Solar-Charged Power Source
First Claim
1. A solar-charged power source for supplying electrical energy to an electronic device comprising:
- a photovoltaic cell for converting light into electricity;
a battery for storing at least a portion of said electricity converted by said photovoltaic cell;
an electrical circuit in communication with said battery, said photovoltaic cell, and providing a connection to said electronic device;
said electrical circuit comprising a microcontroller for monitoring and distributing the output generated by said photovoltaic cell between said power source, said battery and said electronic device wherein said microcontroller is in electrical communication with an electronic display panel to selectively provide an indication of a plurality of conditions.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A solar-charged power source for use in powering an electronic device, such as a game camera, comprises a housing, a photovoltaic cell provided on an upper surface of the housing, a battery and electronic circuitry, including a microcontroller, contained within the housing. A display is mounted on an outer surface of the housing and provides a user selectable indication of a microcontroller determined condition of the power source including the current charge state of the battery, a real time solar value indicating the electrical current production of the photovoltaic cell, a computed daily solar average and a weekly solar average of the current produced by the photovoltaic cell, based on the energy consumption requirements of the powered device.
29 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A solar-charged power source for supplying electrical energy to an electronic device comprising:
- a photovoltaic cell for converting light into electricity;
a battery for storing at least a portion of said electricity converted by said photovoltaic cell;
an electrical circuit in communication with said battery, said photovoltaic cell, and providing a connection to said electronic device;
said electrical circuit comprising a microcontroller for monitoring and distributing the output generated by said photovoltaic cell between said power source, said battery and said electronic device wherein said microcontroller is in electrical communication with an electronic display panel to selectively provide an indication of a plurality of conditions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
- a photovoltaic cell for converting light into electricity;
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11. A solar-charged power source for supplying electrical energy to an electronic device comprising:
a photovoltaic cell for converting light into electrical energy;
a battery for storing at least a portion of said electrical energy converted by said photovoltaic cell;
a microcontroller for managing an electrical current generated by said photovoltaic cell between said power source, said battery and said electronic device; and
a panel displaying an indication of a plurality of conditions of said power source.- View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A solar-charged power source for supplying electrical energy to an electronic device comprising:
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a housing;
a photovoltaic cell for converting a light source into an electricity mounted on an upper surface of said housing;
a battery for storing at least a portion of said electricity converted by said photovoltaic cell;a microcontroller for managing an electrical current generated by said photovoltaic cell between said power source, said battery and said electronic device; and
a panel displaying a user selectable indications of one of a plurality of operational conditions of said power source computed by said microcontroller.
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18. A process of for indicating to a user an operational performance characteristic of a solar-charged power source for powering an electronic device, the power source comprising:
- a photovoltaic cell for converting a light source into electricity;
an internal battery for storing said electricity;
an output for providing electrical communication between said power source and said electronic device;
a electronic circuit comprising a microcontroller in electrical communication with said photovoltaic cell, said internal battery, and said output; and
a display for providing indicia of said operational performance characteristic, the process comprising the steps of;a. sampling the electrical energy converted by said photovoltaic cell at a first predetermined interval; b. calculating in said microcontroller a real time solar value relative to a power requirement for said electronic device; and c. displaying indicia of said real time solar value on said display. - View Dependent Claims (17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
- a photovoltaic cell for converting a light source into electricity;
Specification