Electric charging roof on an automobile

• US 8,020,646 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2009
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• 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): PHAN, HAU VAN
• Application Number:
  US12/573,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20100018785A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.1, 180/65.3, 180/2.2, 180/2.1, 136/256, 136/244, 136/251, 136/246, 296/211, 296/215, 296/210
• US Class Current: 180/2.2
• 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 including sprayable particles of photovoltaic material, the particles including a fullerene single wall nanotube complex, the layer of photovoltaic material deposited on top of the layer of paint to form a solar panel connected to the energy storage unit.

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

3. The automobile of claim 1 wherein the layer of photovoltaic material includes sprayable particles of photovoltaic material which are cured.

4. The automobile of claim 3 wherein the particles of photovoltaic material comprise a plastic material including nanoparticles.

5. The automobile of claim 1 wherein the solar panel is a vaporware solar panel.

6. The automobile of claim 1 wherein a portion of the solar panel crumbles into dust when the solar panel is damaged by an impact to the automobile.

7. An automobile comprising:

an energy storage unit;

a solar panel comprising a layer of photovoltaic material deposited on top of a layer of paint, the layer of photovoltaic materials comprises two or more layers selected from a group consisting of Kapton, Molybdenum (Mo) and Zinc Oxide (ZnO); and

an electrical lead connecting the energy storage unit to the solar panel.

8. The automobile of claim 7 wherein the solar panel is a vaporware solar panel or an amorphous solar panel.

9. The automobile of claim 7 wherein the layer of photovoltaic material includes sprayable particles of fullerene single wall nanotube complex which are cured.

10. The automobile of claim 7 wherein the solar panel includes a substrate, an electrolyte layer, a dye layer, a non-porous titanium dixoide layer, and a transparent conductor.

11. The automobile of claim 7 wherein a portion of the solar panel crumbles into dust when the solar panel is damaged by an impact to the automobile.

12. A method comprising:

depositing a layer of paint on a roof of an automobile;

spraying a first layer of photovoltaic material on the layer of paint, the particles including a fullerene single wall nanotube complex, wherein the layer of paint and the first layer of photovoltaic material form a solar panel; and

curing the first layer of photovoltaic material.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising attaching the roof to the automobile, wherein forming the solar panel is performed before attaching the roof to the automobile.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising depositing a second layer of photovoltaic material on the first layer of photovoltaic material.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first layer of photovoltaic materials and the second layer of photovoltaic materials differ in shape, length, thickness and curvature.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the first layer of photovoltaic material comprises a substrate, an electrolyte layer, a dye layer, a nano-porous titania (titanium dioxide, TiO₂) and a transparent conductor.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the first layer of photovoltaic material is between 0.5 μ

m-20 μ

m.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the first layer of photovoltaic material comprises one or more materials selected from a group consisting of Kapton, Molybdenum (Mo) and Zinc Oxide (ZnO).