Title: Multi-use electric tile modules
Abstract: A multiuse electric tile module for walling, flooring, or roofing applications having a photovoltaic cell, thermovoltaic cell, electroluminescent material, or a combination of these disposed over a rigid substrate, such as ceramic. Each tile is electrically connectable through a male-to-female connecter to at least one adjacent tile without external wiring. Preferably, a sealing layer is disposed over the electrical elements and rigid substrate to seal and protect each tile. Optionally, each tile may further include an inverter to convert direct current to alternating current or a battery to store electricity. The electroluminescent material provides light for architectural accents or nighttime visibility.
Patent Number: 6,928,775 Issued on 08/16/2005 to Banister
| Inventors:
|
Banister; Mark P. (6550 E. Miramar Dr., Tucson, AZ 85716)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
222483 |
| Filed:
|
August 16, 2002 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
52/173.3; 136/244; 136/251; 362/84 |
| Intern'l Class: |
E04D 013/18; E04H 014//00 |
| Field of Search: |
52/1733,177,220.1,220.2
136/244,251,253,291
362/84,24,26
174/50,48,59
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
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| 4321416 | Mar., 1982 | Tennant.
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| 4860509 | Aug., 1989 | Laaly et al.
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| 5011544 | Apr., 1991 | Gaddy et al.
| |
| 5022381 | Jun., 1991 | Allegro.
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| 5070431 | Dec., 1991 | Kitazawa et al.
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| 5090167 | Feb., 1992 | Wassell.
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| 5232518 | Aug., 1993 | Nath et al.
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| 5316592 | May., 1994 | Dinwoodie.
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| 5338369 | Aug., 1994 | Rawlings.
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| 5437735 | Aug., 1995 | Younan et al.
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| 5573600 | Nov., 1996 | Hoang.
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| 5575861 | Nov., 1996 | Younan et al.
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| 5590495 | Jan., 1997 | Bressler et al.
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| 5647915 | Jul., 1997 | Zukerman.
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| 5830779 | Nov., 1998 | Bressler et al.
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| 5990414 | Nov., 1999 | Posnansky.
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| 5998729 | Dec., 1999 | Shiomi et al.
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| 6063996 | May., 2000 | Takada et al.
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| 6075201 | Jun., 2000 | Wambach.
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| 6111189 | Aug., 2000 | Garvison et al.
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| 6182404 | Feb., 2001 | Rinklake et al.
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| 6311436 | Nov., 2001 | Mimura et al.
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| 6323478 | Nov., 2001 | Fujisaki et al.
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| 6498289 | Dec., 2002 | Mori et al.
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| 6606830 | Aug., 2003 | Nagao et al.
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| 6617507 | Sep., 2003 | Mapes et al.
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| 2002/0043277 | Apr., 2002 | Yamawaki.
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| 2003/0140961 | Jul., 2003 | Damson et al.
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| 2003/0189823 | Oct., 2003 | George et al.
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| 2003/0217768 | Nov., 2003 | Guha.
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| 2004/0000334 | Jan., 2004 | Ressler.
| |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 0 798 787 | Oct., 1997 | EP.
| |
| 0 867 946 | Sep., 1998 | EP.
| |
| 0 917 209 | May., 1999 | EP.
| |
| 1 201 842 | May., 2002 | EP.
| |
| WO 98/1388/3 | Apr., 1998 | WO.
| |
Primary Examiner: Friedman; Carl D.
Assistant Examiner: Nguyen; Chi Q.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hayes Soloway P.C.
Claims
1. A multi-use electric tile module, comprising:
(a) a rigid ceramic substrate having a top side and at least two side edges,
(b) at least one male connector and at least one female connector integrated
respectively into said side edges of said rigid substrate for electrically connecting
said rigid substrate to adjoining tile modules; and
(c) at least one electrical element disposed over the top side of said rigid
substrate and electrically connected to said at least two connectors.
2. The tile of claim 1, wherein said electrical element comprises a photovoltaic cell.
3. The tile of claim 1, wherein said electrical element comprises a thermovoltaic cell.
4. The tile of claim 1, wherein said electrical element comprises an electroluminescent material.
5. A floor made up of tiles comprising the tile of claim 1.
6. The tile of claim 1, further including an inverter electrically connected
to said tile.
