Hybrid electricity production unit for road surfacing

Abstract

The invention relates to a hybrid electricity production assembly (100) for surfacing a roadway (200), comprising: several slabs (110, 112, 114) forming a paving, an interval (111, 113) between each adjacent slab, at least one piezoelectric sensor (20), at least part of which is covered by one of said slabs (110, 112, 114), said piezoelectric sensor being configured to produce electricity from forces applied to at least one of said slabs (110, 112, 114), at least one solar panel (10) covering all or part of the slabs (110, 112, 114) and configured to produce electricity from solar radiation, said solar panel being capable of withstanding forces corresponding approximately to, at least, those produced by a person walking on said solar panel, the piezoelectric sensor (20) and the solar panel (10) being connected to a battery (300),configured to store the electricity produced by the piezoelectric sensor (20) and the solar panel (10). figure for the abstract: figure 1,

Description

Title of the invention: Hybrid electricity production unit for surfacing a roadway TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The field of the invention is that of road surfaces.

[0002] More specifically, the invention relates to a hybrid electricity production assembly for paving a roadway. Such an assembly is called hybrid because it is suitable for producing both electricity from a solar panel and electricity from a piezoelectric sensor.

[0003] The invention finds applications in particular in road surfacing in towns, to supply equipment on said roadway. STATE OF THE ART

[0004] The production of local electricity from so-called renewable sources is becoming a major issue, particularly in the field of urban planning. This electricity can be used to power road equipment, such as traffic lights, advertising or information panels, or even street lamps.

[0005] In this context, road surface devices are known from the prior art for producing electricity. For example, solar panels can be positioned on a roadway in order to capture solar radiation and produce electricity. These solar panels comprise photovoltaic cells.

[0006] However, these coating devices have limitations. First of all, solar panels can be subjected to significant forces, in particular the weight of people walking on them, which can damage them and therefore limit their lifespan. In addition, they can be scratched, soiled, or even covered by particles resulting from pollution of the environment in which they are integrated. These multiple wear factors significantly limit their performance. In addition, in addition to the performance issues due to the wear of the solar panels, the environment in which they are placed is not necessarily suitable for optimizing the production of solar electricity: it can be particularly shaded due to buildings around the roadways which can cast shade on the solar panels. Therefore, the production of electricity from solar panels alone on the roadway is not optimized.

[0007] Another source of renewable electricity can be electricity produced by piezoelectric sensors placed under a road surface. Thus, they produce electricity thanks to the footsteps of pedestrians moving on said roadway causing a substantially vertical movement of the road surface.

[0008] However, this source of electricity is very dependent on activity on the roadway, particularly people walking on it. Therefore, this source, on its own, is not sufficiently reliable to power a city's road equipment.

[0009] A hybrid approach between solar production and piezoelectric production has also been considered, but hybrid solutions remain very limited in number. In addition, they have drawbacks.

[0010] Indeed, these solutions propose a coating separated into two distinct parts: one to produce electricity from solar panels, and another to produce electricity from piezoelectric sensors.

[0011] This configuration is not satisfactory because neither the production of electricity from solar panels nor that from piezoelectric sensors is optimized, due to the small areas dedicated to one or the other of the productions. These road surface solutions do not allow for the autonomous and reliable supply of city equipment.

[0012] None of the current systems can simultaneously meet all the required needs, namely to produce electricity in an optimized manner from a road surface compared to the road surface, in order to reliably supply the road equipment. Statement of the invention

[0013] The present invention aims to remedy all or part of the drawbacks of the state of the art cited above.

[0014] The invention relates to a hybrid electricity production assembly for the surfacing of a roadway, comprising: • several slabs forming a paving, • an interval between each adjacent slab, • at least one piezoelectric sensor, at least part of which is covered by one of said slabs, said piezoelectric sensor being configured to produce electricity from forces applied to at least one of said slabs, • at least one solar panel covering all or part of the slabs and configured to produce electricity from solar radiation, said solar panel being capable of withstanding forces corresponding approximately to, at least, those produced by a person walking on said solar panel, the piezoelectric sensor and the solar panel being connected to a battery, configured to store the electricity produced by the piezoelectric sensor and the solar panel.

[0015] The piezoelectric sensor is positioned under the gap between at least two slabs.

[0016] The invention thus makes it possible to optimize the production of electricity on a given surface, for example a roadway. It combines electricity production from several so-called renewable sources, present in the environment in which the invention is located.

[0017] On the one hand, the solar panel(s) must be of a reasonable size to optimize the production of solar electricity. They are positioned on the slabs, forming a paving, and make it possible to produce electricity from solar radiation.

