Energy harvesting apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11329601-B2
Application number	US-201816643587-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2018
Priority date	Sep 22, 2017
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed is an energy harvesting apparatus which comprises: a flexible energy harvesting module having a flat plate shape; a connector which is mechanically and electrically connectable to an external connector; a rigid member having a flat plate shape; and an electric wiring constituting a part of a front surface of the rigid member, wherein an edge of a back surface of the energy harvesting module is disposed on the front surface of the rigid member, and the connector is disposed on the front surface of the rigid member at a position spaced apart from the energy harvesting module and is electrically connected to the energy harvesting module via the electric wiring.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An energy harvesting apparatus, comprising:
a flexible energy harvesting module having a flat plate shape;
a connector which is mechanically and electrically connectable to an external connector;
a rigid member having a flat plate shape; and
an electric wiring constituting a part of a front surface of the rigid member,
wherein an edge of a back surface of the energy harvesting module is disposed on the front surface of the rigid member,
the connector is disposed on the front surface of the rigid member at a position spaced apart from the energy harvesting module and is electrically connected to the energy harvesting module via the electric wiring,
the electric wiring is a flexible wiring board,
at least a part of the flexible wiring board is transparent,
at least a part of the rigid member is transparent, and
the flexible wiring board and the rigid member are bonded to each other with a transparent bonding material interposed therebetween.

2. The energy harvesting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the connector includes a first connector and a second connector, and
in a plan view of the energy harvesting module, the first connector and the second connector are disposed at positions spaced apart from each other along a second direction perpendicular to a first direction in which the energy harvesting module is positioned with respect to the rigid member, the first connector and the second connector being connectable to the external connector along the second direction.

3. The energy harvesting apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the energy harvesting module overlaps 40% or more of the rigid member along the second direction.

4. The energy harvesting apparatus of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the first connector and the second connector is positioned inwardly of the energy harvesting module in the second direction.

5. The energy harvesting apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising a connecting cable including the external connector which is detachably attachable to at least one of the first connector and the second connector, and
the external connector is located at a position other than the outside of the energy harvesting module in the second direction in a state where the external connector is connected to the first connector or the second connector.

6. The energy harvesting apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the energy harvesting module has a first extraction electrode and a second extraction electrode which are positioned at the edge of the back surface of the energy harvesting module,
the first connector is electrically connectable to the first extraction electrode and the second extraction electrode through the electric wiring, and
the second connector is electrically connectable to the first extraction electrode and the second extraction electrode through the electric wiring.

7. The energy harvesting apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the rigid member is a rigid substrate having the electric wiring integrally formed on the front surface.

8. The energy harvesting apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the electric wiring forms a part of the front surface by covering a part of the rigid member.

9. The energy harvesting apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the rigid member is a rigid frame, and
the electric wiring is a flexible wiring board and disposed at a position where a periphery is covered by the rigid member.

10. The energy harvesting apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an additional connector which is mechanically and electrically connectable to another external connector;
an additional rigid member having a flat plate shape;
an additional electric wiring constituting a part of a front surface of the additional rigid member; and
a conductive member for electrically connecting the connector and the additional connector, wherein
the additional connector is disposed on the front surface of the additional rigid member at a position spaced apart from the energy harvesting module and is electrically connected to the energy harvesting module via the additional electric wiring.

11. The energy harvesting apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a mechanical connector mechanically connectable to an external connector, the mechanical connector being provided at an edge, opposite to the edge, of the back surface of the energy harvesting apparatus.

12. The energy harvesting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the connector has a thickness which is larger than a thickness of the energy harvesting module.

13. The energy harvesting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the connector is a female connector.

14. The energy harvesting apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a cover member which covers at least a part of the connector on the front surface side of the rigid member.

Assignees

• Zeon Corp

Inventors

• Yoshida Masayoshi
• Kojima Kiyoshige
• Yamaai Midori
• Shiga Naomi

Classifications

• H10F77/219

  Arrangements for electrodes of back-contact photovoltaic cells · CPC title

• H02S40/34 Primary

  comprising specially adapted electrical connection means to be structurally associated with the PV module, e.g. junction boxes · CPC title

• H05K2201/10143

  Solar cell · CPC title

• H05K2201/10219

  Thermoelectric component · CPC title

• H02J50/001

  Energy harvesting or scavenging · CPC title