Solar charging backpack

Abstract

The present invention relates to a solar charging backpack comprising: a body portion; a solar panel disposed on the surface of the body portion; a power storage portion connected to the solar panel; a charging portion connected to at least one of the solar panel and the power storage portion and including a charging port for charging an external electronic device; and a control portion that generates a signal to control the operation of the charging portion based on whether the external electronic device is overcharged.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] This invention relates to a solar-powered backpack. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing number of portable electronic devices such as smartphones and smartwatches, auxiliary power devices, such as power banks, are required during outdoor activities where access to power is difficult, such as hiking, camping, and traveling. However, there are issues with the weight of the auxiliary power devices themselves and the need to charge them.

[0003] To overcome these problems, research on energy harvesting, which stores energy using sunlight or vibrations caused by movement, is attracting attention. However, in the case of sunlight, energy efficiency decreases as the device heats up after a certain period of time, and in the case of vibration, the energy output is known to be too low to produce enough energy to charge portable electronic devices.

[0004] The technology forming the background of the present invention is disclosed in Korean Published Patent Application No. 2022-0123605. The problem to be solved

[0005] The present invention aims to solve the problems of the aforementioned conventional technology by providing a backpack that converts solar energy into electricity to charge other electronic devices, and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0006] However, the technical problems that the embodiments of the present invention aim to solve are not limited to those described above, and other technical problems may exist. means of solving the problem

[0007] As a technical means for achieving the above-mentioned technical problem, the first aspect of the present invention relates to a solar charging backpack capable of solar charging, comprising: a body portion; a solar panel disposed on the surface of the body portion; a power storage portion connected to the solar panel; a charging portion connected to at least one of the solar panel and the power storage portion and including a charging port for charging an external electronic device; and a control portion that generates a signal for controlling the operation of the charging portion based on whether the external electronic device is overcharged.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, at least one of a cooling member and an insulating member disposed between the body member and the solar panel may be additionally included, but is not limited thereto.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the cooling unit comprises cooling water, and the cooling water may suppress the temperature rise of the solar panel, but is not limited thereto.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the insulating member may prevent heat from the solar panel from being transferred to the interior of the body member, but is not limited thereto.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a thermoelectric element portion disposed between the body portion and the solar panel and connected to the power storage portion may be additionally included, but is not limited thereto.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the thermoelectric element may generate power from the heat of the solar panel, but is not limited thereto.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the power storage unit and the charging unit may each be independently disposed on the inner surface of the body unit or on the surface of the body unit, but are not limited thereto.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the charging part is disposed on the surface of the body part, the charging part and the solar panel may be provided so as not to come into contact with each other, but are not limited thereto.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the output of the charging port may be 2 W to 20 W, but is not limited thereto.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the power storage unit may stabilize and store the voltage of the electricity generated from the solar panel, but is not limited thereto.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the operation control of the charging unit by the control unit may be performed by the power stored in the power storage unit, but is not limited thereto.

[0018] In addition, the second aspect of the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a solar charging backpack, comprising the steps of: preparing a body portion of the solar charging backpack; attaching a solar panel to at least one surface of the body portion; forming a power storage portion connected to the solar panel; and forming a charging portion connected to at least one of the solar panel and the power storage portion, and including a charging port for charging an external electronic device.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the step of forming at least one of a cooling portion, an insulating portion, and a thermoelectric element portion between the body portion and the solar panel may be further included, but is not limited thereto.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the thermoelectric element may be configured to be connected to at least one of the power storage unit and the charging unit, but is not limited thereto.

[0021] In addition, a third aspect of the present invention relates to a control device for a solar charging backpack, comprising: a power generation control unit that controls the amount of power generated by a solar panel based on the amount of power stored in a power storage unit; and a charging control unit that controls the charging of said external electronic device performed in a charging unit based on the battery charge level of the external electronic device.

[0022] The means for solving the problem described above are merely exemplary and should not be interpreted as intended to limit the present invention. In addition to the exemplary embodiments described above, additional embodiments may exist in the drawings and the detailed description of the invention. Effects of the invention

[0023] According to the means for solving the problem of the present invention described above, the solar charging backpack according to the present invention can charge electronic devices by utilizing solar power without a separate power source, thus offering high convenience, being environmentally friendly, and being advantageous for outdoor activities.