[0018] On the other hand, a piezoelectric sensor, positioned at the interval between said slabs so that it can be activated by movement such as vibrations of one or more of said slabs, makes it possible to produce electricity from the forces exerted on the slabs by, in particular, pedestrians moving on the roadway. In addition, this configuration makes it possible to optimize the differences in pressure exerted on said piezoelectric sensor by the person walking on the solar panel, whether walking on a central position of the slab or on a so-called peripheral position. Also, it makes it possible to optimize the electricity produced, by equipping a large number of slabs with a limited number of piezoelectric sensors.

[0019] The invention thus makes it possible to optimize the production of piezoelectric electricity and solar electricity.

[0020] In a particular embodiment, the hybrid electricity production assembly comprises a piezoelectric sensor under each gap.

[0021] This embodiment makes it possible to optimize the production of electricity from a piezoelectric source over the total surface of the pavement coated with the invention.

[0022] Alternatively or in addition, the hybrid electricity production assembly comprises a single solar panel per slab, in which each solar panel covers all or part of each slab.

[0023] This particularly advantageous configuration makes it possible to facilitate maintenance operations compared to a configuration where several solar panels would cover the same slab, or a configuration where the same solar panel would cover several slabs.

[0024] In a preferred configuration, the solar panels cover at least 90% of the surface area of ​​the slabs.

[0025] This embodiment is a preferred embodiment because it allows for optimizing solar electricity production with respect to an outward-facing surface of the electricity production assembly.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, the hybrid electricity production assembly comprises at least one set of six slabs, wherein the slabs have a substantially triangular shape, the set of six tiles having an arrangement where the tiles are arranged so as to form a regular hexagon-shaped structure, with a convergence point located in the center of the hexagon, the piezoelectric sensor being substantially positioned below the convergence point.

[0027] This configuration makes it possible to optimize the production of electricity by the piezoelectric sensor and to be particularly ergonomic. This embodiment makes it possible to cover roadways of various shapes, while optimizing the production of electricity.

[0028] Preferably, the solar panel comprises a transparent and non-slip coating.

[0029] This embodiment has two major advantages: it increases the durability of the solar panel and limits falls by pedestrians moving on said solar panel.

[0030] In a particularly advantageous embodiment, this coating comprises epoxy resin composite mixed with aggregates of quartz and / or corundum and / or textured glass.

[0031] This material is transparent and helps prevent users from slipping on said coating.

[0032] Alternatively or in addition, the hybrid electricity production unit comprises an electricity distribution system connected to the battery and to urban equipment including a street lamp, a traffic light, a light panel, a loudspeaker.

[0033] This advantageously makes it possible to use the electricity produced by the invention to power the urban equipment positioned next to said electricity production unit. Thus, this makes it possible to have streets that are self-sufficient in electricity, that is to say that it is not necessary to power them with an electricity source external to the hybrid electricity production unit.

[0034] In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the hybrid electricity production assembly comprises battery status sensors and makes it possible to extract information on a battery charge level, a communication system configured to send the information to a remote computer equipment.

[0035] Alternatively or in addition, this embodiment advantageously makes it possible to have information on the charge level of the battery, and to highlight any maintenance needs of the electricity production unit.

[0036] According to a preferred embodiment, the piezoelectric sensor comprises a bio-sourced material from onion peel.

[0037] This configuration is particularly advantageous because it makes it possible to reduce the environmental impact of the hybrid electricity production system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0038] Other advantages, aims and particular characteristics of the present invention will emerge from the following non-limiting description of at least one particular embodiment of the devices and methods which are the subject of the present invention, with reference to the appended drawings, in which: • [Fig-1] is a perspective view of an embodiment of a hybrid electricity production assembly according to the invention; • [Fig.2] is a detailed schematic view of the embodiment of the invention according to [Fig.l] covering a roadway. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0039] The present description is given without limitation, each characteristic of an embodiment being able to be combined with any other characteristic of any other embodiment in an advantageous manner.

[0040] It should be noted, from now on, that the figures are not to scale. Example of a particular embodiment

[0041] [Fig.l] represents a hybrid electricity production assembly 100 for the surfacing of a roadway 200 according to the invention, also called assembly 100 in the remainder of the description.

[0042] Hybrid electricity production means electricity production from two sources of different nature.

[0043] In the present invention, it is a question of producing electricity from at least one solar panel 10 and a piezoelectric sensor 20.

[0044] The present invention applies to the roadway 200. The roadway 200 is defined as the surface of the entire road network, including sidewalks, gutters, and curbs.

