Content:
- SNOW ON ROOF
- SOLAR CELLS
- GENERATOR FOR ELECTRIC CARS
- EXTINGUISHING PYRAMID
- WASTE PILE COOLER
- RED LIGHTS IN ROAD IN FRONT OF UNGUARDED RAILWAY CROSSING
SNOW ON ROOF
In countries with a lot of snow, the roofs are loaded with it. They therefore need to be regularly cleaned to prevent sagging. An intensive activity. I've been thinking about a system to make it easier to remove the snow from the roofs. With a sort of roll-band on the roof.
Function
Roll-bands will be placed on the roof. If there is snow on the roof, it can be rolled away. It can be operated manually with a handle. It can also be operated electrically by a motor, but also full-automatic with an optical eye. At a certain snow height, the roll-band is activated automatically. With or without a warning in case someone walks under it. It can be mounted on a slanted roof and a flat roof.
If necessary, a metal stripe can be placed, under the roller, in order to scrape off the snow. Why under the roller? Because if someone accidently falls on the roller band. He won't hurt himself on the scraper.
Material
It must consists of light material, because in combination with the snow it must not be too heavy. The rollers are made of plastic just like the resting plate. The metal parts are made of aluminium. The cloth where the snow falls, must be made of sturdy nylon. In areas where it's very cold, the snow can freeze on the cloth. Therefore the system can jam. In that case chicken wire can be a solution. When it is stuck due to freezing, the wire can be warmed by electricity, so that the ice between the resting place and the snow melts. Then the snow can be rolled away again.
Weight
The weight builds up unnoticed. Regular cleaning is necessary. To prevent that during rolling someone get snowed on, there must be an alarm system to warn them. (flashing light. Sound.)
Of course the idea has to be developed.
SOLAR CELLS
Solar cells are used to generate electricity. The production of solar cells is expensive, because of the expensive light sensitive layer. I was thinking of a manner to save on that expensive layer.
As seen below, a lens is placed above the panel in order to bundle the sun beams. In that case you can save on that expensive material. Due to the bundling of the sun beams, they reach the surface more powerful on a smaller area. You get the same amount of energy. The smaller area can be square shaped or round.
Consideration should be given to the following:
- There should be sun beams on it.
Sun beams are powerful enough to give a good effect - Lens may not bundle too sharp.
If a lens bundles too sharp, overheating may take place. Consider the focus of a magnifying glass. - The panel must always be perpendicular to the sun. If the sun's rays fall perpendicularly on the lens, the best effect is achieved. The movement of the panel is controlled by motors and sensors. There must be enough space for the panels to move. If the panels are angled, they must not give each other a shadow.
- Production costs (solar cell, lens and movement system) should not be more expensive than that of a conventional solar cell.
If many panels are produced, the price goes down.
There still must be some investigation whether it is profitable to produce these panels.
GENERATOR FOR ELECTRIC CARS
The electric car is becoming more popular. Only there is the fear that the battery becoms empty. With a combustion engine you have a spare jerrycan.
I have heard about sea ships that sail on electrical engines. They have a diesel motor on board, but they only use it to generate electricity for the engines.
I was thinking of using that same method in electric cars. Petrol or gas is chosen, because it is less polluting than diesel. The activation of the generator goes automatically when the battery level drops down to e.g. 30%. It turns off whet the battery level reached 80%. Of course the generator can also be manually switched on and off. It is thus not a hybrid engine, the vehicle is not directly driven by the generator.
The rotation speed of the generator depends on the speed of the vehicle: If the speed of the vehicle is higher than e.g. 50 km/h (30 mph), The rotation speed of the generator will increase e.g. 2000 RPM. When standing still, e.g. in front of a traffic light, the rotation speed decrease to e.g. 800 RPM. Similar to the idling of a combustion engine. A car standing still with a high rotation speed sounds odd, that's why. Of course everything is adjustable by your needs. For the environment it is intended minimize the use of the generator, but there is less fear of standing still in the middle of nowhere.
