Vehicle equipped with solar panels on the skylight

Abstract

To provide a vehicle 1 in which: a solar battery 5 is installed on a movable shade 3 configured to be capable of covering a skylight 2; the skylight is covered with the movable shade when lighting into a vehicle compartment is unnecessary; consequently energy of sunlight passing through the skylight can be used for electric power generation.SOLUTION: A vehicle 1 with a skylight 2 transmitting light in a visible light region includes: a movable shade 3 configured to be capable of covering at least a part of the skylight at the vehicle compartment side of the skylight: and a shade in which a solar battery absorbing sunlight including visible light and generating electricity is installed at side facing the skylight in the shade with respect to the movable shade 3, and the solar battery generates electricity when the shade is a closed state in which the shade covers at least a part of the skylight. Shade open and close control means may be provided to control open and close of the shade according to usage state of the vehicle such as necessity / unnecessity of lighting from the skylight. A transparent solar battery may be installed on the skylight.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle equipped with a solar cell, and more particularly to a vehicle in which a solar cell is arranged on a skylight. [Background technology]

[0002] Attempts have been made to mount solar cells on the top surface of a vehicle such as an automobile, generate electricity in the vehicle, and use the energy for various operations in the vehicle (for example, Patent Document 1, etc.). In this regard, since general solar cells (Patent Document 2, etc.) do not transmit light, such solar cells cannot be placed, for example, on a transparent skylight (sunroof, panoramic roof, etc.) for lighting in a vehicle. However, in recent years, transparent solar cells (Patent Document 3, etc.) that transmit light with wavelengths in the visible light region and generate electricity with light in the ultraviolet region or near-infrared region have been developed, and such transparent solar cells can be used as skylights that can generate electricity while lighting by being fitted into the window frame of the skylight or by being installed on top of the skylight. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication 2009-10127 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-168322 [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2018-32872 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a configuration in which a transparent solar cell that transmits visible light (hereinafter referred to as a "transparent solar cell") is placed on the skylight of a vehicle as described above, the transparent solar cell transmits visible light, so the energy of visible light is not used to generate power. As a result, the efficiency of using solar energy is lower than that of a solar cell that generates power using light over a wide range of wavelengths of sunlight.

[0005] Incidentally, in some cases, a movable shade (an interior panel or curtain for blocking light) is provided on the interior side of a skylight of a vehicle to block light or to conceal the interior of the vehicle. Since such a movable shade is naturally configured to not transmit light, any solar cell can be installed on the movable shade, including a "non-transparent" solar cell (hereinafter referred to as a "visible light solar cell") that absorbs visible light to generate electricity. While the shade on which such a solar cell is installed covers the skylight, the energy of visible light incident on the skylight can also be used to generate electricity, thereby improving the efficiency of solar energy utilization. In addition, if the shade on which the solar cell is installed is configured to cover the skylight not only when light blocking or concealment is required but also when light is not required to enter the vehicle interior, the opportunities for using solar energy to generate electricity will increase, and the efficiency of solar energy utilization will be further improved.

[0006] Thus, the object of the present invention is to install solar cells on a movable shade configured to cover the skylight in a vehicle having a skylight, and to cover the skylight with the movable shade when there is no need to let light into the vehicle interior, thereby enabling more solar energy, including visible light energy, to be used for power generation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, the above problem is solved by a vehicle having a transparent skylight that transmits light in the visible light range, The shade is an openable and closable movable shade configured to cover at least a portion of the skylight on the vehicle interior side of the skylight, and includes a solar cell that absorbs sunlight and generates electricity and is installed on the side facing the skylight, This is achieved by the vehicle being configured to cause the solar cell to generate electricity when the shade is in a closed state covering at least a portion of the skylight.

[0008] In the above configuration, the "skylight" is an area formed in a state where transparent glass or resin is fitted into a window frame formed in the roof part of the vehicle cabin, and may be a window part called a sunroof, panoramic roof, etc. The "movable shade" is an interior panel or curtain that does not transmit light, and may be configured to be slid along the skylight on the interior side of the cabin cabin, for example, by sliding along the skylight or pivoting relative to the skylight in a hinged manner, so as to be able to cover at least a part of the skylight. The shade may be formed in a divided form according to the shape of the skylight formed in the vehicle. In addition, the shade may be moved manually or automatically along the skylight between a fully open state in which the entire skylight is not covered and a fully closed state in which the entire skylight is covered. Note that the "closed state" of the shade refers to a state in which the shade covers at least a part of the skylight. The "solar cell" may be any type of solar cell in the form of a plate, sheet, or film that is installed on the side of the shade facing the skylight, and may be a visible light solar cell that generates electricity by absorbing light with wavelengths in the visible light range (380 nm to 780 nm). When the movable shade covers at least a part of the skylight, light that has passed through the skylight enters the solar cell, causing the solar cell to generate electricity.