7. The tile of claim 2, wherein said photovoltaic cell comprises a thin film
photovoltaic cell.
8. The tile of claim 3, wherein said thermovoltaic cell comprises a thin film
thermovoltaic cell.
9. The tile of claim 1, further including a sealing layer disposed over said
at least one electrical element, thereby sealing said electrical element to said
rigid substrate.
10. The tile of claim 9, wherein said sealing layer is selected from the group
consisting of a fired ceramic glaze, a liquid glaze, a sol gel, a thick film, a
polymer coating, glass and a combination thereof.
11. The tile of claim 9, wherein said sealing layer further includes micro industrial diamonds.
12. An electric roof tile module, comprising:
(a) a rigid substrate having a top side, a bottom side, and four side edges connecting
said top and bottom sides,
(b) a tab extending outwardly from the bottom side,
(c) at least one male connector and at least one female connector for electrically
connecting said rigid substrate to another rigid substrate, wherein one of said
male and female connectors is housed in said tab and the other of said male and
female connectors extends from a front side edge of said tile; and
(d) at least one electrical element disposed over the top side of said rigid
substrate and electrically connected to said at least one male and one female connectors.
13. The roof tile of claim 12, wherein said rigid substrate is curved in cross-section.
14. The roof tile of claim 12, wherein said electrical element comprises a photovoltaic cell.
15. The roof tile of claim 12, wherein said electrical element comprises a thermovoltaic cell.
16. The root tile of claim 12, wherein said electrical element comprises an electroluminescent material.
17. The roof tile of claim 12, further including an inverter electrically connected
to said tile.
18. The roof tile of claim 12, wherein said rigid substrate comprises ceramic.
19. The roof tile of claim 14, wherein said photovoltaic cell comprises a thin
film photovoltaic cell.
20. The roof tile of claim 15, wherein said thermovoltaic cell comprises a thin
film thermovoltaic cell.
21. A roof made from tiles comprising the roof tile of claim 12.
22. The roof tile of claim 12, further including a sealing layer disposed over
said at least one electrical element, thereby sealing said electrical component
to said rigid substrate.
23. The roof tile of claim 22, wherein said sealing layer is selected from the
coup consisting of a fired ceramic glaze, a liquid glaze, a sol gel, a thick film,
a polymer coating, glass and a combination thereof.
24. The roof tile of claim 22, wherein said sealing layer further includes micro
industrial diamonds.
25. A multi-use electric tile module, comprising:
(a) a rigid substrate having a top side and at least one side edge,
(b) at least two connectors integrated into said side edge of said rigid substrate
for electrically connecting said rigid substrate to adjoining tile modules; and
(c) at least one electrical element disposed over the top side of said rigid
substrate and electrically connected to said at least two connectors, wherein said
electrical element comprises a thermovoltaic cell or an electroluminescent material.
26. A floor made up of tiles comprising the tile of claim 25.
27. The tile of claim 25, wherein said rigid substrate comprises ceramic.
28. The tile of claim 25, further including an inverter electrically connected
to said tile.
29. The tile of claim 25, wherein said at least two connectors comprises a female
connector and a male connector.
30. The tile of claim 25, wherein said thermovoltaic cell comprises a thin film
thermovoltaic cell.
31. The tile of claim 25, further including a sealing layer disposed over said
at least one electrical element, thereby sealing said electrical element to said
rigid substrate.
32. The tile of claim 31, wherein said sealing layer is selected from the group
consisting of a fired ceramic glaze, a liquid glaze, a sol gel, a thick film, a
polymer coating, glass and a combination thereof.
33. The tile of claim 31, wherein said sealing layer further includes micro industrial diamonds.
34. A multi-use electric tile module, comprising:
(a) a rigid substrate formed of a ceramic having a top side and at least one
side edge,
(b) at least two connectors integrated into said side edge of said rigid substrate
for electrically connecting said rigid substrate to adjoining tile modules; and
(c) at least one electrical element disposed over the top side of said rigid
substrate and electrically connecting to said at least two connectors.