[0045] The roadway 200 comprises a covering. The covering is defined as being an element partially or completely covering the roadway 200.

[0046] The invention aims to supply electricity reliably and locally to equipment 220. More precisely, the hybrid electricity production assembly 100 for paving a roadway comprises several slabs 110, 112, 114 forming a paving 120.

[0047] The paving is configured to withstand the forces exerted by pedestrians walking on it, and / or by means of transport such as bicycles or scooters moving on or above it.

[0048] The assembly 100 also includes a gap 111,113 between each adjacent slab.

[0049] The piezoelectric sensor 20 is configured to produce electricity from forces applied to at least one of said slabs. The piezoelectric sensor 20 is positioned under the gap 111, 113 between at least two slabs 110, 112, 114 in order to maximize the production of electricity by said sensor when a person walks on a slab, regardless of their position relative to said slab.

[0050] The solar panel 10 covers all or part of the slabs and is configured to produce electricity from solar radiation. Said solar panel is capable of withstanding forces corresponding to approximately, at least those produced by a person walking on said solar panel.

[0051] The piezoelectric sensor 20 and the solar panel 10 are connected to a battery 300. Said battery is configured to store the electricity produced by the piezoelectric sensor and the solar panel.

[0052] More specifically, the roadway 200 may include urban equipment 220 such as traffic signs, traffic lights, advertising panels, loudspeakers or even street lamps, as shown in [Fig.l]. These urban equipment 220 may need to be supplied with electricity.

[0053] The roadway 200, on a flat surface, forms a substantially horizontal plane. The roadway has a thickness along a vertical axis, substantially perpendicular to said horizontal plane.

[0054] Furthermore, in the embodiment described in [Fig.l], a slab adjacent to another means that this slab is directly next to or closest to one side. A slab adjacent to another is separated by a gap. The width of the gap 111, 113 between the two slabs 110 and 112, 112 and 114 therefore reaches 3 centimeters on average. The width of the gap is significantly smaller than a characteristic dimension of the slabs. The characteristic dimension of the slabs can be the length of one of its sides. The width of the gap can then be ten times smaller than the length of one of its sides.

[0055] The slabs 110, 112, 114 may have a hexagonal shape, as shown in [Fig.l],

[0056] They can also have a triangular shape, as shown in [Fig.2].

[0057] The slabs 110, 112, 114 may have an identical shape and be of the same size. In an advantageous case illustrated by [Fig. 2], the slabs have the shape of an equilateral triangle and are assembled in batches of six in the shape of a hexagon. Each triangle adjacent to another is separated by the interval 111, 113.

[0058] More specifically, [Fig.2] illustrates a set of six slabs having an arrangement where the slabs are arranged to form a regular structure in the shape hexagon. They have a convergence point located in the center of the hexagon, the piezoelectric sensor being positioned substantially below the convergence point. At least part of the piezoelectric sensor is covered by one or more slabs. Thus, the sensor experiences a pressure difference when a person walks on said slab.

[0059] The slabs 110, 112, 114 may have truncated angles, to facilitate the positioning of the piezoelectric sensors for example. These angles are very small compared to a measurement of a slab such as the length of one of its sides. The shape of the slabs is then described as substantially triangular.

[0060] In an embodiment not shown, the slabs may be rectangular or even square. As previously, they may be substantially rectangular or substantially square.

[0061] The slabs form the paving and cover part of the roadway. At the ends of the paving, in a particularly advantageous embodiment, edges of the paving have an inclination in order to limit the differences in level between the paving and the roadway, and thus, limit the risks of pedestrians falling. This makes it easier for wheelchairs and other means of transport such as scooters to access the assembly 100.

[0062] In the embodiment illustrated in [Fig.l], a solar panel 10 covers each slab 110,112,114.

[0063] The gap 111, 113 may comprise a joint, a simple separation, or even an elastic junction. Preferably, it is an elastic junction or a simple separation in order to resist the forces exerted on the slabs along the vertical axis by pedestrians, or any other user of the roadway. The gap must also resist any vertical displacements of the slabs due to the potential deformation of the piezoelectric sensor.

[0064] As shown in [Fig.2], it may be a full gap, that is to say that there is no empty separation between two slabs. This makes it possible to avoid accumulations of waste, which could damage the assembly, by blocking, for example, the deformation of the piezoelectric materials included in the piezoelectric sensor, presented in the remainder of the description. In addition, this makes it possible to guarantee the safety of pedestrians, and to significantly limit the risk of falling.