[0009] According to the above-described configuration of the present invention, a solar cell is provided on a shade that covers at least a portion of the vehicle skylight from the inside of the passenger compartment of the vehicle. By closing the shade when there is no need to let light into the passenger compartment, it becomes possible to use sunlight, including visible light, that has passed through the skylight to generate electricity, thereby improving the efficiency of using solar energy.

[0010] In the above-described configuration of the present invention, the shade may be opened and closed automatically depending on the usage status of the vehicle. In this case, a shade opening / closing means for opening and closing the shade and a shade opening / closing control means for controlling the opening and closing of the shade depending on the usage status of the vehicle may be provided, and when the shade is at least partially closed so as to cover at least a part of the skylight, the solar cell in the shade may be made to generate power. Here, the shade opening / closing means may be an electric motor or actuator for moving the position of the shade relative to the window. The usage status of the vehicle that determines the opening / closing state of the shade may be whether or not lighting through the skylight is necessary, the remaining battery power, the need for power generation, and the like. With this configuration, the shade is automatically opened and closed depending on the usage status of the vehicle, the need for lighting through the skylight, the remaining battery power, the need for power generation, and the like, and the efficiency of solar energy utilization is improved when the shade is at least partially closed.

[0011] In the above configuration, whether or not lighting through the skylight is unnecessary may be determined depending on the presence or absence of an occupant in the vehicle and the seating position of the occupant. For example, if there is no occupant in the vehicle, it may be determined that lighting through the entire skylight is unnecessary, and the shade may be in a fully closed state. The shade opening / closing control means may be configured to determine that lighting is unnecessary for a seat where no occupant is seated, and to cover with a shade a portion of the skylight that transmits light to the seat determined not to require lighting. For example, if there is no occupant seated in the rear seat of the vehicle, the shade opening / closing control means may be configured to determine that lighting from a rear area of ​​the skylight that transmits light entering the rear seat is unnecessary, and to cover such an area with a shade. The presence or absence of an occupant in each seat may be detected using a weight detection sensor (which may be for a seat belt reminder), a radio wave sensor that detects the occupant's position (which may be for preventing children from being left behind), or the like. In addition, the shade of the skylight area that does not require lighting may be closed at the instruction of the occupant.

[0012] As described above, the open / close state of the shade may be controlled by referring to the vehicle usage status, such as the remaining battery charge, the need for power generation, etc. Specifically, when the vehicle is in a power generation mode or the remaining battery charge is equal to or lower than a predetermined value (which may be set arbitrarily), the shade may be closed.

[0013] In the above-mentioned configuration of the present invention, the surface of the solar cell installed on the shade may be coated with a reflective layer that reflects light of a predetermined color that may be set arbitrarily. For example, if a dichroic mirror layer or a decorative layer that reflects the same color as the surfaces of other parts of the vehicle body is applied to the surface of the solar cell, even when the shade is in a closed state and the solar cell is visible through the skylight, the solar cell part will have the same appearance as the surfaces of other parts of the vehicle body, improving the design. In addition, the surface of the solar cell installed on the shade may be coated with an anti-reflection layer (AR coat) that suppresses the reflection of light. As a result, when the shade is in a closed state and light is incident on the solar cell, the amount of light that is not reflected on the surface of the solar cell and is absorbed by the solar cell increases, improving the utilization efficiency of solar energy.

[0014] Furthermore, in the above configuration, a sensor may be provided to detect the open / closed state of the shade, and the operation of the solar cell installed in the shade may be stopped when the shade is fully open. This stops the drive device (ECU, etc.) of the solar cell installed in the shade when no light is incident on the solar cell, making it possible to save the power required to drive the solar cell.

[0015] Meanwhile, in the skylight of the vehicle of the present invention, a transparent solar cell that generates electricity by absorbing light in a wavelength range other than the visible light range (near infrared or ultraviolet light) may be installed. With such a configuration, even when the shade does not cover the skylight, electricity is generated by sunlight, and the efficiency of using solar energy is improved. In addition, in a configuration in which a transparent solar cell is installed in the skylight, when the amount of electricity generated by the transparent solar cell exceeds a predetermined value, the shade may be closed so that the shade covers at least a part of the skylight. This makes it possible to avoid the movement of the shade to close unnecessarily when the amount of electricity generated by the transparent solar cell is below the predetermined value, i.e., when the amount of sunlight is not so high, and thus to save electricity consumption. The predetermined value for the amount of electricity generated by the transparent solar cell may be set appropriately. Effect of the Invention

[0016] Thus, in the present invention, a solar cell is installed on a shade that is installed in a roof window of a vehicle to block light or to hide the view, and when light from the roof window is not required or when the battery level is low, the roof window can be closed so that the shade covers the roof window, whereby solar power is generated by the solar cell installed on the shade, and more solar energy can be used to drive the vehicle or for other purposes. The configuration of the present invention may be applied to various vehicles having roof windows.