35. The tile of claim 34, wherein said electrical element comprises a photovoltaic
cell, a thermovoltaic cell or an electroluminescent material.
36. The tile of claim 34, further including an inverter electrically connected
to said tile.
37. The tile of claim 34, further including a sealing layer disposed over said
at least one electrical element, thereby sealing said electrical element to said
rigid substrate.
38. The tile of claim 37, wherein said sealing layer is selected from the group
consisting of fired a ceramic glaze, a liquid glaze, a sol gel, a thick film, a
polymer coating, glass and a combination thereof.
39. The tile of claim 37, wherein said sealing layer further includes micro industrial diamonds.
40. A multi-use electric tile module, comprising:
(a) a rigid substrate having a top side and at least one side edge,
(b) at least two connectors integrated into said side edge of said rigid substrate
for electrically connecting said rigid substrate to adjoining tile modules;
(c) at least one electrical element comprising a thin film photovoltaic cell
disposed over the top side of said rigid substrate and electrically connected to
said at least two connectors; and
(d) a sealing layer disposed over said at least one electrical element, thereby
sealing said electrical element to said rigid substrate, wherein sand sealing layer
is selected from the group consisting of a fired ceramic glaze, a liquid glaze,
a sol gel, a thick film, a polymer coating, glass and a combination thereof.
41. The tile of claim 40, wherein said sealing layer further includes micro industrial diamonds.
42. The tile of claim 40, further including an inverter electrically connected
to said tile.
43. A floor made up of a plurality of electric tile modules, each module comprising:
(a) a rigid substrate having a top side and at least one side edge,
(b) at least two connectors integrated into said side edge of said rigid substrate
for electrically connecting said rigid substrate to adjoining tile modules; and
(c) at least one electrical element disposed over the top side of said rigid
substrate and electrically connected to said at least two connectors.
44. The tile of claim 43, wherein said electrical element comprises photovoltaic
cell, a thermovoltaic cell, or an electroluminescent material.
45. The tile of claim 43, wherein said rigid substrate comprises ceramic.
46. The tile of claim 43, further including an inverter electrically connected
to said tile.
47. The tile of claim 43, wherein said at least two connectors comprise a female
connector and a male connector.
48. The tile of claim 43, wherein said photovoltaic cell comprises a thin film
photovoltaic cell.
49. The tile of claim 43, further including a sealing layer disposed over said
at least one electrical element, thereby sealing said electrical element to said
rigid substrate.
50. The tile of claim 43, wherein said sealing layer is selected from the group
consisting of a fired ceramic glaze, a liquid glaze, a sol gel, a thick film, a
polymer coating, glass and a combination thereof.
51. The tile of claim 43, wherein said sealing layer further includes micro industrial diamonds.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention generally relates to outdoor tiles for wall, roof and floor applications.
More particularly, the invention relates to connectable tile modules that include
electrical components, such as electroluminescent material, photovoltaic, or thermovoltaic cells.
2. Description of the Related Art
Providing electricity through photovoltaic and thermovoltaic cells is becoming
more popular as these technologies have come down in cost and reliance on other
sources of electric power is increasingly disfavored for environmental and strategic
reasons. However, providing a general use tile with electrical components that
is easy to install and electrically connectable to other tiles without external
wiring has been elusive.
The conversion of electromagnetic radiation from thermal sources to electricity
is known as thermophotovoltaic (TPV) power generation. While the overall thermal-to-electric
conversion (TEC) efficiency of TPV systems has typically been lower than hoped
for, recent developments in materials and techniques have changed the situation
dramatically. Several rare earth oxides, for example, have been shown to have altered
spectral distributions in their emission spectra, leading to a more efficient TPV
operation. For example, GaAs, GaSb, InGaAs are used in thermoelectric applications.
