A High‐Efficiency, Portable, Solar‐Powered Cooling System Based on a Foldable‐Flower Mechanism and Wireless Power Transfer Technology for Vehicle Cabins

Abstract

In summer, the high temperature inside vehicles is a problem, because cooling a vehicle parked under the scorching sun is both time and energy consuming. Herein, a portable solar‐powered cooling system (SPCS) is proposed based on a foldable‐flower mechanism and wireless power transfer (WPT) technology. The proposed system consists of three main parts: a solar foldable‐flower module (SFFM), an energy transfer module, and a temperature control module. The SFFM is a novel foldable mechanism that achieves a high space utilization through a rotating process and a folding process, like a flower opening its petals. The SFFM, equipped with photovoltaic (PV) cells, collects solar energy and converts it into electricity. The energy transfer module stores electricity from the SFFM in a supercapacitor via a WPT unit. The temperature control module achieves automatic temperature regulation using a cooling device. Experimental results show that output power reaches up to 7.571 W with a load resistor of 5 Ω, whereas the efficiency of the WPT reaches up to 73.6% with a load resistor of 15 Ω. Moreover, thermal simulation results illustrate that the proposed system achieves an average temperature reduction of 27.45 °C, making it feasible and effective to cool a hot vehicle cabin.

A High‐Efficiency, Portable Solar Energy‐Harvesting System Based on a Foldable‐Wings Mechanism for Self‐Powered Applications in Railways

“…[35][36][37] In addition, with the increasing demand for air conditioning, and the increasing emphasis on the development and utilization of new energy sources, many researchers have designed solar-powered air conditioners. [38][39][40] The above research results prove that solar energy is a clean and renewable energy source with extremely high utilization value. [41,42] China possesses abundant solar resources, [43] and China's remote areas (without grid arrangements) tend to be high-altitude areas, where the air is thin and the weakening effect of the atmosphere is weak, so the solar radiation is strong.…”

“…[ 35–37 ] In addition, with the increasing demand for air conditioning, and the increasing emphasis on the development and utilization of new energy sources, many researchers have designed solar‐powered air conditioners. [ 38–40 ]…”

Systematic Review: How to reduce the car cabin temperature using solar energy?

“…According to the thermal simulation data, the system obtained an average temperature reduction of 27.45 o C, which was practical and efficient for cooling a heated automobile cabin [21]. Carneiro and Soares (2020) examined the possible economic and environmental advantages of solar panels installed on the BLRV roof.…”

A Highly Efficient Multifunctional Wind Barrier Based on PVDF for Power Generation in the Qinghai–Tibet Railway

“…The development of low-powered or selfpowered WSNs for achieving a continuous electricity supply for sensors has recently become an emergent topic. [9,10] In the latest studies, piezoelectric, [11,12] electromagnetic, [13] photovoltaic, [14,15] triboelectric, [16,17] and the corresponding combination of different mechanisms [18,19] have been applied by collecting energy from the ambient environment, including thermal, solar, wind, chemical, and kinetic energy. Therefore, based on the above power generation methods, supplying power for WSNs near railways is becoming gradually feasible.…”