Collapsible Solar Lamp Structure for Portable Off-Grid Power
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional power sources, such as generators, are often inadequate and impractical for providing electricity in remote or disaster-stricken areas, where lighting and communication devices are essential but difficult to power due to lack of infrastructure and mobility issues.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible solar-powered lamp that can expand into a lantern form, featuring integrated solar panels, LEDs, and a rechargeable battery, allowing it to charge external devices and provide light, while being compact and portable for easy transportation and deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If conventional power sources like generators are used, then power supply capability is improved, but portability and ease of deployment deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into multiple collapsible side walls that can be folded together to form a compact structure for portability, yet expand to provide sufficient volume for power generation components and lighting functions when deployed
Solution Approach 2:
The side walls are designed to be dynamically transformable between collapsed and expanded states, allowing the device to transition from a portable compact form to a functional deployed form with adequate power supply capability
2Volume of moving object
If device size is reduced for portability, then ease of transportation is improved, but functionality and power generation capacity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The device employs a nested structure where side walls fold together and contain internal components, allowing the functional elements to be compacted within a small volume for transportation while maintaining full functionality when expanded
Solution Approach 2:
The device transitions from a two-dimensional collapsed state suitable for portability to a three-dimensional expanded state that provides sufficient volume for power generation and lighting functions, effectively using dimensional transformation to resolve the contradiction
3Use of energy by moving object
If solar panels are integrated into the device, then sustainability and energy independence are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The solar panels serve multiple functions: generating power for lighting, charging external devices, and providing energy independence, while the same structural framework supports both the solar panels and the collapsible mechanism, reducing overall complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device offers reliable and sustainable lighting and power solutions in remote or disaster scenarios, enabling efficient charging of devices and providing light with its expandable and collapsible design, addressing the limitations of traditional power sources.
Implementation Method 1
The device may also be provided with a plurality of solar panels, where, in the box example, each of the panels is on a different side of the box when it is expanded
Implementation Method 2
The use points may include light emitting diodes (LEDs) that are part of the device
Data Source
AI summary
A solar-powered lamp is disclosed. The lamp includes a plurality of radiating extensions, each being formed from a plurality of flat panels that can fold relative to each other along lines between respective ones of the plurality of flat panels; and an electronics assembly, wherein the lamp is collapsible, and the flat panels for each of the radiating extensions fold relative to each other as the lamp is collapsed.