Camera with solar batteries connected in series or parallel

• US 4,328,456 A
• Filed: 02/21/1979
• Issued: 05/04/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Ryoichi, Uchiyama, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): PELLINEN, A DAVID
• Application Number:
  US06/013,550
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 136/89 AC, 136/293, 307/71, 320/2, 320/7, 320/16-18, 320/43, 323/15, 323/906, 354/22, 354/23 R, 354/51, 354/60 R
• US Class Current: 320/101
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 1/00 Film strip handling
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02021 for solar cells electrical connection means, e.g. junction boxes, specially adapted for structural association with photovoltaic modules H02S40/34
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 136/293 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 323/906 Solar cell systems

Abstract

A charge circuit for secondary batteries. The charge circuit encompasses a control circuit having as a power source accumulators chargeable with the current resulting from the electromotive force of a plural number of solar batteries built in a camera. The plural number of the solar batteries are distributed at a plural number of portions on the exterior of the camera. The plural number of the solar batteries are connected in series or parallel or, in accordance with necessity, a serial-parallel connection change-over of the solar batteries is carried out. Circuits for comparing the level at both terminals of each solar battery and for short-circuiting the terminal in accordance with the result of the comparison are provided.

Claims

1. A camera using a solar battery as a power source, comprising:

a first solar battery group including a plural number of solar batteries connected in series, said plural number of solar batteries being arranged in a dispersed manner on the surface of the camera;

a second solar battery group including a plural number of solar batteries connected in series, said plural number of solar batteries being arranged in a dispesed manner on the surface of the camera;

an accumulator to be charged with the photo-current produced with the first and the second solar battery groups;

non-return means connected between the first and the second means on the one hand, and the accumulator on the other hand, to prevent back current flow from the accumulator;

light measuring means connected to the accumulator, said means producing a signal corresponding to the brightness;

signal producing means for producing a signal corresponding to the voltage of the accumulator as a standard signal;

brightness detection means connected to the accumulator, said means comparing the output signal from the light measuring means with the standard signal from the signal producing means to produce a first signal when the output signal from the light measuring means is higher than the standard signal and a second signal when the output signal from the light measuring means is lower than the standard signal; and

change-over means for controlling the serial-parallel connection change-over of the first and second solar battery groups, said means connecting the first and the second solar battery groups in parallel when the first signal is applied and in series when the second signal is applied.

2. A power source device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising an exposure control means connected to the accumulator, said means controlling the exposure in accordance with the output of the light measuring means.

3. A power source device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

switching means coupled between both terminals of each solar battery, both terminals of the solar battery not being short-circuited when the switching means is opened, while both terminals are short-circuited when the switching means is closed; and

comparator means for comparing with each other the levels at both terminals of each of the solar batteries, said means opening the switching means when the difference between the levels at both terminals of the solar battery is higher than a certain determined value and closing the switching means when the difference is lower than the determined value.

4. A camera using a solar battery as a power source, comprising:

a first solar battery group including a plural number of solar batteries connected in series, said plural number of solar batteries being arranged in a dispersed manner on the surface of the camera;

a second solar battery group including a plural number of solar batteries connected in series, said plural number of solar batteries being arranged in a dispersed manner on the surface of the camera;

an accumulator to be charged with the photo-current produced with the first and the second solar battery groups;

non-return means connected between the first and the second means on the one hand, and the accumulator on the other hand, to prevent the back current flow from the accumulator;

signal producing means for producing a signal corresponding to the voltage of the accumulator as a standard signal;

comparator means coupled to the accumulator, said means comparing the signal from a certain determined portion of the first solar battery group with the standard signal from the signal producing means to produce a first signal when the signal from the determined portion is higher than the standard signal and a second signal when the signal from the determined portion is lower than the standard signal;

change-over means for controlling the serial-parallel connection change-over of the first and the second solar battery groups, said means connecting the first and the second solar battery groups in parallel when the first signal is applied and in series when the second signal is applied;

switching means coupled to both terminals of each of the solar batteries, both terminals of the solar battery not being short-circuited when the switching means is opened, while both terminals are short-circuited when the switching means is closed; and

comparator means for comparing the levels at both terminals of each of the solar batteries, said means opening the switching means when the difference between the levels at both terminals of the solar battery is higher than a certain determined value and closing the switching means when the difference between the levels is lower than the determined value.

5. A camera having a solar battery, comprising:

a plural number of solar battery groups each including a certain number of solar batteries connected to each other and arranged in a dispersed manner on the surface of the camera;

an accumulator to be charged with the photo-current produced with the plural number of solar battery groups;

non-return means connected between the plural number of solar battery groups and the accumulator to prevent back current flow from the accumulator;

a plural number of standard signal producing means connected to the accumulator, each of said means producing a one signal of standard level, signals of standard level produced by the standard signal producing means being different from each other in their signal level in stepwise manner;

a plural number of brightness detection means connected to the accumulator, said means comparing the signal from a certain determined portion of the solar battery groups with the standard signal of the standard signal producing means to produce a first signal when the signal from the determined portion of the solar battery groups is higher than the respective standard signal and a second signal when the signal from the determined portion of the solar battery groups is lower than the respective standard signal, the plural number of brightness detection means inverting the signals different from each other step-wise produced in accordance with the change of the level of the signal from a certain determined portion; and

change-over means for controlling the serial-parallel connection combination of the plural number of solar battery groups step by step from the totally serial connection to the totally parallel connection in accordance with the first, the second or the combination of both signals from the plural number of brightness detection means.

6. A camera in accordance with claim 5, further comprising:

switching means coupled between both terminals of each solar battery, both terminals of the solar battery not being short-circuited when the means is opened, while both terminals are short-circuited when the means is closed; and

comparator means for comparing with each other the levels at both terminals of each of the solar batteries, said means opening the switching means when the difference between the levels at both terminals of the solar battery is higher than a certain determined value and closing the switching means when the difference is lower than the determined value.

7. A camera having a solar battery, comprising:

a plural number of solar batteries connected in series and arranged in a dispersed manner on the surface of the camera;

a first accumulator to be charged with the photocurrent produced with the plural number of solar batteries;

a second accumulator to be charged with the photocurrent produced with the plural number of solar batteries;

non-return means connected between the plural number of solar batteries on the one hand, and the first and the second accumulator on the other hand, to prevent the back current flow from the first and the second accumulator;

signal producing means for producing a signal corresponding to the voltage of either of the first and second accumulators as a standard signal;

brightness detection means connected to the first and the second accumulator, said means for comparing the signal from a certain determined portion of the plural number of solar batteries with the standard signal from the signal producing means to produce a first signal when the signal from the determined portion of the plural number of solar batteries is higher than the standard signal and a second signal when the output signal from the determined portion is lower than the standard signal;

change-over means for controlling the serial-parallel connection change-over of the first and second accumulator, said means connecting the first and the second accumulator in series when the first signal is applied and in parallel when the second signal is applied.