Patent Application
20250134224
The invention relates in general to the technical field of parasols, particularly those intended to protect from the sun and/or rain.
The invention relates more specifically to such parasols which are at least partly energy autonomous, that is, configured to be able to restore energy.
Cafés, restaurants and hotels frequently accommodate customers outside their establishments, particularly on terraces sheltered from inclement weather by protection devices such as parasols. Previously, restaurant and hotel professionals were able to offer additional services for terrace guests, such as heating in winter and cooling in summer. This was done using non-local energy sources from the power grid, such as convector heaters attached to parasol poles, or using fossil fuels that are now in short supply. Moreover, private individuals use parasols in their gardens or on their terraces for no other purpose than for protection from the sun, rain, hail or snow, for example.
Given the current state of technology, consumers are no longer satisfied with a parasol that only provides shelter from the sun, rain, hail and/or snow. For example, the solar-powered parasol is a type of parasol equipped with a solar-powered lighting source, providing illumination for activities at times when light levels are limited. Although the solar-powered parasol can provide lighting in situations where light levels are very low, in bad weather or when night falls, solar-powered lighting cannot operate continuously in the absence of sunlight. The use of an external power supply for lighting is also impractical.
Furthermore, to shelter large areas and a greater number of people, it is common to use a set of parasols arranged close together. In such a configuration, the peripheries of the surfaces sheltered by each of the parasols in the set are then poorly covered, letting through, for example, rays of sunlight or drops of water, snowflakes or hailstones due to discontinuities in the area sheltered by the parasol set.
The invention aims to remedy some or all of the disadvantages of the state of the art, in particular by proposing a solution that provides satisfactory protection against the weather, including sun, rain, hail and/or snow, while offering improved comfort and even advanced additional features.
According to a first aspect of the invention, a protection device is proposed, such as a parasol comprising at least one pole defining a vertical reference axis extending between a lower end portion comprising at least one foot configured to be anchored to the ground and an upper end portion to which at least one sheltering platform is attached, the platform being configured to protect a user located underneath in a deployed position, the protection device comprising power-generating means for generating electrical power to supply at least one electric battery, and configured to supply electrical power to at least one item of electrical equipment of the protection device, the power-generating means, the electric battery and the item of electrical equipment being interconnected in an electrical circuit of the protection device, the sheltering platform comprising an edge delimiting a closed contour and comprising:
Owing to such a combination of features, such a protection device enables a group of users to ensure protection against weather conditions normally not conducive to outdoor activities over a wider area without discontinuity, allowing them to move from the shelter offered by one sheltering platform to another shelter offered by an adjacent sheltering platform when used together, or to stay on peripheral surfaces of the sheltering platforms without necessarily being exposing to bad weather such as rain, hail, snow and sunshine. In addition, the presence of electrical connection means enabling the electrical circuits of protection devices to be connected together makes it possible to form an overall electrical network of a set of several protection devices, for example to compensate for the failure of a component of the electrical circuit of one of the protection devices, or to share the electrical energy accumulated in the electric batteries and homogenize the use of electrical equipment throughout the area covered by the set of protection devices.
According to one embodiment, the power-generating means comprise at least one photovoltaic sensor secured to the sheltering platform and oriented upwards in the deployed position on a side opposite the pole with respect to the sheltering platform. Such a power source is particularly efficient, simple and lightweight.
According to one embodiment, the power-generating means comprise at least one channel and a hydraulic turbine located at least partly in the path of the channel so as to conduct rainwater by gravitational flow towards the hydraulic turbine to drive it in rotary motion, preferably about the reference axis. In a particular embodiment, once the water has run off, it is stored in a container designed for this purpose, for example to ballast the protection device.
According to one embodiment, the power-generating means comprise at least one wind generator secured to the sheltering platform and placed above the sheltering platform in the deployed position, an axis of rotation of the wind generator preferably being parallel to the reference axis of the pole, preferably even coincident with the reference axis of the pole.
According to one embodiment, the pole comprises a hollow structure delimiting an interior space housing the channel and having an inlet mouth at its upper end portion and communicating with at least one opening in the sheltering platform so that rainwater flowing onto the sheltering platform is guided, in a deployed position of the sheltering platform, towards the inlet mouth to feed the channel, the channel preferably being delimited by the hollow structure of the pole.
According to one embodiment, the sheltering platform is mounted so as to be inclinable relative to the pole, the sheltering platform preferably being mechanically connected to the pole by a ball-and-socket joint, the inclination of the sheltering platform also preferably being electrically controlled by at least one electric actuator, e.g., a stepper motor. In this way, the protection device can be moved from a deployed position of the sheltering platform to a folded storage position of the sheltering platform. The inclination of the sheltering platform can also take intermediate angular steps between these two positions, for example to protect against bad weather of which the trajectory does not follow the direction of the pole's reference axis.
