Development of Comfortable Umbrella with Fan by Using Solar Energy
. Hakiki
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School, Keimyung University, Daegu, S. Korea.
Hakim Khaula Nurul
Department of Electronics Engineering, Graduate School, Keimyung University, Daegu, S. Korea.
Nugroho Yuniarto Wimbo
Department of Electronics Engineering, Graduate School, Keimyung University, Daegu, S. Korea.
Hao Liu *
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Keimyung University, Daegu, S. Korea.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Heat waves often occur during sunny days in tropical regions during summer season, with temperatures sometimes reaching over 42 degrees Celsius. Because overheat waves can cause heatstroke for human beings who work outside, umbrellas are usually used to cut off sunshine to protect them. In the paper, an umbrella prototype is designed, which can drive a fan to provide cooling effect for persons who work outside in tropical regions. The designed umbrella uses solar cell attached on the above surface of the umbrella to convert solar energy into electricity, which is used to drive a fan or charge a battery. Moreover, the battery can also drive the fan when sunshine intensity is weak, or provide a charging port with 5 voltages for portable devices, such as mobile phones. The key component to realize these functions is an electronic control module, which includes charging circuit and discharging circuit. The former increases output voltage from the solar cell to the desired voltage to charge the battery; the latter can control electricity from the battery to drive the DC motor fan, LED indicator, and charging port.
Keywords: charging circuit, discharging circuit, solar system, voltage step-down, voltage step-up