Hybrid electric generator

• US 8,193,440 B1
• Filed: 04/15/2009
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hussein M.A. Hajjar
• Original Assignee: Hussein M.A. Hajjar
• Inventors: Hajjar, Hussein M. A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Michener, Jennifer K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): McConnell, Marla D
• Application Number:
  US12/424,437
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• Field of Search: 136/200, 136/205, 136/206, 136/214, 136/215, 136/221, 136/224, 136/225, 136/230, 136/233
• US Class Current: 136/206
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 23/31 having discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lenses
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 60/00 Arrangements for storing heat collected by solar heat collectors working fluids forming pools or ponds F24S10/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 10/10 including a supplementary source of electric power, e.g. hybrid diesel-PV energy systems combinations with gas-turbine plants F02C6/00
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 10/13 characterised by the heat-exchanging means at the junction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

A device for producing energy and power utilizing incoming solar radiation to invoke a thermal differential inside the device to produce an electric current utilizing a phenomenon more commonly known as the Seebeck effect, which produces energy by heating the junction between two dissimilar metals to create an electric current stemming from both their other ends.

Claims

1. A hybrid electric generator for producing energy and power utilizing incoming infrared radiation to invoke a thermal differential to produce an electric current, the hybrid electric generator comprising:

a housing having a top plate with a plurality of lenses for focusing energy on a collector plate, a lower plate having a plurality of ridges, said collector plate being mounted to said lower plate via a plurality of spaced apart mesh sheets, where each of said plurality of mesh sheets contacts a respective one of said plurality of ridges, each of said plurality of ridges being hollow and having a moveable isolation strip disposed therein, a carrying board below said lower plate, the carrying board having a plurality of projections, each projection having vertical sides joined by a top surface, each of said projections being received by a respective one of said plurality of ridges, each projection having carrying rods extending through the top surface thereof, a plurality of linear actuators controlling the carrying rods to effect movement of the ridges with respect to the projections, and a plurality of thermo-electric couples disposed in said carrying board where the thermo-electric couples formed of crisscrossed dissimilar metals forming bimetallic or semiconductor junctions to produce the Seebeck effect to convert the radiant energy to electrical energy.

2. The hybrid electric generator according to claim 1, wherein areas between said mesh screens define thermal mass cavities.

3. The hybrid electric generator according to claim 1, the housing having a base plate and four side walls with each having a plurality of vented slots.

4. The hybrid electric generator according to claim 3, wherein said carrying board rests on carrying edges interiorly disposed on said side walls of said housing.

5. The hybrid electric generator according to claim 1, further including an external microprocessing unit to regulate distribution of generated power.

6. The hybrid electric generator according to claim 5, including a dry cell battery to store energy that is unused for later use.

7. The hybrid electric generator according to claim 1, wherein a lower surface of the carrying board is insulated.

8. The hybrid electric generator according to claim 2, wherein said thermal mass cavities have a thermal mass disposed therein and said ridges of said lower plate conduct heat energy from the thermo mass and radiate it to said thermo-electric couples in said carrying board.

9. The hybrid electric generator according to claim 8, wherein when the hybrid electric generator is generating power, the projections of said carrying board slide inside and are engulfed by the ridges of said lower plate.

10. The hybrid electric generator according to claim 1, wherein the thermal mass absorbs the heat from said collector plate and mesh sheets to store it to be used later.

11. The hybrid electric generator according to claim 7, wherein said thermo-electric couples in said carrying board have their junctions disposed at the peaks of the projections.

12. The hybrid electric generator according to claim 11, wherein a bottom end of said thermo-electric couples extend beyond the lower face of said carrying board passing through said insulation.

13. The hybrid electric generator according to claim 12, wherein said bottom ends of said thermo-electric couples are connected together in series.

14. The hybrid electric generator according to claim 5, wherein said linear actuators are controlled by said micro processing unit.

15. The hybrid electric generator according to claim 1, where the plurality of lenses are Fresnel lenses.