According to one embodiment, the foot of the pole is secured to a mobile base, the electric battery preferably being secured to the mobile base so as to ballast the parasol pole, the base preferably also being fitted with wheels. The term “ballasting” refers to the vertical lowering of the center of gravity of the protection device, making it more stable. In addition, the pole is subjected to less mechanical stress, which improves the device's service life. Such a mobile base enables the protection device to be moved to the user's desired location.
According to one embodiment, the protection device comprises a plurality of photovoltaic sensors arranged in the form of at least one photovoltaic panel, the sheltering platform consisting of at least one of the photovoltaic panels.
According to one embodiment, the item(s) of electrical equipment is/are selected from the following electrical equipment: at least one electrical heating means, e.g., a heating resistor, at least one lighting device, e.g., an LED lamp, at least one air conditioner, at least one fan, at least one misting device, at least one electrical socket, at least one electrical device charging interface, e.g., a wireless charging transmission medium, and at least one Internet access device, e.g., a WiFi terminal or a WiFi repeater.
According to one embodiment, the device is at least energy self-sufficient. The term “self-sufficient” refers to the power-generating means enabling the associated item(s) of electrical equipment to operate without interruption. The device may be exceed the requirements in terms of electrical power production.
According to one embodiment, the mechanical connection means preferably comprise magnets configured to exert an attractive magnetic force, the magnets preferably also being electromagnets.
According to one embodiment, the electrical connection means preferably comprise magnets configured to transmit and/or receive electrical power, the magnets preferably also being electromagnets.
According to one embodiment, mechanical and electrical connection means are shared. The term “shared” refers to the element of the protection device providing the mechanical connection function and the element of the protection device providing the electrical connection function form one and the same element.
According to another aspect of the invention, it relates to a set of at least two protection devices, characterized in that each protection device of the set is mechanically connected by mechanical connection means to at least one other of the protection devices of the set, and each protection device of the set is electrically connected by electrical connection means to at least one other of the protection devices of the set.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent on reading the following description, with reference to the appended figures, which show:
For greater clarity, identical or similar elements are identified by identical reference signs in all of the Figures.
In the description and the claims, to clarify the description and the claims, the terminology longitudinal, transverse and vertical will be adopted in a non-limiting way in reference to the trihedron X, Y, Z indicated in the figures.
With reference to
In a reference orientation relative to a vertical axis Z, the protection device comprises a pole 10 defining a reference axis A parallel to the vertical Z. The pole 10 has a hollow shape, here generally cylindrical, although any other prismatic shape is possible. The pole 10 extends vertically between a lower end portion 11 and an upper end portion 12.
The lower end 11 of the pole 10 comprises at least one foot 13 configured to be anchored to the ground. The foot 13 extends generally in parallel with a horizontal plane X, Y orthogonal to the vertical axis Z. The foot 13 is secured to a base 131 supporting the pole 10, so that the protection device 1 can be moved at the convenience of a user or group of users. In this embodiment, the base is made mobile by means of two wheels 132 in contact with the ground, and the protection device 1 can be tilted slightly by tilting its pole 10 so that the wheels grip the ground.
On the upper end 12 of the pole 10 is attached at least one sheltering platform 20 configured to protect at least one user situated below in a deployed position. “Deployed position” refers to a position of use of the protection device wherein the sheltering platform 20 extends generally in parallel with a horizontal plane X, Y. In this deployed position, the surface area of the shelter platform 20 projected onto the ground is at its maximum.
The protection device 1 includes power-generating means 31 for generating electrical power. In this embodiment, the electrical power-generating means 31 comprise a wind generator 314 secured to the sheltering platform 20. In the deployed position of sheltering platform 20, one axis of rotation of wind generator 314 is parallel to, and even coaxial with, the reference axis A of pole 10.
The pole 10 further comprises a hollow structure 101 delimiting an interior space housing a channel 312 of the power-generating means 31. The channel 312 has an inlet mouth 315 at its upper end portion and communicates with at least one opening in the sheltering platform 20 so that rainwater flowing over the sheltering platform 20 is guided, in a deployed position of the sheltering platform 20, towards the inlet mouth 315 to feed the channel 312. The channel 312 here is delimited by the hollow structure 101 of the pole 10. To prevent objects from entering and clogging channel 312, the inlet mouth 315 can be supplemented by a rainwater filter.
