EP2941589A2 - Solar powered lamp - Google Patents
Solar powered lampInfo
- Publication number
- EP2941589A2 EP2941589A2 EP14735197.7A EP14735197A EP2941589A2 EP 2941589 A2 EP2941589 A2 EP 2941589A2 EP 14735197 A EP14735197 A EP 14735197A EP 2941589 A2 EP2941589 A2 EP 2941589A2
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- photovoltaic panel
- solar powered
- closure
- powered lantern
- lighting element
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F21V33/00—Structural combinations of lighting devices with other articles, not otherwise provided for
- F21V33/0004—Personal or domestic articles
- F21V33/0024—Household or table equipment
- F21V33/0036—Table-ware or table equipment, e.g. dishes, cutlery or trays
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
- F21S9/00—Lighting devices with a built-in power supply; Systems employing lighting devices with a built-in power supply
- F21S9/02—Lighting devices with a built-in power supply; Systems employing lighting devices with a built-in power supply the power supply being a battery or accumulator
- F21S9/03—Lighting devices with a built-in power supply; Systems employing lighting devices with a built-in power supply the power supply being a battery or accumulator rechargeable by exposure to light
- F21S9/037—Lighting devices with a built-in power supply; Systems employing lighting devices with a built-in power supply the power supply being a battery or accumulator rechargeable by exposure to light the solar unit and the lighting unit being located within or on the same housing
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F21V23/00—Arrangement of electric circuit elements in or on lighting devices
- F21V23/04—Arrangement of electric circuit elements in or on lighting devices the elements being switches
- F21V23/0414—Arrangement of electric circuit elements in or on lighting devices the elements being switches specially adapted to be used with portable lighting devices
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D51/00—Closures not otherwise provided for
- B65D51/24—Closures not otherwise provided for combined or co-operating with auxiliary devices for non-closing purposes
- B65D51/248—Closures not otherwise provided for combined or co-operating with auxiliary devices for non-closing purposes the closure being provided with transient audible or visual signaling means, e.g. for indicating dispensing, or other illuminating or acoustic devices, e.g. whistles
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F21V23/00—Arrangement of electric circuit elements in or on lighting devices
- F21V23/04—Arrangement of electric circuit elements in or on lighting devices the elements being switches
- F21V23/0414—Arrangement of electric circuit elements in or on lighting devices the elements being switches specially adapted to be used with portable lighting devices
- F21V23/0428—Arrangement of electric circuit elements in or on lighting devices the elements being switches specially adapted to be used with portable lighting devices the switch being part of, or disposed on the lamp head portion thereof
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED
- F21Y2103/00—Elongate light sources, e.g. fluorescent tubes
- F21Y2103/10—Elongate light sources, e.g. fluorescent tubes comprising a linear array of point-like light-generating elements
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED
- F21Y2107/00—Light sources with three-dimensionally disposed light-generating elements
- F21Y2107/90—Light sources with three-dimensionally disposed light-generating elements on two opposite sides of supports or substrates
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED
- F21Y2115/00—Light-generating elements of semiconductor light sources
- F21Y2115/10—Light-emitting diodes [LED]
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02W—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
- Y02W30/00—Technologies for solid waste management
- Y02W30/50—Reuse, recycling or recovery technologies
- Y02W30/82—Recycling of waste of electrical or electronic equipment [WEEE]
Definitions
- the invention is directed to a solar powered lantern having a lighting element powered by a rechargeable battery.
- the lighting element is formed integrally with a bottle closure which can be threaded onto a discarded plastic bottle, such that the light emitting diodes (LEDs) of the lighting element extend into the bottle.
- a photovoltaic panel on the closure recharges the battery during sunlight hours.
- the invention may be used to provide access to affordable light in the developing world, and in the developed world may serve an aesthetic and/or promotional purpose.
- a solar powered lantern comprising: a translucent plastic base having a closed bottom end, a top end, and a threaded opening at the top end.
- the plastic base is a discarded plastic bottle such as a standard polyethylene terephthalate beverage container, which may be clear or colored.