Photovoltaics refer to cells that convert sunlight directly into electrical
energy. The electricity is direct current and can be used that way, converted to
alternating current through the use of an inverter, or stored for later use in
a battery. Conceptually, in its simplest form, a photovoltaic device is a solar-powered
battery whose only consumable is light. Because sunlight is universally available,
photovoltaic devices have many advantages over traditional power sources. Photovoltaic
systems are modular, and so their electrical power output can be engineered for
virtually any application. Moreover, incremental power additions are easily accommodated
in photovoltaic systems, unlike more conventional approaches such as fossil or
nuclear fuel, which require multi-megawatt plants to be economically feasible.
Although photovoltaic cells come in a variety of forms, the most common
structure is a semiconductor material into which a large-area diode, or p-n junction,
has been formed. In terms of basic function, electrical current is taken from the
device through a contact structure on the front that allows the sunlight to enter
the solar cell and a contact on the back that completes the circuit.
The original and still the most common semi-conducting material used in PV cells
is single crystal silicon. Single crystal silicon cells are generally the most
efficient type of PV cells, converting up to 23% of incoming solar energy into
electricity. These cells are also very durable and have proven their long life
in many space related applications. The main problem with single crystal silicon
cells is their production costs. Growing large crystals of silicon and then cutting
them into thin (0.1-0.3 mm) wafers is slow and expensive. For this reason, researchers
have developed several alternatives to single crystal silicon cells, with hopes
of reducing manufacturing costs.
Alternatives to single crystal silicon cells include poly-crystalline
silicon cells, a variety of "thin film" PV cells, and concentrating collectors.
Poly-crystalline silicon cells are less expensive to manufacture because they do
not require the growth of large crystals. Unfortunately they are less efficient
than single crystal cells (15-17%). "Thin films" (0.001-0.002 mm thick) of "amorphous"
or uncrystallized silicon are another PV alternative. These thin films are inexpensive,
and may be easily deposited on materials such as glass and metal, thus lending
themselves to mass production. Amorphous silicon thin film PV cells are widely
used in commercial electronics, powering watches and calculators. The problem with
these cells is that they are not very efficient (12% in the lab, 7% for commercial
cells), and they degrade with time, losing up to 50% of their efficiency with exposure
to sunlight.
Thin film PV cells made from other materials have also been developed in an
attempt to overcome the inefficiency and degradation of amorphous silicon thin
films, while retaining low production costs. Gallium arsenide (GaAs), copper indium
diselenide (CuInSe
2), cadmium telluride (CdTe) and titanium dioxide
(TiO
2) have all been used as thin film PV cells, with various efficiencies
and production costs. Titanium dioxide thin films, just recently developed, are
very interesting because they are transparent and can be used as windows.
In terms of artistic and practical applications (e.g. improved nighttime visibility),
electroluminescent materials have become popular novelties. Electroluminescent
materials, such as phosphor, emit light when a current is passed through it. Commercially
available phosphor-based electroluminescent materials use, for example, zinc sulphide
doped with manganese (ZnS:Mn) as amber-glowing phosphor. Making different-color
luminescing material for artistic effect is a matter of blending elements that
will electroluminesce with red, green, blue (or a combination of these to make
light of many different colors). For example, strontium sulphide doped with copper,
denoted 'SrS:Cu' can be "tuned" by controlling the proportions of five-neighbored
and six-neighbored copper by adding the elements sodium and yttrium to the material,
tipping light emission toward the greens.
While electroluminescent building tiles are not known to exist in the related
art, several examples of photovoltaic cells used on roof coverings are. For example,
U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,416 issued to Tennant discloses a photovoltaic module in the
form of a shingle having a mounting portion and flat, flexible leads extending
from each module for connection to other flexible leads or to a separately wired
electrical network. Furthermore, a photovoltaic shingle system is disclosed in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,735. These shingles are made up of a strip of roofing material
with photovoltaic generating devices adhered thereto. While each strip is electrically
interconnected, external leads are necessary to carry electricity away from each
strip. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,509 by Laaly et al. describes a flexible
roofing membrane with photovoltaic cells incorporated therein. A final example
of a solar roof assembly is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,592 issued to Dinwoodie.
This patent discloses a three-element assembly in which photovoltaic cells are
disposed upon an insulating element that is placed upon a roof membrane. However,
as with the interconnected roofing shingles above that are applied in rolls or
strips, cosmetic or structural damage to one area necessitates that the entire
section, rather than an individual module, be replaced.
