CLIAMS:What is claimed is:
1. A portable solar charging system for charging a cotton picking machine, said system comprises:

a solar panel;
a rechargeable battery being charged using said solar panel; and
a solar charge controller, wherein said solar charge controller is configured to provide power supply to said cotton picking machine using said rechargeable battery.
2. The method as in claim 1, wherein said solar panel is further configured to convert solar energy to corresponding electrical energy.
3. The system as in claim 1, wherein said solar charge controller further comprising:

a solar power controller;
a rechargeable cell controller; and
a programmable function controller, wherein
said solar power controller further configured to perform at least one of a voltage protection of said solar charging system and a voltage regulation of said generated electrical energy;
said rechargeable cell controller further configured to charge said rechargeable battery using said generated electrical energy and provide power supply to said cotton picking machine from said rechargeable battery; and
said programmable function controller further configured to control and coordinate flow of power between said solar back pack, solar power controller, rechargeable cell controller, and rechargeable battery.

4. The system as in claim 2, wherein said rechargeable cell controller is further configured to regulate a voltage level of said generated electrical energy to a constant level using a voltage regulator.
5. The system as in claim 2, wherein said rechargeable cell controller is further configured to protect said rechargeable battery from at least one of over charging and complete drain out using a charge protector.
6. The system as in claim 1, wherein said portable solar charging system is further configured to charge at least one user device.
7. A method of charging a cotton picking machine using a portable solar charging system, said method comprises:
generating electrical energy by converting solar energy to corresponding electrical energy;
charging a rechargeable battery using said generated electrical energy; and
providing power supply to said cotton picking machine from said rechargeable battery.
8. The method as in claim 7, wherein voltage level of said generated electrical energy is regulated to a constant level.
9. The method as in claim 7, wherein said rechargeable battery is protected from at least one of overcharging and complete drain out.

Dated : 30th July, 2013 Signature
Vikram Pratap Singh Thakur
Patent Agent ,TagSPECI:FORM 2
The Patent Act 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
The Patent Rules, 2005

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(SEE MEMBER 10 AND RULE 13)

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

“PORTABLE SOLAR CHARGING SYSTEM FOR COTTON PICKING MACHINE AND OTHER USER DEVICES”
APPLICANTS:

Name : SUNIL KUMAR

Nationality : Indian

Address : 103, Ashok Park View, 42 Davis Road, Richards Town, Bangalore 560084, India

The following specification particularly describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:-

TECHNICAL FIELD
[001] The embodiments herein relate to Solar energy systems and, more particularly, to a portable solar charging system in solar energy systems.

BACKGROUND
[002] Before cotton picking machines were invented, farmers used to pick cotton by hand. This required a lot of human efforts and also proved to be a time consuming process. With invention of different types of cotton picking machines, the cotton picking process was simplified and required less effort. With recent developments in technology, battery powered portable handheld cotton picking machines are also available which, the farmers can use with ease.
[003] One disadvantage of the portable cotton picking machine is that the batteries have to be frequently changed as and when they drain out. Even if rechargeable batteries are used, they need to be charged which requires electricity. In remote areas where electricity is not available or else in load shedding conditions, it is not possible to charge the batteries. Increasing cost of electricity may also be a concern. One alternative is solar power. Solar panels are used to convert solar energy to electrical energy; which in turn is used to power up the cotton picking machines. One disadvantage of this system is that the solar powered batteries also may drain out during usage which makes it difficult for the farmers. Further, the commonly available solar panels and charging systems which are bulky and expensive do not permit the farmers to carry it with them. This prevents farmers from using hand-held portable cotton picking machines which ensure higher productivity. Further, in remote areas where resources such as electricity are not available, people cannot use lights at night or run any other useful electrical appliance.