- a threaded closure is provided mating with the threaded opening at the top end of the base, having a flat top surface and a photovoltaic panel arranged on the top surface.
- a rechargeable battery is arranged on a side of the closure opposite the photovoltaic panel and is connected to the photovoltaic panel.
- An elongated lighting element connected to the rechargeable battery is arranged on a side of the closure opposite the photovoltaic panel and comprises an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs) extending away from the top surface of the closure into the base.
- LEDs light emitting diodes
- the lighting element is provided separately, and the user may adapt the lighting element in a discarded container to form a lantern.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a solar lantern according to an embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 2 depicts a lighting element according to an embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 3 depicts the interior of the top portion of the lighting element of FIG. 2.
- FIG. 4 depicts the lower portion of the lighting element of FIG. 2, comprising a tube with an elongated array of LEDs.
- a solar powered lantern according to the invention includes a photovoltaic panel and a battery integrated into a cap or closure which fits onto a standard threaded opening of a plastic bottle, such as a conventional
- PET polyethylene terephthalate
- the lighting element 20 comprises a photovoltaic panel 30 on the top surface of the cap.
- the cap may be approximately 55 mm in diameter, calculated to provide sufficient area so that the photovoltaic panel can generate sufficient current to recharge the battery for a predetermined number of hours of operation at the desired light level, as described below.
- the lighting element 20 screws onto the bottle 12 using the same thread pattern as the original cap (in the case of a discarded and recycled base container), creating a water tight seal. This allows the bottle 12 to be filled with water to create a weighted base for the lantern. Alternatively, sand or other solid material may be added to the container to provide a weighted base.
- Additional reflective materials may be provided in the container to increase the diffusivity of the light.
- the lighting element 20 comprises a rechargeable battery which powers an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs) extending into the container 12.
- LEDs light emitting diodes
- four LEDs 22 are provided, however the number of LEDs in the array may be left to the skill of the artisan to decide.
- a "U-shaped" wire handle 40 acts as both a carrying handle and ON/OFF switch.
- a printed circuit board (PCB) 33 provides the circuitry to power the array of LEDs at different power levels and to power different LEDs in the array. Small embossed tabs on the cap allow the
- handle/switch 40 to click into three positions. In a first position on one side, the lantern is off, while in the second position (vertical, for example) the lantern is
- the battery operation time at FULL ON mode with a full battery charge is preferably greater than 1 hour, more preferably greater than 2 hours and still more preferably 4 hours or greater.
- the selection of the brightness of the LED array is also left to the skill of the artisan, and is preferably greater than 10 lumens, and more preferably 20 lumens or greater. To meet the majority of international standards (Lighting Africa, United Nations UNDESA, Nigeria SONCAP, etc.) it may be preferable to achieve a minimum of 20 lumens in the FULL ON condition. Using this design point, an exemplary but non-limiting
- the photovoltaic panel is then designed to collect this amount of enery as follows:
- the photovoltaic panel In order to generate this amount of energy, using standard polycrystaline photovoltaic cells the photovoltaic panel must have almost 1300 mm 2 of surface area, yielding a 36x36mm square collection area, or diagonal dimension of 51mm. In the selected design, the diameter of the cap is 55mm.
- This solar panel may be made of eight (8) photovoltaic chips arranged in a 2 x 4 array, each photovoltaic chip being 9 x 18 mm in size, to provide ease of handling and limit breakage.
- This collected solar energy is then stored in a rechargeable, replaceable battery rated at 2000 charging cycles, such as an N-type LiFeP0 4 battery with 350mA-hr capacity.
- This battery can be fully charged by the solar panel in under 8 hours, and will provide more than the desired 4 hours of use at full intensity in the lantern mode. In the task lighting mode the battery will provide about 9 hours of light.
- the cap may be made of an injection molded plastic (such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or equivalent) that provides the structure for the solar panel, the handle, the bottle threads, the lamp/battery assembly, and a tube containing the LED array.