[0065] In this case, the full gap may be a flexible seal. In a preferred embodiment, this flexible seal may be made of silicone and / or latex base. It is particularly resistant to weathering, ultraviolet rays and extreme temperatures. It may also be made of polyurethane for example.

[0066] As shown [Fig.l], the invention comprises one or more piezoelectric sensors 20, each sensor being able to be positioned under each gap 111,113. This advantageously allows the production of electricity by piezoelectric sensors to be optimized.

[0067] The piezoelectric sensor 20 comprises so-called piezoelectric materials, that is to say they are capable of electrically polarizing under the effect of mechanical stress. They can deform under this stress. Here, the mechanical stress is produced by pedestrians or any other user of the roadway 200 using the slabs, such as cyclists, scooter users, or any other personal means of mobility. The piezoelectric sensor 10 may comprise, for example, quartz, barium titanate, or even lead titanate.

[0068] The piezoelectric sensor 20 also comprises electrodes. The electrodes are placed at ends of the piezoelectric material to collect the electrical charge generated, due to the electrical potential difference between the electrodes. The electrodes are advantageously positioned at two locations furthest from the same piezoelectric sensor.

[0069] The sensor may have a circular cylindrical shape. The electrodes may then, advantageously, be positioned on either side of a diameter of said cylinder.

[0070] The piezoelectric sensor 20 also comprises at least one connector and an electrical circuit, said connector connecting the electrodes to the electrical circuit.

[0071] The piezoelectric sensor 20 is positioned between each slab 110, 112, 114, that is to say at the intervals between each slab, as shown in [Fig.l].

[0072] In the embodiment described in [Fig.l], the electrical circuits between the different sensors are preferably linked to form a single electrical circuit. Said circuit makes it possible to connect each connector, preferably in bypass, to the battery 300.

[0073] This configuration makes it possible to optimize the production of electricity regardless of the point of application of the force by the pedestrian on the solar panel 10. For example, if the pedestrian exerts a force at the center of the solar panel, in [Fig.l], the six piezoelectric sensors undergo, individually, a relatively limited force in a vertical direction and thus produce, all six, a limited quantity of electricity. When a pedestrian walks on the solar panel 10, he exerts both a force on said solar panel and the slab(s) 110, 112, 114 that it covers.

[0074] If, on the contrary, the pedestrian exerts a vertical force on one end of the solar panel covering the slab, the piezoelectric sensor 20 positioned at the interval closest to said end undergoes a high deformation in a vertical direction and thus produces a higher quantity of electricity because it is less distributed between the piezoelectric sensors 20. On the contrary, the piezoelectric sensor 20 positioned at an opposite end of the solar panel 10 covering the slab is subjected to a lower force than that to which it is subjected in a resting position, that is to say when no one is walking on it.

[0075] The piezoelectric sensor 20 may, preferably, comprise a bio-sourced material from onion peel. This advantageously makes it possible to limit its ecological footprint. Indeed, the use of onion peel is particularly eco-responsible, while allowing high efficiency regarding energy conversion.

[0076] The solar panel 10 may be composed of solar cells, called photovoltaic cells. They convert sunlight into electricity. They may be composed of crystalline silicon (monocrystalline or polycrystalline). The cells are protected by protective layers to ensure their durability, especially when people are likely to walk on them.

[0077] The solar panel 10 may, in addition, be protected by a transparent coating 210. It may, in a non-limiting manner, comprise a layer of tempered glass. This material is advantageously impact-resistant and provides additional protection to the solar cells. Advantageously, the coating 210 may comprise a layer of a transparent non-slip polymer. This coating 210 advantageously ensures the safety of pedestrians walking on the slabs.

[0078] The coating 210 may for example comprise epoxy resin composite mixed with quartz or corundum aggregates, or textured glass.

[0079] This material is particularly resistant to abrasion, it is transparent and has grip to prevent pedestrians from slipping.

[0080] In addition, it is particularly durable, especially with regard to UV rays and bad weather.

[0081] The solar panel 10 may be delimited by a support. The support may comprise a composite material, which reinforces its resistance to substantially vertical forces.

[0082] In the embodiment illustrated by [Fig.l], the paving comprises several slabs, and the same number of solar panels 10. Each solar panel 10 covers all or part of each slab. More precisely, six slabs are covered by six solar panels, substantially of the same shape.

[0083] The more the surface of the slabs is covered by one or more solar panels 10, the higher the electricity production by the solar panel(s).

[0084] Thus, in order to optimize the production of electricity by solar radiation, the solar panels 10 cover more than 90% of the surface of the slabs.