SUMMARY
[004] In view of the foregoing, an embodiment herein provides a portable solar charging system for charging a cotton picking machine. The system comprises a solar panel; a rechargeable battery being charged using the solar panel; and a solar charge controller. The solar charge controller is configured to provide power supply to the cotton picking machine using the rechargeable battery. The solar charge controller further comprises of a solar power controller, a rechargeable cell controller and a programmable function controller. The solar power controller is further configured to generate electrical energy by converting solar energy fetched from the solar panel to corresponding electrical energy. Further, the rechargeable cell controller further configured to charge the rechargeable battery using the generated electrical energy and provides power supply to the cotton picking machine from the rechargeable battery. Further, the programmable function controller further configured to control and coordinate flow of power between the solar back pack, solar power controller, rechargeable cell controller, and rechargeable battery.
[005] Embodiments further disclose a method of charging a cotton picking machine using a portable solar charging system. The method comprises generating electrical energy by converting solar energy to corresponding electrical energy, charging a rechargeable battery using the generated electrical energy; and providing power supply to the cotton picking machine from the rechargeable battery.
[006] These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[007] The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following detailed description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[008] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of the portable solar charging system, as disclosed in the embodiments herein;
[009] FIG. 2 is a block diagram that shows various components of the solar charge controller, as disclosed in the embodiments herein;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a block diagram that shows various steps involved in the process of charging cotton picking machine using portable solar charging system, as disclosed in the embodiments herein; and
[0011] FIG. 4 is an example implementation of the portable solar charging system with a cotton picking machine, as disclosed in the embodiments herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0012] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0013] The embodiments herein disclose a system for charging a cotton picking machine on the fields and household devices by using a portable solar charging system. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 3, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown embodiments.
[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of the portable solar charging system, as disclosed in the embodiments herein. The system further comprises a solar panel 101, a solar charge controller 102, and a rechargeable battery 103; which in turn is connected to the user device 104 that requires power supply. The solar panel 101 comprises of a plurality of solar cells connected in series which are further configured to generate electric energy by converting solar energy. The solar charge controller 102 regulates voltage levels of the generated electrical energy to specific levels and also provides voltage protection for circuitry associated with the solar charging system. The solar charge controller 102 further charges the rechargeable battery using the generated electric energy. In an embodiment, the solar charge controller 102 regulates voltage levels of the generated electric energy to specific levels so as to match a voltage tolerance of the rechargeable battery 103. Further, the solar charge controller 102 provides power supply to the cotton picking machine and other user devices using the energy stored in the rechargeable battery 103, when connected using a suitable interface.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a block diagram that shows various components of the solar charge controller, as disclosed in the embodiments herein. The solar charge controller further comprises of a solar power controller 201, a rechargeable cell controller 202 and a function controller 203. The solar power controller 201 further comprises of a solar voltage protector, a solar voltage indicator and a solar power regulator. The solar voltage protector protects circuit associated with the whole solar charging system from issues such as voltage surges and noises that ma arise due to external voltage and light disturbances. The solar voltage indicator indicates high or low levels of voltage in each cell of the solar panel. The solar power regulator is used to regulate solar power generated using the solar panel 101.
[0016] The rechargeable cell controller 202 is used to control recharging of the rechargeable battery 103. The rechargeable cell controller 202 further comprises of a voltage regulator, a charger, a charge level indicator, a charge protector, and a cell power router. Voltage levels of the generated electrical energy may vary depending on factors such as availability of solar energy, sunlight and so on. As voltage fluctuations may harm the circuit and the rechargeable battery, the voltage regulator regulates voltage to a constant level depending on the voltage tolerance of the rechargeable battery. The charger component of the rechargeable cell controller 202 is used to recharge the rechargeable battery 103. Further, the charge level indicator gives visual indication about the charge available in the battery. The charge protector is used to protect the rechargeable battery 103 from over charging and/or from complete drain out. The charge protector further prevents the battery charge from flowing back to rest of the components of the portable solar charging system. The charge protector further acts as an interface to the chargeable battery 103 and provides means to connect and disconnect the battery, as required. Further, the cell power router is used to route and provide power to user devices 104 such as cotton picking machine, bulb, and DC fan and so on.
[0017] The function controller 203 is based on a component such as a micro controller and is configured to automatically control and coordinate flow of power between other components of the solar charging system.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a block diagram that shows various steps involved in the process of charging cotton picking machine using portable solar charging system, as disclosed in the embodiments herein. The solar panel 101, solar charge controller 102 and the rechargeable battery 103 are packed in a single case to form a portable solar charging system in such a way that the user can carry this case. For example, the portable solar charging system may be in the form of a back pack so that the user can carry it on his/her back. The solar panel 101 converts (301) solar energy to electrical energy. The solar charge controller 102 regulates power being generated by the solar panel 101.
[0019] Further, using the generated electric energy, the rechargeable battery 103 is re-charged (302). In an embodiment, the voltage levels of the generated electric energy may vary depending on parameters such as solar energy, sunlight and so on. In order to protect the rechargeable battery 103 and other components of the solar charging system from voltage fluctuations, the voltage levels are adjusted to a constant level using a voltage regulator. In an embodiment, the constant level to which the voltage is set is decided based on a voltage tolerance of the rechargeable battery 103. Further, the charge stored in the rechargeable battery 103 is used to provide (303) power supply to the user devices such as cotton picking machine, bulb, fan and so on. The various actions in method 300 may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG. 3 may be omitted.
[0020] FIG. 4 is an example implementation of the portable solar charging system with a cotton picking machine, as disclosed in the embodiments herein. As depicted in the figure, the solar panel 101 in the form of a back pack is being carried by the user. The electric energy generated by the solar panel 101 is processed by other components of the portable solar charging system and is used to charge the battery pack. Further, the energy stored in the battery pack is used to power up the cotton picker.
[0021] The embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented through at least one software program running on at least one hardware device and performing network management functions to control the network elements. The network elements shown in Fig. 1 include blocks which can be at least one of a hardware device, or a combination of hardware device and software module.
[0022] The embodiment disclosed herein specifies a system for charging cotton picking machine on the fields and other user devices. The mechanism allows charging of cotton picking machine on the fields and household devices, providing a system thereof. Therefore, it is understood that the scope of the protection is extended to such a program and in addition to a computer readable means having a message therein, such computer readable storage means contain program code means for implementation of one or more steps of the method, when the program runs on a server or mobile device or any suitable programmable device. The method is implemented in a preferred embodiment through or together with a software program written in e.g. Very high speed integrated circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL) another programming language, or implemented by one or more VHDL or several software modules being executed on at least one hardware device. The hardware device can be any kind of device which can be programmed including e.g. any kind of computer like a server or a personal computer, or the like, or any combination thereof, e.g. one processor and two FPGAs. The device may also include means which could be e.g. hardware means like e.g. an ASIC, or a combination of hardware and software means, e.g. an ASIC and an FPGA, or at least one microprocessor and at least one memory with software modules located therein. Thus, the means are at least one hardware means and/or at least one software means. The method embodiments described herein could be implemented in pure hardware or partly in hardware and partly in software. The device may also include only software means. Alternatively, the invention may be implemented on different hardware devices, e.g. using a plurality of CPUs.
[0023] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims as described herein.