- ABS acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
- the switch assembly is attached to the underside of the solar panel PCB.
- the lap/battery assembly sits in a slot within solar panel PCB and is soldered in place to form the electrical connections.
- the standard 3-postion switch is mounted on the bottom side of the photovoltaic panel.
- Two small injection molded parts (ABS or equivalent) form the switch mechanism. The first is the “saddle” which is fitted over the switch.
- the “lever” attaches to the wire handle and allows the switch to be turned to the first side, vertical and second side positions. A rectangular shape on the end of the wire keeps the lever from slipping.
- the PCB may include a switch, a current limiting resistor for the LEDs, a dark current diode to prevent the panel from discharging the battery, and a simple battery charger chip to protect the battery. While other electronics may be employed, this minimal configuration provides for a low manufacturing cost.
- optical tube 24 houses the LED array 22 and battery 43.
- the tube 24 is provided a waterproof seal for these elements using a small o-ring 44 at the top of the tube. This also provides the mechanical element that holds the tube in place inside the cap. Thus, the tube may be removed from the cap for replacement of the battery. When a new battery is inserted, the tube may be plugged back into the cap and snapped into place.
- the optical tube is an injection molded part (clear ABS or equivalent) that provides refractive and reflective elements near the LEDs. These elements are designed to capture the light emitted from each LED and redirect the light downwards to create a uniform disk of light about 1 meter in diameter (when in the lantern mode).
- the LED array and battery are assembled with a basic fiberglass PCB 33 with a rectangular shape cut in the middle to house the battery.
- the LEDs are mounted on both sides of the board.
- the card edge style terminations on the end of the PCB 33 are right angle soldered directly to the photovoltaic panel and provide the connections for the battery and for the LEDs.
- the lantern may be provided with a power management circuit to correspond with a daytime/nighttime usage scheme.
- a cycle consists of 2 phases. The cycle starts during the morning time which is the charging phase. Followinged by the nighttime/lighting phase during which the stored energy is utilized.
- sunlight falling on the photovoltaic panel is converted to electric energy in the form of a direct current.
- the direct current generated charges the battery with the aid of the power management circuit.
- the battery stores the electric energy for later use when the sun goes down or when the ambient light intensity drops below 5-15 Lux.
- a light sensor may be provided to detect light intensity for this purpose. During the morning time the light intensity switch will ensure that the circuit connecting the battery to the LEDs is open.
- the battery, power management circuit, LED array, photovoltaic panel and light sensor may be wired together to form two circuits that share the same battery, power management circuit and light sensor.
- the first circuit connects the photovoltaic panel to the battery through the power management circuit and the light sensor.
- the second circuit connects the battery, light sensor and the LED array.
- the light sensor ensures that only one of the two circuits is closed depending on the ambient light flux. Using this daytime/nighttime usage scheme, the lantern could effectively be positioned
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Sustainable Development (AREA)
- Non-Portable Lighting Devices Or Systems Thereof (AREA)
- Led Device Packages (AREA)
- Arrangement Of Elements, Cooling, Sealing, Or The Like Of Lighting Devices (AREA)
- Photovoltaic Devices (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US201361748637P | 2013-01-03 | 2013-01-03 | |
PCT/US2014/010246 WO2014107621A2 (en) | 2013-01-03 | 2014-01-03 | Solar powered lamp |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP2941589A2 true EP2941589A2 (en) | 2015-11-11 |
