HK1150577A - An adjustable modular roof for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

Adjustable modular roof

Technical Field

The invention relates to a multi-stage adjustable modular roof for an electric vehicle, in particular for use as a carrier for photovoltaic panels.

Background

The present invention relates to canopies for passenger or freight electric vehicles used in golf courses and many other applications. These vehicles are usually fitted with a roof made of plastic that can only shade sun and rain. The existing solutions have various drawbacks, firstly they do not supply energy to the vehicle and secondly they offer little protection against lightning hazards, many people are life deprived by lightning on golf courses every year in the world. The existing golf vehicle roofs have other disadvantages as follows: lack of effective rain drains, and of fixing devices for sun-, wind-and rain-resistant blinds.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention is characterized in that the roof is modular, preferably consisting of metal parts, for example of aluminium, including profiled parts for housing photovoltaic panels and internal ceilings, as well as integral channels and sliding rails for blinds, and a special multistage adjustable rail system which allows the installation of the roof on vehicles of different brands with different horizontal distances between uprights which normally support the roof of this type of vehicle. The design of the profile parts, the connection between the profile parts and the connection of the profile parts to a possible ceiling with embedded metal grids or panels, as well as to photovoltaic panels, constitutes a more effective protection against lightning hazards than known types of roofs. Finally, the invention is also characterized by the use of a special electronic control box that allows the photovoltaic panels to be connected in parallel, which reduces the harmful effects of shadows on the photovoltaic panels and maximizes the conversion of solar energy to supply to the cell, which may be one of a plurality of different and higher cell voltages.

The canopy may also include a hinge that may be attached to the top of a pillar member that carries the canopy at one end of the vehicle and a means for height adjustment at the opposite end, allowing the canopy as a whole to be adjusted to make the solar radiation more perpendicular to the photovoltaic panel, thereby maximizing the power output of the photovoltaic panel. All uprights may also be provided with means allowing manual or automatic adjustment of the vertical irradiation of the sunlight.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the roof top;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the canopy;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the canopy;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the canopy;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a canopy profile member;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a profile component;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a transverse profile member;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a transverse profile member;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the mounting rail;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the mounting rail;

fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of a method of connecting photovoltaic panels.

Detailed Description

The invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a roof top. Reference numeral 1 is an extrusion frame made of, for example, aluminum. The drawing 2 shows a transverse profile member carrying the photovoltaic panel 3, which profile member is connected to the frame 1 by means of screws.

Fig. 2 shows the roof as seen from the bottom. In addition to the frame 1 and the profile parts 2 carrying the photovoltaic panel 3, the figure also shows mounting rails 4 and a control box 5.

Fig. 3 shows a side view of the frame 1 and the control box 5.

Fig. 4 shows the roof as seen from one end of the frame 1, and also shows the control box 5.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the frame 1, where the groove 6 is used for collecting rain and the groove 7 is used as a slide rail for hanging a curtain for protecting the passengers from wind and rain.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the frame 1, wherein the holes 11 are used for receiving screws for fixing the transverse profile parts 2.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the transverse profile member 2, where the shelf 8 is used for resting the photovoltaic panel 3, the channel 9 is used for clamping the frame 1, the slot 10 is used for placing the head of the bolt, the other end of the bolt passes through the hole in the mounting rail 4 shown in fig. 10.

Fig. 8 shows a perspective view of a transverse profile element.

Fig. 9 shows a sectional view of the mounting rail 4, wherein a slot 12 is used for placing the head of the bolt, the other end of the bolt being passed through a hole in the vehicle pillar and secured with a nut.

Fig. 10 shows a perspective view of the mounting rail 4.

Fig. 11 shows that the photovoltaic panel 3 is connected to the battery 15 via the controller 5.

The roof is designed in modular fashion so that the frame 1 can be composed of a number of side frames in the longitudinal direction, the number of side frames corresponding to the number of photovoltaic panels for attachment to vehicles of different sizes. The mounting rail 4 can be laterally arranged to be adapted to different distances between the vehicle uprights by means of bolts, the heads of which can slide in slots of the transverse profile-member 2. The bolts pass through suitable holes in the mounting rail 4 and are fastened by nuts. Likewise, the mounting rail 4 has inserted therein the head of a bolt which is longitudinally movable in the slot 12, the other end of the bolt being fixed to a pillar of the vehicle. Obviously, these features facilitate the installation of the headliner on vehicles having different longitudinal and transverse distances between the uprights.

The roof has a plurality of functions, can be used for weather protection, can also be used as a carrier for the photovoltaic panel 3, can be used for guiding rainwater through the gutter 6, as shown in fig. 5, can also be used for guiding rainwater through the hose running down through the upright, can be used as a carrier for the blind by means of the gutter 7, as shown in fig. 7, and finally, since the installation of the photovoltaic panel, as well as the metal frame and the rail and vehicle upright, has the function of a Faraday cage, the roof according to the invention provides better protection against lightning hazards. As an additional protection against flashovers, a metal grid-like ceiling can be installed under the photovoltaic panel, which ceiling can be electrically connected to the rest of the canopy profile section.

Fig. 11 shows, as an example, 4 photovoltaic panels (solar panels) 3, the number of which may be 1 or more, which are electrically connected in parallel to the control box 5, the voltage of which is typically 12 volts, but which may be other voltages, and which convert the electrical energy into the battery 15 according to the maximum power point tracking principle (MPPT). The battery is typically 48 volts, but other voltages are possible. The control box 5 may be fitted with an indicator 17 that shows the instantaneous power output of the photovoltaic panel. Various other connectors such as a cigarette lighter connector and a USB connector may be mounted on the control box 5.

Claims (9)

1. A roof, which is made as a module for flexible mounting on an electric vehicle, characterized in that a transverse profile section (2) is connected with a mounting rail (4) by means of a clamping device, which by means of a groove (10) in the transverse profile section (2) allows a linear stepless assembly and fastening to the mounting rail (4), and that the mounting rail (4) is connected with a pillar by means of a clamping device, which by means of a groove (12) in the mounting rail allows a linear stepless assembly and fastening to the pillar.

2. The canopy according to claim 1, characterized in that the frame profile part (1) further comprises means (6) for collecting rain water and sliding means (7) for the blind.

3. The canopy according to claim 1, characterized in that the transverse profile-member (2) comprises shelves (8) for supporting the photovoltaic panels (3), grooves (10) for linear stepless clamping onto the mounting rail (4) and channels (9) for fixing the transverse profile-member (2) to the frame (1).

4. The headliner of claim 1, wherein there is a ceiling comprised of a metal mesh, the ceiling being electrically connected to other metal portions of the headliner and the vehicle pillars.

5. The roof lining as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the roof framework (1) is in electrical contact with vehicle pillars.

6. The canopy according to claim 1 having means allowing manual or automatic adjustment of the vertical distance between the canopy and the uprights.

7. The canopy according to claim 1, wherein the photovoltaic panels (3) are electrically connected in parallel.

8. The canopy according to claim 1, characterized in that the power from the photovoltaic panel (3) is maximized by means of a maximum power point tracker (5), the output of which can be adjusted for different cell voltages.

9. The canopy according to claim 8, wherein the maximum power point tracker (5) is fitted with a display showing the intensity of insolation.