While all of the building materials described above are suited for roof applications,
none would be practical as flooring or for wall applications because of their external
lead requirements, lack of rigidity, and/or unsuitable structural characteristics.
Moreover, the bulkiness and expense of having separate photovoltaic regions and
mounting regions can make some of these building materials economically unattractive
and difficult to install. Furthermore, none of these inventions utilize a connectable
rigid tile module with an electroluminescent material, a photo- and/or thermo-voltaic
cell, or a combination of these, to produce electricity and/or lighting effects.
Thus, there continues to be a need for a novel and improved multiuse and connectable
tile modules that (1) utilize sunlight and heat to produce and store electricity
and/or lighting effects, (2) are easy to install, (3) have no external wiring requirements
to interconnect with each other, (4) feature decorative illumination options, and
(5) are commercially feasible to produce.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention meets the aforementioned need by providing a rigid, multi-use tile
module that is electrically connectable to a surrounding tile through at least
one male-to-female connector. In one preferred embodiment, the invention includes
a combination of photovoltaic and thermovoltaic thin films disposed over a rigid
substrate, such as ceramic, with each module being electrically connectable through
a male-to-female connection along a side edge or a bottom tab to at least one adjacent
module, thereby eliminating the need for a separately wired electrical network.
In another preferred embodiment, the tile module of the invention includes an electroluminescent
element to provide light for architectural accents or nighttime visibility. Moreover,
each inventive module may further include an inverter to convert direct current
to alternating current, a battery to store electricity, a sealing layer to protect
the tile and its electrical components, and/or a reflective element.
The individual tiles may be connected to each other in series to form an array
by simply connecting the male prong to a female socket of an adjacent tile or vice
versa. Parallel, or combinations of serial and parallel, arrangements of tile modules
are also contemplated through, for example, connecting the end of every row to
a bus bar or cable and using non-conductive "dummy" tiles in alternate rows.
Definitions
The term "thin film" means micron-sized material deposited as a element over
another conducting or non-conducting material.
The term "module" means a self-contained assembly of electronic components and circuitry.
The term "tile" means a piece of rigid material of the type traditionally used
on roofs, floors, or walls and includes both substantially flat tile pieces as
well as tile pieces that are curved in cross-section.
The term "thermovoltaic" is meant to encompass all known materials that convert
heat into electricity, including thermoelectric material such as mercury cadmium
telluride thermal diodes.
An object of this invention is to provide a multi-use flooring, roofing, and
walling
tile module that contains at least one electrical component comprising an electroluminescent
material, photovoltaic element, a thermovoltaic element, or combinations thereof.
A second object of this invention is to provide a multi-use tile that is easy
to install.
A third object of this invention is to provide multi-use tiles that do not require
external wiring to electrically connect with each other.
A fourth object of the invention is to provide electrically connectable tiles
that
produce light for enhancement of nighttime visibility and/or decorative effect.
A fifth object is to provide a photovoltaic and thermovoltaic tiles that are
simple
and economical to manufacture.
The invention accomplishes these and other objects by providing a novel and improved
tile module disposed with built-in electrical connectors and one or more electrical components.
Various other purposes and advantages of the invention will become clear
from its description in the specification that follows and from the novel features
particularly pointed out in the appended claims. Therefore, to the accomplishment
of the objectives described above, this invention consists of the features hereinafter
illustrated in the drawings, fully described in the detailed description of the
preferred embodiments, and particularly pointed out in the claims. However, such
drawings and description disclose only some of the various ways in which the invention
may be practiced.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 schematically depicts a side view of an embodiment of the invention in cross-section.
FIG. 2A schematically depicts a side view of a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2B schematically shows a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 2A.
FIG. 3A schematically depicts a top view of a floor or wall application of the
tile shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3B schematically depicts a side view of four of the tiles shown in FIG. 3A.
FIG. 4 schematically depicts a side view of a shingle-like roof application
of the invention.
FIG. 5A schematically depicts a front view of a curved tile roof application
of the invention.
FIG. 5B schematically depicts in side view of embodiment shown in FIG. 5A.
