Solar Powered Utility Unit
First Claim
1. A utility unit, comprising:
- a battery;
a solar collector electrically coupled to the battery;
a water purification system comprising;
a water tank for purified water;
a reservoir for unpurified water;
a water purifier having a UV lamp;
a first tube coupled between the water tank and the water purifier;
a second tube coupled between the water purifier and the reservoir; and
an electric pump disposed in one of the two tubes for circulating water between the water tank and the water purifier wherein the electric pump is electrically coupled to the battery; and
an electronic control unit electronically coupled to the pump to control flow through the water purification system.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A solar power utility unit is disclosed that collects solar power during the day; stores the power in a battery pack; and distributes the energy stored in the battery to one or more utilities. The utilities can include a water purification system using a UV lamp, lights, AC electrical power to charge electronic devices, and a refrigerator. The utility unit has an electronic control unit to manage the electrical energy stored in the battery. The utilities can be ranked in priority and power turned off to lower priority utilities to ensure that the highest priority utility is serviced. Water purification system may be a continuous process with the water circulated by an electric pump, a batch process with the water transported by intermittent use of the electric pump, or a gravity feed process with valves to control the flow in and out of the purifier.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A utility unit, comprising:
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a battery; a solar collector electrically coupled to the battery; a water purification system comprising; a water tank for purified water; a reservoir for unpurified water; a water purifier having a UV lamp; a first tube coupled between the water tank and the water purifier; a second tube coupled between the water purifier and the reservoir; and an electric pump disposed in one of the two tubes for circulating water between the water tank and the water purifier wherein the electric pump is electrically coupled to the battery; and an electronic control unit electronically coupled to the pump to control flow through the water purification system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method to control a utility unit wherein the utility unit comprises:
- a battery;
a solar collector electrically coupled to the battery;
a first energy-drawing utility;
a second energy-drawing utility; and
an electronic control unit electronically coupled to the battery and the first and second utilities to manage energy stored in the battery, the method comprising;estimating an amount of energy stored in the battery; estimating a time for a next charging event; estimating a first energy draw by the first utility until the next charging event; and switching off power to the second energy-drawing utility when the first energy draw exceeds the estimated energy stored in the battery. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
- a battery;
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17. A purification system, comprising:
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an upper reservoir; a purifier coupled to the upper reservoir by a first tube with an upper valve between the purifier and the upper reservoir; and a lower reservoir coupled to the purifier by a second tube with a lower valve between the purifier and the lower reservoir wherein; a lowest portion of the upper reservoir is located above a highest portion of the purifier; a highest portion of the lower reservoir is located below a lowest portion of the purifier; and a volume of the purifier is substantially less than a volume of both a volume of the upper reservoir and a volume of the lower reservoir. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification