Body part of a vehicle provided with a thin-film solar cell and the production thereof

• US 20060037641A1
• Filed: 08/12/2003
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Presting, Harmut, Konle, Johannes, Koeing, Ulf, Kibbel, Horst
• Application Number:
  US10/524,497
• Publication Number:
  US 20060037641A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 136/251
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 16/00 Arrangements in connection with power supply of propulsion units in vehicles from forces of nature, e.g. sun or wind electric propulsion with power supply from forces of nature, e.g. sun or wind B60L8/00; marine propulsion by wind motors driving water-engaging propulsive elements B63H13/00; wind motors specially adapted for installation on vehicles F03D9/32
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2016/003 solar power driven
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0392 including thin films deposited on metallic or insulating substrates ; characterised by specific substrate materials or substrate features or by the presence of intermediate layers, e.g. barrier layers, on the substrate textured substrates H01L31/02366
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/03921 including only elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/03923 including AIBIIICVI compound materials, e.g. CIS, CIGS
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/03925 including AIIBVI compound materials, e.g. CdTe, CdS
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/048 Encapsulation of modules
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0749 including a AIBIIICVI compound, e.g. CdS/CulnSe2 [CIS] heterojunction solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/541 CuInSe2 material PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/90 Energy harvesting concepts as power supply for auxiliaries' energy consumption, e.g. photovoltaic sun-roof

Abstract

The invention relates to a body part of a vehicle provided with a support and with a transparent covering layer. A thin-film solar cell is applied to said support. The support, together with the thin-film solar cell, is covered by the transparent covering layer. The transparent covering layer consists of a paint layer, particularly a clear varnish layer. The thin-film solar cell is a CIS-, CIGS-, CIGSS-, CdTe- or an Si-based (particularly Si/SiGe) thin-film solar cell.

Claims

1-12. -12. (canceled)

13. A bodywork part of a vehicle, comprising:

a carrier made of metal;

at least one thin-film solar cell disposed on the carrier;

a transparent cover layer covering the at least one thin-film solar cell and the carrier, wherein the carrier forms an electrode of the thin-film solar cell.

14. The bodywork part as recited in claim 13, wherein the carrier made of steel.

15. The bodywork part as recited in claim 13, wherein the transparent cover layer includes a coating layer.

16. The bodywork part as recited in claim 15, wherein the coating layer includes a clearcoat.

17. The bodywork part as recited in claim 13, wherein the thin-film solar cell includes at least one of a CIS-, a CIGS-, a CIGSS-, a CdTe- and a Si-based thin-film solar cell.

18. The bodywork part as recited in claim 13, further comprising an intermediate layer disposed between the transparent cover layer and the thin-film solar cell.

19. The bodywork part as recited in claim 18, wherein the intermediate layer includes at least one of CdS or ZnSe.

20. The bodywork part as recited in claim 13, further comprising a layer made of Tefzel is disposed between the transparent cover layer and the thin-film solar cell.

21. The bodywork part as recited in claim 13, further comprising upper electrodes formed using indium tin oxide and lower electrodes formed using at least one of copper, aluminum, steel, Kovar and molybdenum, the upper and lower electrodes serving as electrical contacts for the thin-film solar cell.

22. The bodywork part as recited in claim 20, wherein a color layer is provided on a side of the thin-film solar cell assigned to the transparent cover layer.

23. The bodywork part as recited in claim 22, wherein the color layer is formed by one of the transparent cover layer and the layer made of Tefzel.

24. The bodywork part as recited in claim 13, wherein the carrier has a curved surface.

25. The bodywork part as recited in claim 24, wherein the bodywork part is a part of one of a vehicle roof, a boot lid, a bonnet, a wing, a door and a bumper.

26. A method for producing a bodywork part of a vehicle, the method comprising:

providing a metallic carrier;

applying at least one thin-film solar cell on the carrier;

applying a transparent cover layer so as to cover the at least one thin-film solar cell and the carrier; and

using the metallic carrier as an electrode of the thin-film solar cell.

27. The method as recited in claim 26, wherein the transparent cover layer includes a clearcoat.