ELECTRICAL CHARGER SYSTEM FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC VEHICLE
CROSS REFERENCE FOR RELATED APPLICATIONS This claims the benefit of the Provisional Patent Application Number 60 / 118,943, registered on February 5, 1999. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Small electrically driven vehicles, typically referred to as electric cars, are widely used in golf courses and for a variety of applications for electric vehicles. Although electric cars for golf courses have been widely accepted, they usually need their batteries to recharge after 36 holes on the golf course. Therefore, an 18-hole golf course requires approximately 80 cars to meet the needs of golfers every day and a place or building large enough to store all strollers or golf carts at night, during which time batteries are recharged commonly. The process of recharging the batteries not only takes time, but if it does during the day hours they can significantly increase electricity costs by having to load the strollers during peak hours of customer demand. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to photovoltaic (PV) roof assemblies that allow batteries in the electric vehicle, usually referred to as an electric car, to be charged during operation which results in various benefits. These benefits include extending the utility of the electric car since the batteries are charged during its operation. The cost of the electricity used in the installation to charge the strollers is reduced since the batteries are usually charged, partly by sunlight during use. The life of the battery in the stroller can be extended since the discharge is reduced during the normal use of the car. By increasing the time that is required between charges, the utilization costs included in the process for recharging the batteries is reduced. Cars can be used more efficiently, so the number of cars required in the installation or on the golf course is reduced. Finally, there are other benefits to the environment that result from the reduced use of electricity from the facility and the potential need for fewer cars. A first aspect of the invention is directed to PV roof assemblies that are used in electric cars. The assembly includes a roof that is mounted on the electric car, which has a top. The PV assembly is placed on top of the roof. The PV assembly can be mounted on a separate roof surface or it can constitute all or part of the roof by itself. The PV set, according to the first aspect of the invention, includes a PV monolithic panel with a plurality of PV cells. Placing all PV cells as part of the monolithic PV panel reduces costs, simplifies construction and assembly and makes the system more reliable. Another aspect of the invention is a TV roof assembly that is used in electric cars. Together it includes a roof that is mounted on the electric car and a PV set on the top of the roof. The roof includes a lower part separated from the upper part and defines a storage region or zone between the upper and lower part of the roof. The roof includes an access opening, which opens into the storage region and a cover that can be moved to access the opening. This allows the car owner, operator and / or service technician to store and access various components in this area. Another aspect of the invention is directed to a system for charging photovoltaic electric cars that can be used in electric cars. The system includes a roof, which is mounted on an electric car, including a support surface. The photovoltaic assembly is secured to the surface of the support. The photovoltaic assembly includes a PV panel having a round edge while the roof includes a round lip extending around and above the PV assembly. The round lip helps prevent the PV panel from being damaged. To provide greater protection, a protective edge can be used at least in the round edge portion of the PV panel. The round lip may include a hole in which the round edge is inserted. Another aspect of the invention is directed to systems for charging photovoltaic electric cars that includes a car that can be mounted on an electric car. The roof includes a protector, a semitransparent protective layer, a lower layer and a PV secured between and in contact with the upper and lower parts. The lower layer, which is semitransparent, and the photovoltaic layer that is semi-transparent can be used to make a roof that is semitransparent by itself. According to another aspect of the invention, the assembly includes a roof that is mounted on an electric car, which includes an upper part. The photovoltaic unit PV, in the upper part of the roof, includes a number of solar cells, the average of photovoltaic cells according to the number of battery cells that from (a) approximately 4.80 to 5.48 photovoltaic cells per battery cells ^ and more preferably from 5.10 to 5.40 photovoltaic cells per battery cells, when the photovoltaic assembly comprises at least one crystalline and polycrystalline photovoltaic cell, (b) approximately 4.20 to 5.20 PV cells or battery cell, and more preferably from 4.40 to 5.00 photovoltaic cells per battery cells, when the set includes hybrid thin-film, and crystalline photovoltaic cells, and (c) approximately 4.10 to 5.50 photovoltaic cells per battery cells and more preferably from t.20 to 5.40 photovoltaic cells per battery cells, ~ when the photovoltaic unit understands that its photovoltaic cell is thin film. This design helps the PV set to self-regulate. Another aspect of the invention relates to an electric car and the photovoltaic system for charging the batteries in which the roof is mounted on the electric car and the photovoltaic assembly is placed on the upper part of the roof. The fogging system includes vapor outlets, from which steam or mist can be discharged, mounted on the roof. This allows to improve the comfort of the occupants when it is very sunny. Another aspect of the invention is related to the electric car and the photovoltaic system for charging batteries in which a graphic display is mounted either in the ceiling, or in the electric joke, or is kept in free form, to inform the driver about of the production of energy, the difficulties or impediments of contamination, the state of charge of the battery and / or any other information parameter related to the operation of the invention. Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following description to which all preferred embodiments relate, which are specified in detail together with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an electric car in which a set for PV roof made according to the invention is incorporated; Figure 2 is a rear and top right side isomeric view of the PV roof assembly according to Figure 1, - Figure 2A is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on the line 2A-2A of Figure 2 in which the opening of the trunk, which is directed towards the interior of the roof, is illustrated. - Figure 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2B-2B of Figure 2 passing through one of the supports in the roof; Figure 2C is a view used in which the rain outlet is illustrated along one of the rear corners of the roof of Figure 2; Figure 3 is an upper front left front isomeric view of the roof of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a bottom isomeric view of the roof of Figure 3e; Figure 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the invention in which the round edge of the panel PV is inserted into the circumferential depression extending at the edge of the roof to assist in protecting the edge of the panel PV; Figure 6 is a simplified overview of the assembly for the PV roof incorporating or including the packaging system coupled to the controller; and Figure 7 is a simplified cross-sectional view of a portion of an alternative embodiment of the invention in which the PV assembly constitutes the roof. DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS Figure 1 illustrates a covered electric car 2 including an electric car 4 covered with a roof assembly PV 6, the roof assembly PV 6 is fastened by a structure to support the roof 8. The car Electric 2 may be a conventional electric car such as that manufactured by Club Car, Inc., of Augusta, GA. While the PV 6 roof assembly is typically used for electric golf cars, it can also be used in other types of battery-driven cars and vehicles that can be designed for this use in which one, two or more occupants can travel. The PV 6 roof assembly can also be used with, for example, hybrid vehicles that use both electricity and fuel (ie internal combustion engine running on gasoline or natural gas) or petrol vehicles with driving celaas. Figures 2, 2A-2C and 3 illustrate the roof assembly PV 6. The assembly 6 includes a photovoltaic assembly 10 which is mounted on the roof 12. The photovoltaic assembly 10 includes a panel PV 14 having a circumferential edge 16 supported, generally with a C-shaped edge protector 18. The edge protector 18 is preferably made of rubber; It can also be made of other protective materials such as metal or plastic. It is preferable that the PV panel 14 is a monolithic PV panel. This eliminates many of the problems associated with ex-system for charging conventional vehicle batteries. That is, the systems for charging batteries - are conventional and usually use several panels in a generalized way, three panels, conventional solar interconnected with each other to create a solar panel array. Using only a monolithic photovoltaic panel, the interconnections between individual panels are eliminated, creating a system that can be more powerful, less expensive and more reliable than multi-panel systems. The photovoltaic panel 14 includes an array of individual photovoltaic cells 20 electrically coupled one to another in a desired pattern to provide the desired voltage and current output. Preferably, the photovoltaic panel 14 has a self-regulating voltage design. That is, the photovoltaic panel 14 is specially designed to adjust voltage characteristics of electric cars 4. This design maximizes the charge of electric current when the battery has low voltage (discharged) and self-regulates the charge (reduces) when the voltage of the battery is high. This self-regulation feature results in the use of an appropriate proportion of the photovoltaic cells of the individual battery cells. For crystalline and polycrystalline photovoltaic cells, the preferred self-regulation range is from 4.80 to 5.48 photovoltaic cells per battery cells, and more preferably from 5.10 to 5.40 photovoltaic cells per battery cells. For thin film / crystalline hybrid photovoltaic cells, the preferred range of self-regulation ranges from 4.20 to 5.20 photovoltaic cells per battery cell, and more preferably from 4.40 to 5.00 photovoltaic cells per battery cell. The preferred self-regulation of the thin film photovoltaic cells varies from 4.10 to 5.50 photovoltaic cells per battery cells and more preferably from 4.20 to 5.40 photovoltaic cells per battery cells. According to the above, self-regulation is achieved by the appropriate selection of the proportion of photovoltaic cells and battery cells, which p educes an optimum current to give the voltage condition to the battery. As can be seen in Figures 2A and 2B, the circumferential edge 16 of the PV panel 14 is below the upper edge 22 of the circumferential lip 24 of the roof 12. Therefore, in addition to the protective edge 18, the circumferential edge 16 also it is protected by the relative position because the relative position of the circumferential lip 24 is such that a golf ball G will never enter the space 26 between the two. More preferably, the distance between the corner Cl of the lip 24e and the corner C2 of the edge 16 is smaller than the diameter of a conventional golf ball G, which is approximately 4.3 centimeters, which makes the golf ball hit G on the edge 16 is possible. This can reduce or eliminate the need for protective edges 18. The roof 12 includes an upper wall 28 and a lower wall 30 which defines a storage area or region 32 therebetween. The top wall 28 has a fish flake shape design of the upwardly extending supports 34. The supports 34 include several patches of high strength double adhesive tape 36 which are used to secure the PV assembly to the roof 12. Tape patches 36 are preferably made of a relative thickness, such as for example 47 millimeters (.1875 inches) thick, of a relatively spongy material to not only provide adhesion but also a certain amount of damping to the vibration. Other techniques are used to secure the assembly PV 10 to the roof_12, such as for example