Rainwater flowing by gravity into the channel 312 is directed to a hydraulic turbine 313 forming one of the power-generating means 31. The rainwater rotates the hydraulic turbine 313 about the reference axis A, thus generating electrical power. The hydraulic turbine 313 is preferably a Pelton-type hydraulic turbine. In order to improve the efficiency of the hydraulic turbine 313, fins generating a vortex within the rainwater flow can be housed within the channel 312, the fins preferably being formed by the hollow structure 101 of the pole 10. In this embodiment, a reservoir 316 for storing rainwater that feeds the hydraulic turbine 313. The reservoir 316 is preferably included in the base 131. This positioning allows the base 131 of the foot 13 to be weighted down. It can usefully form a source for a water misting device 33. Connection means can also be provided to link a tank 316 to at least one adjacent tank 316 to create a water network of interconnected protection devices 1.
The electrical power-generating means 31 supply an electric battery 32. The electric battery 32 is preferably included on the protection device 1. In this embodiment, the electric battery 32 is preferably secured to the base 131 of the foot 13. This makes battery 32 inaccessible to a group of users of protection device 1. Moreover, positioning the battery 32 in this way also allows the base 131 to be weighted down. The protection device 1 is therefore more stable, and the pole 10 is not stressed by the weight of the electric battery. The capacity of the electric battery 32 is dimensioned so that the protection device 1 is at least self-sufficient.
The electric battery 32 is configured to supply electrical power to at least one item of electrical equipment 33 in an electrical circuit. In this embodiment, the electrical equipment 33 comprises, for example, at least one water mist nozzle 331 and an electrical socket 332.
The embodiment described in
The photovoltaic panel 31 is square in shape. It is bordered on all four sides by heating devices or modules forming electrical equipment 33. On two sides opposite one another in pairs, the heaters extend along the edge of the corresponding photovoltaic panel 31. On the other two sides, the heating devices extend along the dimension, on the one hand, of the edge of the corresponding photovoltaic panel 31 and, on the other hand, of the two widths of the heating devices on either side of the adjacent sides. In this way, a square sheltering platform 20 is obtained, despite the fact that the edges 21 house heating means. The heating modules therefore help to shelter the user and can be articulated to pivot about an axis parallel to the side of the associated photovoltaic panel 31. Note that these heating modules surround the photovoltaic panel 31 and can accommodate other electrical equipment 33 as a complement or alternative, such as lighting, etc.
In this configuration, a plane generally containing the sheltering platform 20 forms any angle between 0° and 180° with the pole 10, the value of this angle being chosen by the user. The positions of the sheltering platform 20 at an angle of 0° and 180° to the pole 10 correspond to the storage positions of the protection device 1. In these positions, the overall volumetric space requirement of the protection device 1 is minimized. The inclination of the sheltering platform 20 is preferably controlled electrically by at least one electric actuator 104, for example an electric stepper motor or servomotor.
According to a further aspect of the invention described in
Furthermore, edges 21 and 21′ comprise electrical connection means configured for transferring electrical power between the electrical circuits of protection devices 1 and 1′. The edges 21 and 21′ are in fact supported by the heating modules surrounding the photovoltaic panel 31 and are delimited by walls made of metal, and therefore conductive, material. An electrical connection is therefore ensured when the edges 21, 21′ are mechanically connected. In this way, for example, electrical equipment 33′ of the protection device 1′ can be supplied with electrical power by the battery 32 of the protection device 1. The electrical connection means 211 comprise magnets, preferably electromagnets. In this configuration, mechanical and electrical connection means are shared.
In this way, the connection of two adjacent edges 21, 21′ at a mechanical and electrical connection line 212, 213 of these two adjacent panels simply and effectively guarantees a tight seal in the mechanical connection and electrical transmission.
In another embodiment, set 2 is formed from a plurality of protection devices. In this configuration, set 2 forms a “line” of protection devices, but any other form of set 2 is conceivable. In addition, the associated protection devices in set 2 are protection devices 1 of the same or different embodiments.
Of course, the invention is described in the foregoing by way of example. It is understood that a person skilled in the art is able to produce different variant embodiments of the invention without departing from the scope of the invention.
For example, the electrical generation means 31 may comprise at least one photovoltaic sensor 311, a wind generator 314 and a channel 312 associated with an electric turbine 313.
The electrical connection means 211 can be used apart from a combination of several protection devices 1 in a set 2, for example to add additional electrical equipment 33, such as an electric heater.
It is emphasized that all of the features, as they are taught to a person skilled in the art from the present disclosure, drawings and attached claims, even though specifically they have been described in relation to other determined features, both individually and in any combinations, may be combined with other features or feature groups disclosed herein, as long as not expressly excluded and no technical circumstances make such combinations impossible or nonsensical.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR2201183 | Feb 2022 | FR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2023/053207 | 2/9/2023 | WO |