FIGS. 6A and 6B schematically depict a single roof tile of FIG. 5A from a bottom
view and in cross-section, respectively.
FIG. 7 schematically depicts a basic embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention, in general, provides a multipurpose, electrically connectable
tile module that contains an electroluminescent, photovoltaic, and/or thermovoltaic
element upon its upper side. Preferably, the electroluminescent and voltaic elements
are electrically insulated and are sealed to the tile substrate by a glaze. Optionally,
the tile module may also include a battery and/or inverter. The tile modules are
electrically connected by "male-to-female" (e.g., prong and socket) connectors
along a side edge or bottom tab to eliminate the need for external wiring between
tiles. Accordingly, the tile modules can be used to provide interesting light effects
and/or electricity in a variety of outdoor flooring, roofing, and wall facade applications.
Turning to an especially preferred embodiment in FIG. 1, the electric tile
10 includes a rigid substrate
12. Preferably, the rigid substrate
12 includes ceramic or cement. However, tiles may be made from other rigid
materials, including, but not limited to, clay, mud, polymers such as a plastic,
polymer/clay or polymer/ceramic hybrids, or glass. Whatever material is chosen,
the rigid substrate
12 must be composed of an electrically insulating material
to prevent short circuits among connected tiles modules. Rigid substrate
12
includes a top side
14, a bottom side
16, and side edges
18.
Although a substantially rectangular shape for the rigid substrate is shown, it
should be understood that the tile modules may assume any shape having top and
bottom sides and one (e.g., circles) or more side edges (e.g., triangles, squares, hexagons).
Disposed over top side
14 are thermovoltaic element
20 and
photovoltaic element
22. Elements
20 and
22 preferably comprise
thin film thermovoltaic and photovoltaic cells because thin films are inexpensive
and may be easily deposited on many different rigid materials by several different
methods well known in the art. For example vacuum deposition, ion sputtering, and
spin-coating methods may be used.
Preferably, elements
20 and
22 are coated with a transparent,
electrically insulating material
24, such as silicon. Also preferably, the
tile
10 is coated with a sealing layer
26. The sealing layer is designed
to make the tile modules wear and weather resistant and may include, but is not
limited to, fired ceramic glazes, liquid glazes, sol gels, polymer or glass-based
coatings, thick films, or a combination of these. To enhance the efficiency of
the thermovoltaic element
20, a heat-reflective element
28 may be
disposed on the top side
14 and underneath thermovoltaic element
20.
Optionally, the sealing layer
26 may include a light-enhancing product,
such as micro industrial diamonds (not shown).
Obviously, many variations exist on the type and placement of the electrical
wiring and other electrical components of each tile module. One of these many possible
electrical connection arrangements is shown schematically in FIG.
1. Circuit
30, which has a negative polarity, and circuit
31, which has a positive
polarity, both contain diodes
32 to prevent backflow of electricity in the
event of a voltage differential between elements
20 and
22. Hence,
the electricity produced from the voltaic elements flows along two separate wires
34 (connected to circuit
30) and
36 (connected to circuit
31). The wires
34 and
36 may be run through channels (not
clearly shown, see FIG. 6A) in rigid substrate
12 or sealed to bottom side
16. Wires
34 and
36 then terminate at one end in a male connector
38 and at the other female connector
40. As shown, connectors
38
and
40 are disposed along opposing side edges
18. However, a corner
tile module would have connectors extending from perpendicular side edges.
This configuration is especially suited for wall and floor applications of the
tile modules
10 because it allows the tiles to interconnect without the
need for complex wiring or installation problems due to placement of wires in mortar
or grout.
Turning to FIG. 2A, a second embodiment of the invention featuring an electroluminescent
element is shown. Tile module
44 includes a rigid substrate
46 with
a top side
48, bottom side
50, and opposing side edges
52.
Disposed over top side
48 are thermovoltaic element
54, photovoltaic
element
56, and electroluminescent element
58. As discussed above,
the electroluminescent element is composed of an electroluminescent material, such
as phosphor material, that emits light when a current is passed through it. Optionally,
a reflective element
60 is disposed between the thermovoltaic element
54
and the top side
48.
