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Potted domed solar panel capsule and traffic warning lamps incorporating sameRelated Patent Categories: Batteries: Thermoelectric And Photoelectric, PhotoelectricPotted domed solar panel capsule and traffic warning lamps incorporating same description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060076047, Potted domed solar panel capsule and traffic warning lamps incorporating same. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY [0001] This invention relates generally to durable solar panel capsules that encapsulate solar panels, that provide protection and enhance the solar generation of electricity in conditions where light is incident at low angles to the plane of the solar panel. More particularly, the solar panel is embedded in a polymer in a unitized, potted construction. The use of polyurethane as the polymer produces a durable product that is transparent and resistant to both thermal and mechanical stresses. The solar panel capsule is formed with a generally convex or domed top to improve the panel's ability to capture light, to facilitate run-off of rain and debris, and to deflect glancing blows. BACKGROUND [0002] Solar panels are widely used as a convenient and portable supply of electricity. The planar photovoltaic devices in such panels usually comprise a planar array of interconnected delicate semiconductor wafers. Typical wafers generate approximately one-half volt each, and may be connected either serially or in parallel to supply voltages and currents of selected magnitudes. [0003] In conjunction with a rechargeable battery, solar panels are now used as power sources in locations that would otherwise be difficult to service with electric power. For example, solar panels are an ideal choice for marine, highway or road construction warning signs or lamps, as they do not require the installation of electric power cable and they can be left unattended for long periods of time. [0004] In many situations, lights attached to batteries powered by solar panels are used for hazard warnings. The public at large come to rely on them and, in the event of failure, the consequences may be very serious. The solar panel assemblies used in these situations need to be reliable. [0005] To maximize the amount of electricity generated, solar panels are oriented towards the sun; the plane of the wafer array is preferably generally perpendicular to the angle of incidence of the light striking the solar panel. However, where solar panels are left unattended in locations prone to vandalism or they are installed by unskilled personnel or are mounted on a moving object such as a boat or a buoy, it may be impractical to keep the panel pointed at the sun The best that can be done is to have the solar panel face generally upwards towards the sky or towards the expected location of the sun or of the best source of ambient light. [0006] To be effective in more northerly latitudes or where the sun is otherwise low in the sky, solar panels must make efficient use of the modest amounts of light available. A number of known techniques are used to achieve this: [0007] (1) Mirrors or lenses are used to capture a relatively large proportion of the available light and direct it onto the solar panel. [0008] (2) Air gaps and sharp changes in refractive index where materials meet are avoided so that incident light is not reflected away. This problem can be particularly severe where the solar panel is in a location where the sun is low in the sky. [0009] (3) The materials through which the light passes are selected to be highly transparent, and the path length through lossy material is kept to a minimum. [0010] (4) The surface of the solar panel is kept free of dust, debris and bird faeces. [0011] (5) Software and electronics are dedicated to the task of making best use of the energy available. [0012] The solar panels and the devices they power need to be durable when they are placed in remote locations or are required to operate reliably under difficult conditions. Once installed, they should last without attention for as long as possible--certainly for several years. For example, such devices can be expected to be subject to: [0013] mechanical stresses (from vibration, wind or rough handling); [0014] thermal stresses (from extreme temperatures or large fluctuations in temperature); [0015] corrosion (at sea or in industrial applications); [0016] erosion (from wind or water borne particulates); or [0017] vandalism in some locations. [0018] The following patents issued in the United States each address some of the above design challenges: [0019] (1) U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,735--"Solar cell powered beacon", Pagnol and others, 1988. [0020] The Pagnol design places the solar cells near the outside of a caisson which assists in light capture but leaves the solar panel vulnerable to accidental damage and abuse from vandals. The geometry provides no assistance in gathering light in low-light situations and a centrally placed lamp casts a shadow over a portion of the solar panel. [0021] (2) U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,060--"Solar cell packaging assembly for self-contained light", Szekely and others, 1991. [0022] Szekely describes a packaging assembly suitable for a "light peg" with a flat solar panel and an air gap between the cover and the solar cells. The flatness of the panel make this device unsuitable for use in locations where there is not plenty of illumination from above. The interface between the air gap and the exterior cover forms a surface at which there is a sharp change in refractive index. At low angles of incidence this causes much of the light to be reflected away. [0023] (3) U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,033 "Solar powered warning device", Cha, 1997. [0024] This warning device makes use of a dome-shaped upper surface and a focusing effect to capture extra light. However, it has a hollow casing with an air cavity that may cause reflection of light arriving at low angles of incidence. The case is not of a unitized construction and can thus be expected to be less durable and more prone to failure from mechanical stress [0025] (4) U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,852 "Buoy lantern system", Dodge, 1986. [0026] This lantern has several moving parts and seals. Over time these are bound to deteriorate, allowing seawater to enter and the light to fail. An air gap between the domed cover and the solar cells will cause reflection of incident light at low angles of incidence. [0027] A number of issued patents include descriptions of methods or selections of materials for embedding the fragile solar cell wafers in an encapsulant material. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,097,308 (Klein et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,081 (Kawamura et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,380,038 (Anderson et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,129 (Gupta et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,526 (Nakano et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,070 (Berman et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,032 (Oido et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,755 (Huschka et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,062 (Anderson et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,139 (Schmitt et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,141 (Inoue et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,970 (Czubatjy et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 6,114,046 (Hanoka) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,204,443 B1 (Kiso et al.) all disclose methods for protecting solar cells by encapsulation or sandwiching in a flat planar configuration. Such arrangements are of limited utility in more challenging environments, as flat panels must be securely mounted to face the sun. Flat panels of this sort are frequently mounted in frames of the sort shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,032 (Oido et al.). Such frames form a rim which is itself a source of mechanical failure, leakage and debris build-up. Flat panels of this sort are more prone to breakage from vandalism [0028] In U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,552, Green et al. disclose a light assembly that has its solar panel encapsulated in a potting material with an exterior protective cover. The solar panel is disposed at the top and near the surface of the light assembly. In this position the solar panel suffers from the following problems: [0029] the delicate solar cells are near the surface of the assembly and accordingly are subject to damage from shock (vandals) or from thermal stress; [0030] as the solar panel faces upwards, it is unable to capture light at low angles of incidence; and [0031] the exterior protective shell can delaminate from the potting material, causing a gap that reflects light away. [0032] In U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,985, Green et al. disclose a solar-powered light assembly that is permanently sealed using a potted construction. This provides a rugged construction but does not disclose any features, such as a domed upper surface, that make these lamps suitable for low ambient light conditions. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0033] The object of the present invention is to provide a rugged, durable and reliable solar powered generator in a unitized construction that can be potted with other components to provide a sealed device that is able to resist mechanical and thermal stress and which is able to operate in unfavourable conditions of low ambient light or in northern latitudes. The present invention so provides by potting (embedding) the solar panel in a polymer in a unitized structure that may aptly be termed a capsule. The preferred use of polyurethane as the polymer produces a durable product that is transparent and resistant to both thermal and mechanical stresses. The solar panel capsule is formed with a generally convex or domed top to improve the panel's ability to capture light, to facilitate run-off of rain and debris, and to deflect glancing blows. Continue reading about Potted domed solar panel capsule and traffic warning lamps incorporating same... 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