Portable solar canopy with modular connections

Abstract

A portable solar cell canopy or tent with supports to elevate the canopy or tent and expose solar cells affixed thereon to the sun to collect energy for use within the tent. Flexible components, including spray-on solar cells, permit dismantling and reassembly of the entire apparatus into a portable kit for remote usages. The present invention provides energy in remote areas, such as drawing water from a deep well and providing emergency phone service, as well as providing energy in urban or other areas.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of InventionThe present invention relates to the field of solar power energy usage, for example, as it relates to the use of newly-developed spray-on solar cells on a portable canopy, and is also in line with the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar America Initiative (SAI) to contain the growing threat of global warming.2. Description of the Related ArtIn addition to providing protection from inclement weather (hail, rain, and wind), a key function of a shade canopy or tent is to protect people or locations from dangerous or intense sun rays or light that would harm someone or destroy property. Instead of inertly absorbing or perhaps reflecting these rays, a shade canopy can actively absorb them and produce power from those rays, which in turn can operate a variety of modular devices, including fans, inside the canopy area or nearby.People currently carry and set up portable shade canopies at all sorts of events and locations. For example, it is com...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

A portable solar canopy with detachable fan or other detachable devices has been designed to employ recent developments in photovoltaics and nanotechnology, such as thin film polymer photovoltaics or thin film nanocomposite 3D solar cells. Additional technologies, such as spray-on solar cells or cells woven into the fabric of the canopy itself, provide further cost-effective sources of energy. Solar cells disposed on the canopy top power a fan or any modular electrical device attached to a canopy housing. The solar cells send electrical current down the center or other pole or conduit to an electrical connector, which can provide electricity to any modular device. In this fashion, the present invention provides a lightweight portable kit construction and a lifesaving setup for remote geographic areas where electrical energy is sparse or completely unavailable.

Problems solved by technology

More recently, although U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,811 sets forth a procedure for mounting an electric fan on a patio umbrella shaft, the reference utterly fails to describe or suggest powering the fan with a solar power source.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,188 generally describes a procedure for mounting a fan with lights on a pole through the center of a patio table, and although providing solar power, the installation is both permanent and non-modular, meaning the fan cannot be substituted for another device using the same power source.

Although U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,284 uses separate mounting brackets and a lock ring to allow for easily detachable fan blades, the system therein is quite complex and does not treat the fan itself as a modular and removable piece, as in the instant invention.

The fan is built directly under the canopy, which is a fixed design and not portable.

However, the reference does not contemplate a modular, portable canopy system as contemplated herein.

However, the reference does not contemplate a flexible modular system as contemplated herein.

However, the solar panels are not an integral part of the tent structure, but an added external accessory.

However, the reference does not disclose the use of the solar cells as a portable, flexible solar canopy capable of providing both shelter and electricity as contemplated herein.

However, this approach does not contemplate a modular, portable canopy system, as contemplated herein.

In particular, Applicant has found that none of the above-described devices provide the needed degree of flexibility and modularity needed in best using canopies today, particularly in poor regions across the globe, in remote areas without direct access to electricity, or in disaster areas where the electrical infrastructure is damaged and no electricity is available.

In addition to providing energy, the solar cells of the prior art devices are delicate, require special handling, and operate only in direct sunlight.

Additionally, the canopies are neither lightweight nor portable, are not easy to breakdown, fold or transport, and are almost useless (except for general shelter) in cloudy weather.

In addition, the aforedescribed prior art devices fail to also provide the degree of modularity needed in canopy use, particularly in providing modularity in electrical connectivity in the Third World or other impoverished areas having a diversity of survival needs.

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