Electric charging roof on an automobile

• US 7,597,388 B1
• Filed: 07/02/2008
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Samuel, Woodson Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Kiran B.
• Application Number:
  US12/167,192
• Time in Patent Office: 461 Days
• Field of Search: 296/210, 296/97.7, 427/74, 521/733, 257/E27.125, 257/E31.041, 136/252, 136/206, 136/256, 244/172.7
• US Class Current: 296/210
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0001 characterised by position
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0028 Ceiling, e.g. roof rails
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 9/2031 comprising titanium oxide, e.g. TiO2 H01G9/2036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electric charging roof on an automobile. The present invention can be or a method of manufacture of an automobile having a body with an interior, a roof attached to the body, a layer of paint coated on top of the roof, an energy storage unit located within the interior of the body, and a layer of photovoltaic material deposited on top of the layer of paint to form a solar panel connected to the energy storage unit.

Claims

1. An automobile comprising:

a body with an interior;

a roof attached to the body;

a layer of paint coated on top of the roof;

an energy storage unit located within the interior of the body; and

a layer of photovoltaic material deposited on top of the layer of paint to form a solar panel connected to the energy storage unit;

an antenna located on the roof and connected to the interior of the body through an antenna connection; and

an electrical lead connecting the solar panel to the energy storage unit, the electrical lead traversing the antenna connection.

2. The automobile of claim 1 wherein the solar panel is a thin film solar panel resistant to shattering.

3. The automobile of claim 2 wherein particles of photovoltaic material are sprayed onto the layer of the paint to form the layer of photovoltaic material.

4. The automobile of claim 3 wherein the layer of photovoltaic material is cured after the particles of photovoltaic material are sprayed onto the layer of paint to form the solar panel.

5. The automobile of claim 4 wherein the particles of photovoltaic material comprise a fullerene single wall nanotube complex.

6. The automobile of claim 4 wherein the particles of photovoltaic material comprise a plastic material including nanoparticles.