[0024] However, the effects obtainable from this invention are not limited to those described above, and other effects may exist. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0025] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a solar charging backpack according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a solar charging backpack according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a solar charging backpack according to one embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0026] Below, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement them.

[0027] However, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Furthermore, in order to clearly illustrate the present invention in the drawings, parts unrelated to the description have been omitted, and similar parts throughout the specification have been given similar reference numerals.

[0028] Throughout this specification, when a part is described as being "connected" to another part, this includes not only cases where they are "directly connected," but also cases where they are "electrically connected" with other elements interposed between them.

[0029] Throughout the entire specification, when a component is described as being located "on," "on top," "on top," "under," "on bottom," or "on bottom" of another component, this includes not only cases where the component is in contact with the other component but also cases where another component exists between the two components.

[0030] Throughout this specification, when a part is described as "comprising" a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components.

[0031] Hereinafter, a solar charging backpack and a method of operation thereof according to one embodiment and example of the present invention will be described.

[0032] As a technical means for achieving the above-mentioned technical problem, the first aspect of the present invention relates to a solar charging backpack capable of solar charging, comprising: a body portion; a solar panel disposed on the surface of the body portion; a power storage portion connected to the solar panel; a charging portion connected to at least one of the solar panel and the power storage portion and including a charging port (not shown) for charging an external electronic device; and a control portion (not shown) that generates a signal for controlling the operation of the charging portion based on whether the external electronic device is overcharged.

[0033] FIGS. 1 and FIGS. 2 are schematic diagrams of a solar charging backpack according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] According to one embodiment of the present invention, at least one of a heat storage member and an insulation member disposed between the body portion and the solar panel may be additionally included, but is not limited thereto.

[0035] The solar charging backpack according to the present invention refers to a backpack having a solar panel attached to its surface. In this regard, the solar panel receives light, such as sunlight, and produces electricity through the photoelectric effect; however, the solar panel itself may be heated, such as by absorbing thermal energy from infrared rays contained in sunlight or by converting light energy into thermal energy during the power generation process due to the photoelectric effect. When the solar panel is heated, the efficiency of converting light into electrical energy decreases. Additionally, the heat from the solar panel may penetrate the backpack and heat an object inside the body portion.

[0036] To prevent such problems, at least one of a heat storage unit and an insulation unit may be disposed between the body portion and the solar panel. The heat storage unit is intended to lower the temperature of the solar panel itself, and the insulation unit is intended to prevent heat from the solar panel from being transferred into the interior of the body portion.

[0037] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the heat storage unit includes a heat storage material, and the heat storage material can suppress the temperature rise of the solar panel, but is not limited thereto.

[0038] Specifically, a heat storage unit that is impermeable to water and not damaged by volume expansion is disposed between the body and the solar panel, and the heat from the solar panel heats the heat storage material within the heat storage unit, thereby suppressing the temperature rise of the solar panel.

[0039] At this time, the contact surface between the solar panel and the heat storage unit is patterned with an uneven structure to increase the surface area, thereby assisting in the transfer of heat from the solar panel to the heat storage unit.

[0040] The heat accumulated in the above heat storage material can be released through the solar panel during the time when sunlight is not irradiated on the solar panel.

[0041] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the heat storage material may be sodium acetate trihydrate (CH3COONa 3H2O), but is not limited thereto.

[0042] For example, the size of the solar panel may be 20 cm × 20 cm, and the energy conversion efficiency may be 15% to 20%, preferably 18%. In this case, the solar energy absorbed by the solar panel is 40 W, and the amount of heat absorbed by the solar panel is approximately 32.8 W to approximately 40 W. In this case, if the time during which sunlight is irradiated onto the solar panel is 4 hours, the amount of heat that the heat storage material must absorb, excluding the amount of heat released into the air, is 236.16 kJ to 288 kJ, and the specific heat of the sodium acetate trioxide is 2.79 kJ kg -1 K -1 (Solid state) and 3.35 kJ kg -1 K -1 It is in a liquid state, has a latent heat of 226 kJ / kg, and a melting point of 58°C. That is, when the heat storage material is 1 kg of sodium acetate trihydrate at 20°C, the amount of heat absorbed by the solar panel raises the temperature to the melting point of the heat storage material.

[0043] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the insulating member may prevent heat from the solar panel from being transferred to the interior of the body member, but is not limited thereto.

[0044] The insulation member may be positioned between the heat storage member and the body member. Since the heat from the solar panel is stored in the heat storage member, the insulation member can prevent the heat from reaching the interior of the body member.

[0045] The above-mentioned insulating portion may comprise a composite of silica aerogel and a polymer matrix, and the polymer matrix may comprise polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), but is not limited thereto.

[0046] Specifically, silica aerogel powder, PDMS, and a curing agent can be mixed in a weight ratio of 0.3 to 0.4:10:1, respectively, and cured at room temperature for 24 hours to form an insulating layer.

[0047] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a thermoelectric element portion disposed between the body portion and the solar panel and connected to the power storage portion may be additionally included, but is not limited thereto.

[0048] At this time, the thermoelectric element may be positioned between the insulation part and the solar panel.

[0049] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the thermoelectric element may generate power from the heat of the solar panel, but is not limited thereto.

[0050] In this regard, the power generation efficiency of a thermoelectric element increases as the temperature difference between the low-temperature and high-temperature sections increases; however, considering the durability of the backpack, the temperature difference is not significant in the case of the thermoelectric element, resulting in low power generation efficiency. Nevertheless, the thermoelectric element functions as an energy harvesting device in that it converts thermal energy stored in the heat storage material and gradually released over time into electrical energy.

[0051] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the power storage unit and the charging unit may each be independently disposed on the inner surface of the body unit or on the surface of the body unit, but are not limited thereto.

[0052] Preferably, since there is a risk of explosion when the power storage unit overheats, the power storage unit is placed inside the body unit to prevent heating by the solar panel. Meanwhile, in the case of the charging unit, the charging unit may be placed on the surface of the body unit so that the electronic device can be charged even while wearing a bag, or it may be placed inside the body unit to charge the electronic device inside the body unit.

[0053] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the charging part is disposed on the surface of the body part, the charging part and the solar panel may be provided so as not to come into contact with each other, but are not limited thereto.

[0054] Since the electronic device may also be damaged if the charging part is heated, the charging part may be positioned on a different side from the solar panel (for example, if the solar panel is positioned on the upper surface of the backpack, the charging part may be positioned on the lower surface of the backpack), or may be positioned spaced apart so as not to come into contact with each other.

[0055] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the output of the charging port may be 2 W to 20 W, but is not limited thereto.

[0056] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the power storage unit may stabilize and store the voltage of the electricity generated from the solar panel, but is not limited thereto.

[0057] Since the power produced by the above solar panel and thermoelectric element has an unstable output, it is stored in a power storage unit to regulate the voltage and current, and then the power storage unit supplies power to an external electronic device with a constant output through the charging port to charge the electronic device.

[0058] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the operation control of the charging unit by the control unit may be performed by the power stored in the power storage unit, but is not limited thereto.

[0059] Even if the battery of the electronic device is fully charged, if power is supplied by the charging unit, the battery may be overcharged and damaged. To prevent this problem, the control unit can control the operation of the charging unit.

[0060] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the surface of the backpack to which the solar panel is attached may additionally include a dye-sensitized solar cell that generates power by light, but is not limited thereto. The dye-sensitized solar cell generates power by producing electrons through the generation of electrons by chemically adsorbed dye molecules in response to sunlight.

[0061] At this time, the dye-sensitized solar cell may be arranged to surround the outer edge of the solar panel. Specifically, the dye-sensitized solar cell arranged on the outer edge is formed to have a width of 1 mm to 1 cm around the perimeter of the central solar panel.

