Patent Application
20140137925
Portable electric power requirements, the need for electrical power away from any traditional source of power, present many challenges. Typically, portable power consumers turn to generators, which require some source of fuel such as gasoline, diesel, JP4, etc. In order to provide sufficient power to any significant group or structure, such as remote research stations, military command posts and other support groups, these generators reach rather large sizes. Usually, large trucks or other heavy duty vehicles tow the generators and their accompanying fuel supply to the destination.
In operation, generators are typically noisy, create fumes, require careful placement and concealment, etc. The fuel needs to be replenished regularly for deployments or other uses beyond a few days. This also adds to the expense, as not only does fuel need to be supplied to the generator, it also is needed to fuel the trucks that bring the fuel.
The advent of solar panels and their use in remote locations have brought several advantages. However, due to the materials from which they are made, the larger solar panels needed to generate significant power do not necessarily travel well. They are somewhat brittle and made from materials that can easily scratch or crack. These defects lower the efficiency of the panels as they affect the amount of sunlight that reaches the photovoltaic (PV) cells in the panels.
The platform consists of a trailer body 12 having a trailer ball receiver 14 for a connection to a typical trailer hitch. In an alternative embodiment, the trailer tongue uses a standard 3″ military pintle hook and eye. The trailer body 12 has standard-sized tires such as 16, making for easy replacement. In this embodiment they are 37″ military tires. The trailer body has 16-18″ of ground clearance, allowing transportation across rough terrain. In other applications, the tires, wheels, and axels may be removable to move them out of the way.
Once in place, the trailer has outriggers such as 18, having adjustable feet such as 20. These outriggers are hydraulic and remotely controllable. The control box 22 may include an interface control board (not shown) and a radio frequency, Bluetooth®, or other remote communications capability, allowing the outriggers to be lowered and raised from within another vehicle. This interface will also typically allow remote control of the positioning of the solar panels, as will be discussed in
The array of solar panels such as 11 has shock absorbers such as 24 between them to prevent damage to the panels while being transported. The material used may be any material that provides a union or a joint between the panels that also allows for shock absorption. In order to lock the panels into place, the material may be rigid rather than flexible. The points of contact between the solar panel array and the trailer will also have some sort of shock absorbency to further ensure the safety of the panels. The back side of the panels, opposite to the side shown in
The array of panels is mounted on a self-leveling truss, shown in more detail in
As mentioned previously, the control of the rotation may come from a communications interface that resides in the control box 22 of
Having discussed the overall configuration and capabilities of the mobile solar platform, with self-leveling and self-alignment, the discussion now moves to the capabilities. The control box or the space frame of the trailer body can support many different types of outlets, such as 24 volts direct current (VDC) and 120 volts alternating current (VAC). Further, for military application, where certain equipment uses rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ON) batteries and ultra-capacitors, further connectors may be provided for their recharging, even while still in the vests worn by personnel using the battery-powered equipment such as night vision goggles, etc.
The mobile solar platform will generally have at least one power storage to which the solar panels are electrically connected. In the embodiment of
In
When used in the field, the trailer will be transported on the tires, typically towed behind a truck or other vehicle. However, as shown in
Also, as mentioned above, the solar panels are stackable for transport. The solar panels have attachments such as rollers such as 40 and 50 or double rollers 46 that allow the panels to separate and deploy into a larger array of solar panels. This allows the panels to be stacked and the mobile solar platform made more compact for shipment and travel, while providing cushioning between the panels and the supporting structure to avoid breaking of the panels.
Also shown in
Up to this point, the discussion has focused on a relatively small version of the mobile solar platform. For example, one embodiment deploys 24 solar panels. The small version of the mobile solar platform fits on a standard military trailer such as the M1101 or the M1102. In the previous embodiments to
One should note that the outriggers 18 may attach to the trailer. In this embodiment, the towing vehicle tows the trailer into place, and the outriggers are extended and locked into place to stabilize the platform. The towing vehicle then drives away, leaving the trailer behind. In an alternative scenario, the outriggers are attached to the mobile solar platform, and the platform 80 is connected to the trailer by mounting blocks such as 82, 84, 86 and 88. Typically, the mounting blocks will have corresponding blocks on the other side of the platform. This allows the towing vehicle to position the trailer in a manner that allows proper positioning of the mobile solar platform. The mounting blocks are then disengaged and the outriggers deployed. When the outriggers have raised the platform high enough off the trailer bed, the towing vehicle can drive away with the vehicle still attached.
As can be seen from the above, there are numerous variations and embodiments that all fall within the scope of these embodiments. Different variations and modifications from different embodiments above may be combined with other variations and modifications of other embodiments. No restriction of any particular accessory or configuration to any particular embodiment is intended nor should any be implied.
In this manner, a mobile solar platform suitable for easy shipment, towing and deploying is provided. The mobile solar platform may provide power for tactical, relief and aid environments with no requirements for external power. Further adaptations to the configuration and the uses of the solar power may result in further modifications and variations to the solar platform.
It will be appreciated that several of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Also that various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the embodiments.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/727,541, filed Nov. 16, 2012 and is incorporated herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61727541 | Nov 2012 | US |
