HYBRID VEHICLE WITH ADJUSTABLE MODULAR SOLAR PANEL TO INCREASE CHARGE GENERATION
First Claim
1. A solar battery charging system for a vehicle comprising:
- a solar panel including solar cells provided in at least one of a truck bed cover and a moon roof, a tilt angle adjustment mechanism attached to the at least one of the truck bed cover and the moon roof enabling movement of the solar panel according to a direction of the sun;
a sensor for determining a tilt angle of the solar panel where the solar panel provides substantially a maximum output; and
a controller connected to the sensor and tilt angle adjustment mechanism for adjusting the tilt angle adjustment mechanism to the angle determined by the sensor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Solar cells are attached to vehicle components such as a moon roof (2) or truck bed cover (12, 13) to create modular solar panels. An adjustable mount (4, 10) can be attached to the solar panels to adjust the angle of the solar cells in a direction of the sun. Sensing for solar tracking the sun angle can be performed using solar cells of the solar panel itself, or a separate sensor (7). A telescoping moon roof mount mechanism (16) can allow a first solar panel (17) to be extended above a vehicle roof to allow additional solar panels (18, 19) to be telescoped out and also exposed to the sun. An additional battery (15, 100) can be mounted in the truck bed cover and connected in parallel with the hybrid battery (42).
106 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A solar battery charging system for a vehicle comprising:
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a solar panel including solar cells provided in at least one of a truck bed cover and a moon roof, a tilt angle adjustment mechanism attached to the at least one of the truck bed cover and the moon roof enabling movement of the solar panel according to a direction of the sun;
a sensor for determining a tilt angle of the solar panel where the solar panel provides substantially a maximum output; and
a controller connected to the sensor and tilt angle adjustment mechanism for adjusting the tilt angle adjustment mechanism to the angle determined by the sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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- 8. A solar battery charging system for a vehicle comprising solar cells forming at least one solar panel provided on a truck bed cover.
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14. A solar charging system comprising:
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a first solar panel including multiple solar cells;
a second solar panel including multiple solar cells mounted on a vehicle with the first solar panel;
a telescoping mechanism for telescopically moving the second panel relative to the first solar panel so that the solar cells of the second solar panel will be alternatively exposed to the sun in addition to the first solar panel in a first position and blocked from the sun by the first solar panel in the second position. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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Specification