[0017] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1(A) and 1(B) are a schematic side view and a schematic perspective view of a vehicle to which a skylight shade according to the present embodiment is applied, and Fig. 1(C) is a schematic view of the skylight and the shade in the vehicle according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a system relating to opening and closing control of a skylight shade according to this embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing, in the form of a flow chart, the process of controlling the opening and closing of the shade of the skylight according to this embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0019] 1. Vehicle 2. Skylight 2a…Transparent solar cell 3. Shade 4…Interior materials 5...Solar cell 6...Shade drive unit 10…Shade position determination 11...Occupant position detection sensor 12...Shade open / close switch 13...Battery remaining capacity sensor / power generation mode sensor 14...Shade position sensor 20...Shade solar powered device 30...Skylight solar powered device vl…Visible light irl...near infrared S…Sun BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THEINVENTION

[0020] Skylight and shade configuration for vehicles 1(A)-(C), this embodiment is applied to a vehicle 1 such as an automobile that is provided with a skylight 2, which is called a panoramic roof, sunroof, or the like, on the roof. As shown in the drawings, in the vehicle 1 of this embodiment, a window frame 1w is formed on the roof 1a, and a skylight 2 made of transparent glass or resin is fitted into the window frame 1w, so that light from the sun S is taken into the vehicle interior through the skylight 2. On the vehicle interior side 1b of the skylight 2, a shade 3, which is a light-opaque plate-like or curtain-like member, is installed slidably in the X direction along the skylight 2, so that the shade 3 can cover the skylight 2 as appropriate and block light from entering the vehicle interior. Although not shown, the shade 3 may be hinged to be pivoted to cover the skylight 2. In this description, the state in which the shade 3 covers the entire skylight 2 and blocks light from the entire skylight 2 into the vehicle interior is referred to as the "fully closed state" of the shade, the state in which the shade 3 covers the area above the front seats of the skylight 2 is referred to as the "front semi-closed state" of the shade, the state in which the shade 3 covers the area above the rear seats of the skylight 2 is referred to as the "rear semi-closed state" of the shade, and the state in which the shade 3 does not cover the entire skylight 2 is referred to as the "fully open state" of the shade. The opening and closing operation of the shade 3 may be performed manually by the occupant, or may be performed automatically by an actuator or motor 6 depending on the usage status of the vehicle, as will be described later.

[0021] In this embodiment, the solar cell 5 is installed on the side of the interior material 4 forming the shade 3 facing the skylight 2, and is configured so that when the shade 3 covers at least a part of the skylight 2, the solar cell 5 absorbs sunlight and generates electricity, and the electrical energy obtained here is used to drive the vehicle and operate each part, or may be charged to a battery for that purpose. With this configuration, when lighting from the skylight 2 is not required, such as when there is no passenger in the vehicle or when the passenger does not want lighting, when the battery level in the vehicle 1 is low, or when a power generation mode is selected, the shade 3 can be placed in a fully closed state, a front closed state, or a rear closed state, and more solar energy can be collected as electrical energy by the solar cell 5 installed on the shade 3.

[0022] In the above configuration, the interior material 4 may be formed of any material that is normally used for the shade 3. For example, the interior material 4 may be formed of a flexible curtain member, in which case it may be wound up around the edge of the skylight and stored. The interior material 4 may also be formed of a plate-shaped member, in which case it may be slid to the outside of the window frame or folded up and stored. The solar cell 5 may be a film-type solar cell that can be wound up or folded up along with the interior material 4. The solar cell 5 may be a solar cell that does not transmit light, as will be described later. Also, a sensor 14 may be provided that detects whether the shade 3 is in a fully open state. When the shade 3 is in a fully open state, the operation of a drive device for operating the solar cell 5 may be stopped, so that the power required for the operation of the drive device can be saved.