[0085] The battery 300 is electrically connected to the piezoelectric sensor 20 and to the solar panel 10. The battery 300 is configured to store the electricity produced by said piezoelectric sensor and said solar panel.

[0086] The battery 300 may also be electrically connected to at least one piece of urban equipment 220 on the roadway, such as a street lamp shown in [Fig.l]. The battery 300 is positioned in a secure box, preferably close to the urban equipment to limit transport losses as much as possible. Said box has vents to prevent any overheating of the battery 300, and therefore loss of performance.

[0087] The battery 300 makes it possible to store electricity, in particular produced during the day by the solar panel(s) 20, but also by the piezoelectric sensor(s) 10 and to power the urban equipment 220 as needed, for example at night. It can power the urban equipment 220 via an electricity distribution system, connecting the battery 300 to the urban equipment 220.

[0088] The invention has the advantage of producing electricity, even if the weather conditions do not allow the solar panels 10 to produce electricity, or even if the roadway has little traffic and limits the production of electricity by the piezoelectric sensors 20.

[0089] The invention may comprise two batteries 300. More specifically, a first battery may be connected to the piezoelectric sensor 20, a second battery may be connected to the solar panel 10. Another preferred alternative, in a configuration comprising several solar panels 10 and several piezoelectric sensors 20, is to connect half of the piezoelectric sensors and half of the solar panels to the first battery, and the remaining half of the piezoelectric sensors and solar panels to the second battery.

[0090] They can simultaneously supply urban equipment 220.

[0091] Thus, if a battery malfunctions, the assembly 100 can supply power to the urban equipment 220. Also, if one of the circuits formed by the piezoelectric sensors 20 or by the solar panels malfunctions, the batteries can still supply power to the urban equipment.

[0092] The battery 300 may also include status sensors. They may allow information to be extracted on a charge level of the battery. The invention may also include a communication system configured to send the information to a remote computer device. The device may be a mobile application for example.

[0093] Thus, the invention, with its optimized production of two hybrid sources of electricity, makes it possible to supply urban equipment in a robust and reliable manner.

Claims

Claims

1. Hybrid electricity production assembly (100) for surfacing a roadway (200), comprising: • several slabs (110,112,114) forming a paving (120), • an interval (111,113) between each adjacent slab, • at least one piezoelectric sensor (20), at least part of which is covered by one of said slabs (110,112,114), said piezoelectric sensor being configured to produce electricity from forces applied to at least one of said slabs (110,112,114), • at least one solar panel (20) covering all or part of the slabs (110,112,114) and configured to produce electricity from solar radiation, said solar panel being capable of withstanding forces corresponding approximately to, at least, those produced by a person walking on said solar panel, the sensor piezoelectric (10) and the solar panel (20) being connected to a battery (300),configured to store the electricity produced by the piezoelectric sensor (10) and the solar panel (20), characterized in that the piezoelectric sensor (10) is positioned under the gap between at least two slabs.,

2. Hybrid electricity production assembly according to the preceding claim, comprising a piezoelectric sensor (10) under each interval (111,113).

3. Hybrid electricity production assembly according to one of claims 1 to 2, comprising a single solar panel (20) per slab (110,112,114), in which each solar panel (20) covers all or part of each slab (110,112,114).

4. Hybrid electricity production assembly according to one of claims 1 to 3, in which the solar panel(s) (20) cover at least 90% of the surface area of ​​the slabs (110,112,114).

5. A hybrid electricity production assembly according to one of claims 1 to 4, comprising at least one set of six slabs, in which the slabs have a triangular shape, the set of six slabs having an arrangement where the slabs are arranged so as to form a regular hexagon-shaped structure, with a convergence point located in the center of the hexagon, the piezoelectric sensor being positioned below the convergence point.

6. Hybrid electricity production assembly according to one of claims 1 to 5, in which the solar panel comprises a transparent and non-slip coating (210).

7. A hybrid power generation assembly according to claim 6, wherein the coating (210) comprises epoxy resin composite mixed with aggregates of quartz and / or corundum and / or textured glass.

8. Hybrid electricity production assembly according to one of claims 1 to 7, comprising an electricity distribution system connected to the battery (300) and to urban equipment (220) among a street lamp, a traffic light, a light panel, a loudspeaker.

9. Hybrid electricity production assembly according to one of claims 1 to 8, comprising battery status sensors (300) and making it possible to extract information on a charge level of the battery (300), a communication system configured to send the information to a remote computer equipment.

10. Hybrid electricity production assembly according to one of claims 1 to 9, in which the piezoelectric sensor (20) comprises a bio-sourced material from onion peel.

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