[0062] In addition, the second aspect of the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a solar charging backpack, comprising the steps of: preparing a body portion of the solar charging backpack; attaching a solar panel to at least one surface of the body portion; forming a power storage portion connected to the solar panel; and forming a charging portion connected to at least one of the solar panel and the power storage portion, and including a charging port for charging an external electronic device.

[0063] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a solar charging backpack according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the step of forming at least one of a heat storage unit, an insulation unit, and a thermoelectric element unit between the body portion and the solar panel may be further included, but is not limited thereto.

[0065] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the thermoelectric element may be configured to be connected to at least one of the power storage unit and the charging unit, but is not limited thereto.

[0066] In addition, a third aspect of the present invention relates to a control device for a solar charging backpack, comprising: a power generation control unit that controls the amount of power generated by a solar panel based on the amount of power stored in a power storage unit; and a charging control unit that controls the charging of said external electronic device performed in a charging unit based on the battery charge level of the external electronic device.

[0067] The foregoing description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only, and those skilled in the art will understand that other specific forms can be easily modified without altering the technical concept or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single unit may be implemented in a distributed manner, and components described as distributed may likewise be implemented in a combined form.

[0068] The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims set forth below rather than by the detailed description above, and all modifications or variations derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and the concept of equivalents thereof should be interpreted as being included within the scope of the present invention. Explanation of the symbols

[0069] 110 : Body part 120 : Solar panel 130: Power storage unit 140 : Charging part 150 : Control unit

Claims

Claim 1 A solar charging backpack capable of solar charging, comprising: a body portion; a solar panel disposed on the surface of the body portion; a power storage portion connected to the solar panel; a charging portion connected to at least one of the solar panel and the power storage portion and including a charging port for charging an external electronic device; and a control portion that generates a signal to control the operation of the charging portion based on whether the external electronic device is overcharged. Claim 2 A solar charging backpack according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of a cooling part and an insulating part disposed between the body part and the solar panel. Claim 3 A solar charging backpack according to paragraph 2, wherein the cooling unit comprises cooling water, and the cooling water suppresses the temperature rise of the solar panel. Claim 4 A solar charging backpack according to paragraph 2, wherein the insulation part prevents heat from the solar panel from being transferred to the interior of the body part. Claim 5 A solar charging backpack according to claim 1, further comprising a thermoelectric element portion disposed between the body portion and the solar panel and connected to the power storage portion. Claim 6 A solar charging backpack according to claim 5, wherein the thermoelectric element part produces power by the heat of the solar panel. Claim 7 A solar charging backpack according to claim 1, wherein the power storage unit and the charging unit are each independently disposed on the inner surface of the body unit or on the surface of the body unit. Claim 8 A solar charging backpack according to claim 7, wherein when the charging part is disposed on the surface of the body part, the charging part and the solar panel are provided so as not to come into contact with each other. Claim 9 A solar charging backpack according to claim 1, wherein the output of the charging port is 2 W to 20 W. Claim 10 A solar charging backpack according to claim 1, wherein the power storage unit stabilizes and stores the voltage of electricity generated from the solar panel. Claim 11 A solar charging backpack according to claim 1, wherein the operation control of the charging unit by the control unit is performed by the power stored in the power storage unit. Claim 12 A method for manufacturing a solar charging backpack, comprising: a step of preparing a body portion of the solar charging backpack; a step of attaching a solar panel to at least one surface of the body portion; a step of forming a power storage portion connected to the solar panel; and a step of forming a charging portion connected to at least one of the solar panel and the power storage portion, and including a charging port for charging an external electronic device. Claim 13 A method for manufacturing a solar charging backpack according to claim 12, further comprising the step of forming at least one of a cooling part, an insulating part, and a thermoelectric element part between the body part and the solar panel. Claim 14 A method for manufacturing a solar charging backpack according to claim 13, wherein the thermoelectric element part is configured to be connected to at least one of the power storage part and the charging part. Claim 15 A control device for a solar charging backpack, comprising: a power generation control unit that controls the amount of power generated by a solar panel based on the amount of power stored in a power storage unit; and a charging control unit that controls the charging of the external electronic device performed in a charging unit based on the battery charge level of the external electronic device.

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