[0023] Furthermore, in the above configuration, the surface of the solar cell 5 may be covered with a reflective layer that reflects light of a predetermined color that may be set arbitrarily. In one embodiment, the surface of the solar cell 5 may be covered with a dichroic mirror layer or a decorative layer that reflects the same color as the surfaces of other parts of the vehicle body. In this case, even when the shade is closed and the solar cell 5 is visible from the outside of the vehicle, the solar cell portion has the same appearance as the surfaces of other parts of the vehicle body, improving the design. Alternatively, the surface of the solar cell 5 may be covered with an anti-reflection layer (AR coat) that suppresses the reflection of light. As a result, when the shade is closed and light is incident on the solar cell, the amount of light that is not reflected by the surface of the solar cell and is absorbed by the solar cell increases, improving the utilization efficiency of solar energy.

[0024] Meanwhile, the skylight 2 may be provided with a transparent solar cell 2a (Patent Document 3, etc.) that transmits visible light vl and generates electricity with light irl in a wavelength range other than the visible light range (near infrared or ultraviolet light). With this configuration, when sunlight is incident on the skylight 2, the visible light vl is collected into the vehicle interior 1b, while the transparent solar cell 2a generates electricity with light irl other than visible light, so that it is possible to recover more solar energy as electrical energy. In this regard, since the transparent solar cell 2a transmits visible light, the solar cell installed on the shade 3 covering the skylight 2 may be a visible light solar cell that generates electricity with visible light. With this configuration, when the shade 3 is in a fully closed state, a front closed state, or a rear closed state, the transparent solar cell 2a generates electricity with light other than visible light, and the solar cell installed on the shade 3 generates electricity with visible light, so that it is possible to recover even more solar energy as electrical energy.

[0025] Configuration of shade opening / closing control device As mentioned above, in this embodiment, the shade 3 may be automatically opened and closed based on the usage status of the vehicle, more specifically, whether or not lighting through the skylight 2 is required, the need for power generation, etc. The system that controls the opening and closing of the shade 3 may be an electronic control device or a computer device, and may be realized by operation according to a program.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 2, in the configuration of the system for controlling the opening and closing of the shade 3, more specifically, the outputs of an occupant position detection sensor 11 for detecting the presence or absence or position of an occupant in the vehicle, a shade opening and closing switch 12, a vehicle battery remaining amount sensor, or a power generation mode sensor 13 may be input to a shade position determination unit 10 for determining the opening and closing position of the shade 3. As the occupant position detection sensor 11, for example, a weight detection sensor for each seat for a seat belt reminder or a radio wave sensor for detecting the occupant position used for preventing an infant from being left behind may be used, and the presence or absence of an occupant in each of the front and rear seats may be determined from the output of such a sensor. Alternatively, it may be determined that there is no occupant when a locking operation is performed from outside the vehicle. The shade opening and closing switch 12 is a switch that is operated so that the occupant can select the opening and closing state of the shade. The battery remaining amount sensor / power generation mode sensor 13 is a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of the on-board battery or a sensor for detecting whether the vehicle is in a power generation mode or not. The shade position determination unit 10 may basically be configured to determine the open / closed position of the shade 3 based on the output of these sensors, as will be described later. Furthermore, if a transparent solar cell 2a is installed on the skylight 2, the value of the power generation amount of the transparent solar cell 2a may be input to the shade position determination unit 10 through its drive device 30. With this configuration, as will be described later, when the value of the power generation amount of the transparent solar cell 2a is low, the amount of sunlight irradiated is low (at night or in the shade), so it is possible to grasp that there is no need to actively close the shade 3 and no need to drive the solar cell 5. Furthermore, the output of the shade position sensor 14 may be input to the shade position determination unit 10, making it possible to detect the open / closed state of the shade 3.

[0027] When the shade position determination unit 10 determines the open / closed state of the shade 3 based on the information from the above sensors, it sends a command to the actuator 6 that changes the position of the shade 3, and the shade 3 is moved. Then, the operating device 20 that operates the solar cell 5 of the shade 3 is configured to operate the solar cell 5 when the shade is in the fully closed state, the front closed state, or the rear closed state based on the information from the shade position sensor 14 or the shade position determination unit 10. On the other hand, when it is detected that the shade 3 is in the fully open state based on the output of the shade position sensor 14, the driving device 20 of the solar cell 5 is stopped.

