Patent Publication Number: US-2006012996-A1

Title: Solar light apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of Invention  
      The present invention relates to a light apparatus, particularly to an embeddable solar light apparatus.  
      2. Description of Related Art  
      There are various types of lights for illuminating particular areas. Some lights are designed to facilitate reading while some are used for guiding people in the dark. Even though it has been such a long time since the first bulb appeared in the world, people still keep developing various new lights to make life better.  
      In real applications, different problems arise and responsive solutions are designed. For example, in garages or gardens, lights are usually exposed to sunlight, rain, or even snow. Therefore, durable structures are necessary. Waterproof capability is another issue when lights are to be installed near or on the ground, particularly when electric lines are buried under ground to provide power. In addition, placement of switches at proper locations sometimes decides whether it is convenient to use the lights. To maintain normal operations of lights is just another problem. Conventionally, it needs careful consideration and expensive labor to install lights in the right places. Many people find that it is too difficult or costly when they try to place or change the lights in their gardens or garages.  
      Therefore, a light apparatus that is easy to install and maintain while having a durable structure will bring further convenience to human life.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      An objective of the present invention is to provide a light apparatus that is easy to install and maintain in places like garages and gardens. A preferred embodiment according to the present invention to achieve the objective is a solar light apparatus that includes a protective cover, a base housing, at least one solar cell, at least one light source, and a recharging circuit.  
      The protective cover has at least one first transparent window and at least one second transparent window. The base housing has at least one cavity and at least one supporting area. The base housing is attached to a first surface of the protective cover. The solar cell is mounted on the supporting area of the base housing facing the first transparent window. The light source, e.g. an LED, is fixed in the cavity facing the second transparent window. A recharging circuit is coupled to the solar cell and the light source for recharging a rechargeable battery using power supplied by the solar cell so that the rechargeable battery is capable of driving the light source to provide illumination.  
      As an example for implementing the preferred embodiment, the protective cover is composed of a stainless plate and a plastic plate. Silicon rings are also applied for providing waterproof capability.  
      With the present invention, users do not need to consider complicated layout of electric wiring again. The solar light apparatus of the present invention can be placed in garages or gardens for any pattern of arrangement. It is also easy to maintain such solar light apparatus. Hence, the present invention may improve human life. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The accompanying drawings are included to provide further understanding of the invention, and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate the embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings,  
       FIG. 1  is an exploded view illustrating a preferred embodiment according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a top view of a portion of the preferred embodiment;  
       FIG. 3  is a side view of the portion of the preferred embodiment;  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the portion of the preferred embodiment;  
       FIG. 5  is a side sectional view of the portion of the preferred embodiment;  
       FIG. 6  is a top view of the preferred embodiment; and  
       FIG. 7  is a side sectional view of the preferred embodiment. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       FIG. 1  is an exploded view illustrating a preferred embodiment according to the present invention. The preferred embodiment is a solar light apparatus  1  including a protective cover  10 , a base housing  12 , solar cells  14 , a light source  16 , and a recharging circuit  18 .  
      The protective cover  10  is composed of a stainless plate  101  and a plastic plate  102 . Two first transparent windows  1011  and  1021  are formed on the stainless plate  101  and the plastic plate  102 . In addition, two other second transparent windows  1012  and  1022  are also formed on the stainless plate  101  and the plastic plate  102 . The base housing  12  has a cavity  124  and supporting areas  121 . The base housing  12  is attached to a first surface of the protective cover  10 . Solar cells  14  are mounted on the supporting areas  121  of the base housing  12  facing the first transparent windows  1011  and  1021 . The light source  16 , e.g. an LED (Light Emitting Diode), is fixed in the cavity  124  facing the second transparent windows  1012  and  1022 , and the recharging circuit  18  is coupled to the light source  16  and the solar cells  14  for recharging rechargeable batteries  20  using power supplied by the solar cells  14  so that the rechargeable batteries  20  are capable of driving the light source  16  to provide illumination.  
      In addition, the solar light apparatus has a brick  19  having a holding base  191  for holding the base housing  12 . An opening  192  of the brick  19  is patterned to surround and protect a box  123  of the base housing  12  while the holding base  191  supports a plate portion of the base housing  12 . A cap  125  is used for sealing the box  123  and is detachable from the box  123  for replacing the rechargeable batteries  20 . If a switch  182  is optionally placed on the recharging circuit, the switch  182  can be used for turning on the recharging circuit  18 . Also, a sensor  181 , e.g. a light sensor, is optionally installed on the recharging circuit  18  to determine whether it is a proper time to turn on the light source  16 . Further, a lens  17  that is made of hard glass is placed between the cavity of the base housing  12  and the second transparent windows  1012  and  1022  for protecting or focusing the light emitted from the light source  16 .  
      To provide waterproof capability, a first silicon ring  151  is placed between the protective cover  10  and the base housing  12  for surrounding the solar cells  14 . A second silicon ring  152  is placed on a part  127  of the base housing  12  for surrounding the cavity  124 . In addition, a third silicon  153  is placed for surrounding the rim of the cap  125 .  
      It is easy to assemble the solar light apparatus  1  by using screws  11  and  13 . Then, users only need to place one or more such solar light apparatuses  1  on the ground of their gardens or garages. With the solar light apparatus  1 , users do not need to consider complicated layout of electric wiring. They can arrange a plurality of such solar light apparatuses  1  to form any pattern they like. Also, users do not need to turn on the lights when the night comes. The solar cells  14  can save solar energy in daytime and recharge the rechargeable batteries  20 . When the night comes, the rechargeable circuit  18  turns on the light source  16  to provide illumination. Maintenance of the solar light apparatus is also easy. Since the brick  19  is not tied to any electric line, what users need to do is to take up the brick  19  and unscrew the cap  125  of the base housing  12  for replacing the rechargeable batteries  20  or the light source  16 .  
      To provide a clearer explanation,  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , respectively, illustrate a top view and a side view of the base housing  12  and the protective cover  10 . In addition,  FIG. 4  is a perspective view of  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 5  is a sectional view of  FIG. 3 . Further,  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7  are a top view and a side sectional view, respectively, for illustrating the supporting housing  12  placed on the brick  19 .  
      Although the present invention is described using the above embodiments, it does not mean that the scope of the present invention is limited to the above description. Persons skilled in the art can make all kinds of modifications, for example, changing the selected polymeric material, introducing different conductive particles, changing electroplating conditions, changing constituent weight ratio, to achieve the same effects. However, these modifications shall not deviate from the spirit of the present invention, and they shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention shall not be limited to the description of the claims.