CLAIMS
What is claimed is:
1. A portable solar charging system for charging a cotton picking machine, said system comprises:

a solar panel;
a rechargeable battery being charged using said solar panel; and
a solar charge controller, wherein said solar charge controller is configured to provide power supply to said cotton picking machine using said rechargeable battery.
2. The method as in claim 1, wherein said solar panel is further configured to convert solar energy to corresponding electrical energy.
3. The system as in claim 1, wherein said solar charge controller further comprising:

a solar power controller;
a rechargeable cell controller; and
a programmable function controller, wherein
said solar power controller further configured to perform at least one of a voltage protection of said solar charging system and a voltage regulation of said generated electrical energy;
said rechargeable cell controller further configured to charge said rechargeable battery using said generated electrical energy and provide power supply to said cotton picking machine from said rechargeable battery; and
said programmable function controller further configured to control and coordinate flow of power between said solar back pack, solar power controller, rechargeable cell controller, and rechargeable battery.

4. The system as in claim 2, wherein said rechargeable cell controller is further configured to regulate a voltage level of said generated electrical energy to a constant level using a voltage regulator.
5. The system as in claim 2, wherein said rechargeable cell controller is further configured to protect said rechargeable battery from at least one of over charging and complete drain out using a charge protector.
6. The system as in claim 1, wherein said portable solar charging system is further configured to charge at least one user device.
7. A method of charging a cotton picking machine using a portable solar charging system, said method comprises:
generating electrical energy by converting solar energy to corresponding electrical energy;
charging a rechargeable battery using said generated electrical energy; and
providing power supply to said cotton picking machine from said rechargeable battery.
8. The method as in claim 7, wherein voltage level of said generated electrical energy is regulated to a constant level.
9. The method as in claim 7, wherein said rechargeable battery is protected from at least one of overcharging and complete drain out.

Dated : 30th July, 2013 Signature
Vikram Pratap Singh Thakur
Patent Agent
ABSTRACT

The invention relates to Solar energy systems and, more particularly, to a portable solar charging system in solar energy systems. The portable solar charging system, which comprises of a solar panel, a rechargeable battery and a solar charge controller, can be carried by a user. The portable solar charging system converts solar energy to corresponding electrical energy and charges the rechargeable battery in it. Further, necessary power supply is provided to the cotton picking machine from the rechargeable battery. The energy stored in the rechargeable battery may also be used to power up any other electronic/electrical device or circuit that requires power.

Fig. 1