[0028] Activating shade open / close controls In this embodiment, the opening and closing of the shade 3 may be controlled as follows. (a) When there are no occupants in the vehicle → Shade 3 is fully closed. (b) When there is no passenger in the rear seat → Shade 3 is closed at the rear. (c) When there are no occupants in the front seats (driver's seat and passenger seat), the front shade 3 is closed. (d) When the occupant instructs the shade 3 to be in the fully closed state, the front closed state or the rear closed state through the switch 12, the shade 3 is brought into the fully closed state, the front closed state or the rear closed state according to the instruction. (e) When the remaining battery charge falls below a predetermined value, the shade 3 is fully closed. (f) In power generation mode (selected by the occupant, during plug-in charging) → Shade 3 is fully closed. The above processes may be performed individually or in combination. When the power generation amount of the transparent solar cell 2a falls below a predetermined value, the amount of sunlight is small, so the shade 3 does not need to be automatically opened or closed. When the shade 3 is in the fully closed state, the front closed state, or the rear closed state, the solar cell 5 is driven to generate power.

[0029] With reference to FIG. 3, when the above processes (a) to (f) are combined, the opening / closing control of the shade 3 may be executed as follows. First, when the amount of power generated by the solar cell 2a installed in the skylight 2 does not exceed a predetermined value (step 1), the opening / closing control of the shade 3 may not be executed (the state of the shade may not be changed), and the drive device 20 of the solar cell 5 may be stopped. When the amount of power generated by the solar cell 2a exceeds a predetermined value, and when there is no passenger in any seat (step 2), it is not necessary to collect light from the entire skylight 2, so the shade 3 is brought into a fully closed state and the drive device 20 of the solar cell 5 is operated (step 3). When there is a passenger in the vehicle but no passenger in the rear seat (step 4), it is not necessary to collect light from the area above the rear seat of the skylight 2, so the shade 3 is brought into a rear closed state and the drive device 20 of the solar cell 5 is operated (step 5). On the other hand, when there is a passenger in the rear seat but no passenger in the front seat (step 6), lighting from the area above the front seat of the skylight 2 is not necessary, so the shade 3 is brought into the front closed state, and the drive device 20 of the solar cell 5 is operated (step 7). Furthermore, when an instruction for the fully closed state, the front closed state, or the rear closed state is given through the shade opening / closing switch 12 (step 8), the shade 3 may be controlled according to the instruction. In addition, when the power generation mode is selected (step 9) or when the remaining battery charge is below a predetermined level (step 10), the shade 3 is brought into the fully closed state, and the drive device 20 of the solar cell 5 is operated (step 3). When there is no instruction for the fully closed state, the front closed state, or the rear closed state from the shade opening / closing switch 12 (or when there is an instruction to fully open the shade), the power generation mode is not selected, and the remaining battery charge is not below a predetermined level, the shade 3 may be brought into the fully open state, and the drive device 20 of the solar cell 5 may be stopped (step 11). In addition, when opening and closing the shade 3 based on the determination of the presence or absence of an occupant (steps 2, 4, and 6), since there is a possibility that an occupant may repeatedly get in and out of the vehicle in a short period of time, the opening and closing of the shade 3 may be performed after a predetermined time, which may be set arbitrarily, has elapsed after the determination of the presence or absence of an occupant. If the occupant leaving the vehicle is not to be shown the action of closing the shade, the predetermined time may be set longer.

[0030] When the shade 3 is opened or closed manually, if the output of the shade position sensor 14 detects that the shade 3 is in a fully closed state, a front closed state or a rear closed state, the drive device 20 of the solar cell 5 may be activated in response to this, and power generation may be performed.

[0031] The above description has been given in relation to the embodiment of the present invention, but it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications and changes can be easily made thereto, and that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment exemplified above, but can be applied to various devices without departing from the concept of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle having a transparent skylight that transmits light in the visible light range, The shade is an openable and closable movable shade configured to cover at least a portion of the skylight on the vehicle interior side of the skylight, and includes a solar cell that absorbs sunlight and generates electricity and is installed on the side facing the skylight, A vehicle configured to cause the solar cell to generate electricity when the shade is in a closed state covering at least a portion of the skylight, The vehicle further includes a shade opening / closing means for opening and closing the shade, and a shade opening / closing control means for controlling the opening and closing of the shade in accordance with a usage state of the vehicle, and is configured to cause the solar cell in the shade to generate power when the shade is at least partially closed so as to cover at least a part of the skylight, The vehicle is configured such that the shade opening / closing control means determines that lighting is not required for a seat where no occupant is seated, and covers with the shade a portion of the skylight that transmits light to the seat determined not to require lighting.

2. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a transparent solar cell that absorbs light in a wavelength range other than the visible light range and generates electricity is installed on the skylight.

3. 3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein when it is determined that lighting through the skylight is not necessary and the amount of power generated by the transparent solar cell exceeds a predetermined value, the shade is closed so as to cover at least a portion of the skylight.

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