Important to know is that the fuel decreases quality when it is not used for a long time. Research must tell when the fuel must be used before it gets too old. Maybe it is different for LPG. There can also be looked to other sources e.g. natural gas, hydrogen, etc.
As a side effect, the heat of the generator can be used to warm up the cabin in cold days. Because a heater (and also an air conditioner) costs a lot of energy.
More possibilities to charge the batteries:
There can be chosen to fill the roof with solar cells. If you don't want a panoramic roof. The bonet is perhaps not an option:
It's not a nice view and it may distract.
An other possibility is a propeller in the whim of the car. During driving the wind goes through the propeller and generates power. There are also ideas about wireless charging, by driving over a special 'charge road'.
With these possibilities driving an electric car should be extended and in future perhaps very common...
WARNING SYSTEM RAILROAD CROSSING
Sometimes a train collides with a vehicle that accidentally comes to a stop on the track.
I was thinking of a system that warns the train driver when there is something on the track. One may think of a sensor underneath the railroad crossing which supplies a signal. Possibly with a system that measures the distance between the train and the object on the track. The signal is coded so that only trains on that track receives that signal and not trains that have nothing to do with it.
In this way the train driver has time enough to inhibit.
This may possibly reduce the risk of a collision.
EXTINGUISHING PYRAMID
Part of a fire-fighting training is of course, putting out fires. There will be something deliberately set on fire, then the student may extinguish the fire. That is every time a lot of hassle. I've thought of something that makes it not necessary to make a fire.
It's a pyramid of approx. 2m (6ft). It's made of transparent plastic with inside lights and sensors that react on laser light.When the practice begins, the pyramid is coloured red. That means the pyramid's 'on fire'.
There's also a extinguishing canon. This is a device that emits a laser beam. It's attached to a hose to get the feeling to hold a real fire hose. By directing the laser on the pyramid, extinguishing is simulated.
As described earlier, the pyramid is red when the exercise begins. By pointing the laser to the pyramid, the colour changes to green on that spot. By keep pointing the laser to the pyramid, it will eventually turn completely green. Of course in real the fire can come back. In that case the colour changes back to red. If the pyramid is completely green and blinking, than the fire is out. The exercise is over.
The pyramid can be set on different types of fires so that the various extinguishing techniques can be practised. If this goes well, there can eventually be practised with real fire.
The advantage of this pyramid is that you do not have to start a fire each time to practice techniques.
The pyramid does not exist yet, but maybe someone can develop this idea.
WASTE PILE COOLER
Sometimes you see on the news a waste pile on a waste disposal company, spontaneously set fire. Often this is the result of the breeding of the waste. The sunlight warms the waste pile and into the pile, the temperature is so high that it can spontaneously flare.
I was thinking of a system to cool down the waste pile when necessary. You could think of a metal tube which is drilled into the waste pile. (See picture). The tube has a temperature sensor and holes where the medium comes out. Around it there's an outer tube with a lot of holes, this tube protects the sensor and also ensures that the dirt does not obstruct the holes of the inner tube.
When the temperature rises too high, the medium is pumped through the tube. As it leaves the gaps, it will cool down the pile. The excess gas flows back through the space between the two tubes. A medium could be e.g. carbon dioxide, liquid nitrogen or just air.
RED LIGHTS IN ROAD IN FRONT OF UNGUARDED RAILWAY CROSSING
Unguarded railway crossings are more dangerous than guarded ones. I think that's because the red lights are on the side of the road.
The lifting barrier is equipped with red flashing lights and hang above the road, so you see them in front of you.
I have been thinking about alox installing red lights in the road surface before the crossing.
When no train is coming, they flash slowly. When a train does arrive, they flash quickly. Maybe it will be more visible this way.
Below is an image of such a lamp in the ground.
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