EP2941589A4 EP2941589A4 (en) | 2016-07-13 |
Family
ID=51062554
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP14735197.7A Withdrawn EP2941589A4 (en) | 2013-01-03 | 2014-01-03 | Solar powered lamp |
Country Status (8)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP2941589A4 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2016506056A (en) |
CN (1) | CN104870888A (en) |
BR (1) | BR112015015958A2 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2896105A1 (en) |
PH (1) | PH12015501513A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2014107621A2 (en) |
ZA (1) | ZA201504874B (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2015058220A1 (en) * | 2013-10-02 | 2015-04-23 | Suttner Michael Clive | Light |
CN105371115A (en) * | 2015-10-29 | 2016-03-02 | 李立新 | Bottle core lamp |
CN114937423A (en) * | 2022-06-14 | 2022-08-23 | 陕西国际商贸学院 | Energy-saving multipurpose advertising device |
Family Cites Families (12)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6200000B1 (en) * | 1999-03-22 | 2001-03-13 | Lane E. Burnidge | Illuminating insert for a carrier for articles such as jack-o-lanterns and the like |
GB2382915A (en) * | 2001-11-08 | 2003-06-11 | Cambridge Display Tech Ltd | Display unit |
AU2004314083B2 (en) * | 2003-12-17 | 2009-02-05 | Schneider Electric Industries Sas | Luminous turning button |
US7448347B2 (en) * | 2005-12-16 | 2008-11-11 | Simon Nicholas Richmond | Illuminated hummingbird feeder |
US7771073B2 (en) * | 2008-02-27 | 2010-08-10 | Co-Union Industry Co., Ltd. | Luminous water bottle |
WO2010000882A1 (en) * | 2008-07-01 | 2010-01-07 | Joaquin Ruiz Millet | Luminous stopper for receptacles |
US20100214774A1 (en) * | 2009-02-26 | 2010-08-26 | Tzu-Wei Liu | Light emitting device with a solar bulb |
DE202009012026U1 (en) * | 2009-09-04 | 2009-11-26 | MACY one UG (haftungsbeschränkt) | Light body with hollow body |
US8662696B2 (en) * | 2011-02-04 | 2014-03-04 | Colonial Tin Works, Inc. | Solar-powered jar lid |
KR20120118406A (en) * | 2011-04-18 | 2012-10-26 | 주식회사 필룩스 | Lighting apparatus |
CN202118771U (en) * | 2011-06-01 | 2012-01-18 | 杭州网豆数字技术有限公司 | Solar bottle lamp |
US8525441B2 (en) * | 2011-12-06 | 2013-09-03 | LT Lighting (Taiwan) Corp. | Lamp powering technology |
-
2014
- 2014-01-03 EP EP14735197.7A patent/EP2941589A4/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2014-01-03 JP JP2015551793A patent/JP2016506056A/en active Pending
- 2014-01-03 CN CN201480003647.8A patent/CN104870888A/en active Pending
- 2014-01-03 CA CA2896105A patent/CA2896105A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2014-01-03 WO PCT/US2014/010246 patent/WO2014107621A2/en active Application Filing
- 2014-01-03 BR BR112015015958A patent/BR112015015958A2/en not_active Application Discontinuation
-
2015
- 2015-07-02 PH PH12015501513A patent/PH12015501513A1/en unknown
- 2015-07-07 ZA ZA2015/04874A patent/ZA201504874B/en unknown
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
BR112015015958A2 (en) | 2018-01-23 |
EP2941589A4 (en) | 2016-07-13 |
ZA201504874B (en) | 2016-12-21 |
JP2016506056A (en) | 2016-02-25 |
WO2014107621A3 (en) | 2014-10-23 |
CA2896105A1 (en) | 2014-07-10 |
PH12015501513A1 (en) | 2015-09-21 |
CN104870888A (en) | 2015-08-26 |
WO2014107621A2 (en) | 2014-07-10 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
|
17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 20150716 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A2 Designated state(s): AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR |
|
AX | Request for extension of the european patent |
Extension state: BA ME |
|
DAX | Request for extension of the european patent (deleted) | ||
A4 | Supplementary search report drawn up and despatched |
Effective date: 20160610 |
|
RIC1 | Information provided on ipc code assigned before grant |
Ipc: F21Y 115/10 20160101ALN20160606BHEP Ipc: F21L 4/00 20060101ALI20160606BHEP Ipc: F21S 9/03 20060101AFI20160606BHEP Ipc: F21V 33/00 20060101ALI20160606BHEP |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN |
|
18D | Application deemed to be withdrawn |
Effective date: 20170110 |