using an adhesive, spring clip, shock mountings, toothed fasteners, clamps, etc. The laterally extending spacers (not shown) provide clearance between the upper and lower wall 28, 30. In addition to providing the mounting support for the PV panel 14, the brackets 34 also help to provide cool air -to the lower part of the panel PV 14. In addition, the fish-flake design of the supports 34 helps guide the rainwater towards the gutters 38, 39, which are seen in Figures 2A and 2B, which are formed together with the lip 24 along the ends of the roof 12. Water is emptied into the roof 12 through one or more drainage channels 40 shown in Figures 2 and 2C Figure 2B illustrates a cross-sectional view taken • along one of the fastened bands 42. Figure 2A is a section in cross section taken along the opening of the box 34 and the cover of the box 46. The opening 44 provides access to the storage area "I lie 32 so that you can n Mount various accessories in this area, such as a charge controller, steam pump (as described above), or other accessories, or still have space for the owner, user, or technician to use. Figure 4 illustrates the lower part of the roof 12. The roof 12 is designed to be used with one or more brands of electric cars 4 and is thus suitable for various applications. To adjust the different types of structures for roof support 8 in different brands of electric cars 4, various mounting holes are provided as I03 which are identified by the number 50, 51, along the bottom wall 30. Figure 2B illustrates a cross section of a typical mounting hole 48 placed in the ceiling 12. It is also they can make other installations, such as clamps, which can be removed or not, to allow the assembly 6 to be used with more than one type of electric car 4. The placement of the edge 16 in relation to the lip 24 of the edge protector 18 helps protect the circumferential edge 16 from any damage. Figure 5 illustrates, in simple form, an alternative method to protect the circumferential edge 16 of the panel PV 14 from any damage. In the embodiment of Figure 5, the circumferential lip 24A generally includes a u-shaped hole 52 that houses the circumferential edge 16 to support and help prevent damage to the circumferential edge. Figure 6 illustrates, in a very simplified form, the assembly for the PV 6B roof that includes steam pumps 53
(of which only one is shown) coupled to a water container 54 positioned within the storage zone 32 of the roof _2B as part of the fogging system. The container 54 can be made, for example, of a flexible sheet or a rigid container, or created by sealing all or in one of the parts of the region 32. The fogging pumps 53 include steam nozzle heads 49 in the proper placement along the entire steam pipe. The fogging system 55 also includes a pump 56 coupled to the controller 57. The controller 57 also engages the PV panel 14B and the batteries 58 to control the charging functions. The control panel 59 is coupled to the controller 57 to allow the controller to enter and access various operational parameters, such as, for example, the load level, the load average, the battery life, etc. The control panel 59 preferably includes a graphic display capable of presenting graphic and alphanumeric information to the user who is normally the driver of the car 2, in order to inform the user of, for example, an energy production, the problems with pollution and the state of charge of the battery. The fogging system 55 allows the PV6 roof joint to provide not only loads of the batteries 58, but also helps to provide a more pleasant environment for the occupants during a long sunny weather. The steam nozzle 49 can be placed in different positions in the PV roof assembly, the structure for supporting the roof and / or the car; for example, foggers can be placed on each corner of the PV roof assembly. The water container 54 can be placed in the car instead of the PV roof assembly. The tubes or tubing connect the water container 54 to the vaporizers 53 as well, for example, they can pass through hollow members of the ceiling support frame 8 and between the photovoltaic panel and the upper wall 12. The fogging system 55 it can be controlled manually, automatically or semiautomatically. The automatic control can be based on one or more factors such as the temperature and humidity, the intensity of the solar radiation, if the car is moving or is stopped, or if the car is occupied, etc. For example, the user can set the system 55 to fog continuously only when the seat is occupied and the ambient temperature is above 30 ° C (86 ° F). If the seat is occupied it can be detected, for example, by a pressure sensor, a proximity sensor or an infrared detector, coupled to the controller 57. The sensor to determine if the seat is occupied can also be used in the control of, for example, the volume of proportion or other aspects that affect the passenger of the car 2. The system 55 can also include aspects to reduce the excessive discharge of the batteries, as for example, the automatic proportion of the fogging system after a certain period; which can be useful to avoid a surcharge. Figure 7 illustrates in a simple schematic form, a cut of the photovoltaic roof assembly 6C that does not include the separation in the roof 12 as in the previous descriptions. In addition, the photovoltaic assembly 10C constitutes the roof. In this case, the photovoltaic assembly 10 includes a protective top part, at least semi-transparent, and a top layer 60 preferably transparent. A lower layer 62 and a security layer 64 PV between a and in contact with the upper and lower layers 60, 62. The PV layer 64 may be semi-transparent and the lower layer 62 may be transparent or semi-transparent such that the whole of 6C cars can be semi-transparent. By the term semitransparent it is intended to refer to layers that allow at least some of the sunlight to pass through, such as partially transparent and partially opaque surface, partially translucent and partially opaque, partially translucent and partially transparent. The modifications and variations can be made to the presented embodiments without departing from the object of the invention, which is defined in the claims below. Any and all patents, patent applications and printed publications mentioned above are incorporated by reference.