 and 2 the unit includes a main solar panel 10 formed by an array of solar cells in conventional fashion mounted behind a window 11 to receive solar energy. The panel 10 is mounted on a carriage 12 which is rotatably supported on a frame 13 to turn about the frame. The panel 10 is supported in use with its window 11 facing the sun. When the front plane of the window 11 is generally perpendicular to the rays of the sun, the main panel 10 is in its optimum orientation for receiving solar energy. A motor 14 is provided for moving the carriage in either direction around the frame 13.
A fluorescent lamp 15 is supported in the frame 13 behind a transparent lamp cover 16 and in front of a reflector 17. Two auxiliary solar cell panels 20 and 21 with respective windows 22 and 23 are mounted at the top of the panel 10 (see FIG. 2) and a printed circuit board 18 is mounted under the panel 10. A battery pack 19 for storing electrical energy generated by main panel 10 is mounted on the frame 13.
Referring to FIG. 3, the two small auxiliary solar cell panels 20 and 21 are mounted on the carriage with their windows 22 and 23 equally off-set from the plane of the surface of the window of the main solar panel. The panels 20 and 21 are electrically connected to a comparator 24 which responds to differences in the currents generated by the solar cell panels 20, 21 when they convert solar energy. When the difference in currents exceeds a value corresponding to a voltage D/2 as compared to a reference voltage, the output of the comparator 24 is fed to bias parallel coupled amplifiers 25 and 26, also supplied with the reference voltage. This causes a supply current to flow in
REFERENCES:
patent: 4977488 (1990-12-01), Spotts et al.
patent: 5055984 (1991-10-01), Hung et al.
Solar Wide Industrial Ltd.
Weisstuch Aaron
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