Elements
54,
56 and
58 are separated by a transparent,
electrically insulating material (e.g. silicon), which may also act as a sealing
layer. In terms of electrical connections, one of many possible arrangements is
represented by circuits
64 and
66. Circuit
64 has a negative
polarity, while circuit
66 has a positive polarity, with both circuits containing
diodes
68 to prevent backflow of electricity in the event of a voltage differential
between elements
54,
56, and
58. The electricity produced
from the voltaic elements flows to two separate wires
74 and
76 (shown
in phantom line). Wires
74 and
76 lead to a male connector
78
and a female connector
80. As shown, connectors
78 and
80
protrude from opposing side edges
52. Also, the flow of electricity to the
electroluminescent element
58 is controlled by switch
84 in this case.
FIG. 2B shows a bottom view of the tile module of FIG.
2A. Thus, the
fact that the male connector
78 is made up of two prongs in this case can
be seen more clearly.
A simple floor or wall facade application of the invention is shown in FIGS.
3A
(top view) and
3B (side view). Tile modules
86 are connected along
a side edge
88 via male connector
90 to female connector
92.
Thus, a flow of electricity
94 is established between tiles.
A simplified roofing application of the invention is shown in FIG.
4.
Tile
modules
98 are made so that a bottom tab
100 houses a connector
102
(in this case a female connector) such that frictional engagement of a male connector
104 can be made along a side edge
106 of an adjoining tile. Holes
108 allow each tile
98 to be attached by a nail or screw to a roof
substructure
110, if desired. The apex of the pictured roof is preferably
covered with a cap piece
112. The exposed connectors
102 and
104
can then be connected by wires
114 to a battery and/or main electrical service.
FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate in front and side view a roof application of the
invention using a tile module that is curved in cross-section. The roof
118
includes tile modules
120, which are interconnected by a male connector
122 coupled to a female connector
124. Each tile may include a hole
126 to facilitate attachment to the roof substructure (not shown). Wires
127 then transmit electricity to a battery or main service through end wires
128.
FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate in a front and side cross-sectional view, respectively,
one of the curved roof tile module shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. Tile
120 has
a photovoltaic element
130 disposed over the top of rigid substrate
132.
On the bottom of rigid substrate
132, a tab
134 houses channel
136
and wires
137 and
138. Male connector
140 is disposed at side
edge
141 while female connector
142 is located within tab
134.
FIG. 7 shows a simple embodiment of the multi-use tile module in side cross-section.
Tile
145 is made up of rigid substrate
147, having a top side
148.
Disposed over top side
148 is electroluminescent element
149. Electrically
insulating element
150 and sealing layer
151 coat the electroluminescent
element and rigid substrate as described in previous embodiments. Element
151
receives electricity from negative and positive leads
152 and
153,
which are connected to wires
154 and
155, respectively. Connectors
157 and
158 allow tile
145 to receive current from an adjoining
tile. Of course, designs, letters, or shapes may be made with the electroluminescent
element to add a creative element to the tile
145.
It should be noted that the manufacture of the invention may be accomplished
by
those skilled in the art in several different way. For example, rigid substrate
material can be cast or molded and then cured or fired. Circuitry and connecting
material is then applied at different points as one or more electric component
elements (photovoltaic, thermovoltaic, and/or electroluminescent) are deposed over
the rigid substrate. If thin films are used, these films can be deposited on a
reflector material (most likely stainless steel) and then laminated to the substrate,
or a thin film can be deposited directly on the substrate. At this point, the various
sealing coatings or glazes would be applied to the tile, which could then be cured
or fired as necessary. Other electric components, such as a battery, inverter,
or connecters, would then be installed to complete the tile.
As would be understood by those skilled in the art, any number of functional
equivalents
may exist in lieu of the preferred embodiments described above. Thus, as will be
apparent to those skilled in the art, changes in the details and materials that
have been described may be within the principles and scope of the invention illustrated
herein and defined in the appended claims.
Accordingly, while the present invention has been shown and described
in what is believed to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is recognized
that departures can be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which
is therefore not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded
the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent products.
*
