The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

Field of the invention

The present invention mainly relates to field of raising the temperature of water for water heating and electrical power generation through cogeneration (i.e. producing useful heat and electrical energy simultaneously) using at least one LED fixed to tubes made of conducting material, through the development of a system, more particularly represented in a heat exchanger exchanging the useful heat produced by the LED in lit condition, with the water contained in the conducting tubes, simultaneously producing useful electrical energy from at least one LED in lit condition using photovoltaic cells. Electricity so generated can be used directly or stored in a battery for powering electrically operated appliances, equipment, gadgets and devices, or the likes at any time. The invention also relates to the accumulation of charge using at least one Photovoltaic cell to convert light to electricity from sources other than the sun.

Advantages of the invention

1. The invention of "LED as a Cogeneration Source for Water heating and electrical power generation" can be used effectively in the art of water heating and power generation.

2. The invention can be used in processes and systems which require heating water to desired higher temperatures.

3. The invention can also be used to generate steam along with electrical power. Housing Sector being a major consumer of heated water exerts a major demand on electrical power.

1· 5. The Reduction in the Connected load results in considerable reduction of transmission and voltage management costs, and makes more power available for sectors other than housing, as indicated in the Table below.

These figures are based on observa'tltim or Typica Was roem only

"mgrerv to ex lalh the reduction lit Connected load due ta the trfrentlbh,

¾nn nguresin iE p chart are based on observations on the prototype and are not to be construed In any-, ' marinerai limiting the of the Invention or'the observations herein 6. The present invention "LED as a Cogeneration Source" effectively reduces the connected load per wash room and consumption in water heating appliances. It has the potential to be used in the Housing Industry as a replacement for the High Energy Consuming Appliances in the art.

7. The Invention has the ability to reduce the demand for Energy in the process industry through the use of Cogeneration using LED.

8. The Invention successfully addresses the problem of High energy requirements for boiling water in domestic and industrial applications.

9. The Invention also addresses the problem of heating thermic fluids in processes and industries.

The present invention reveals a great research scope for LED technology to use LEDipurpose efficient source of both heat and light and for utilities other than lighting. a. This invention proposes to considerably reduce the connected loads required for electrically operated heating systems through the use of at least one LED for generating the heat energy to be applied directly or indirectly to the water intended to be heated. This invention also proposes to reduce the installation cost, energy and efficiency losses incurred in distribution systems, high side equipment sizing and most importantly reduces the power demand on the grid.

b. This invention proposes a quality solution to provide all lighting and exhaust systems required in the premises through the cogeneration capacity of LED and reduce the demand projected on the whole electrical System .

c. It is in the above context that invention of the concept of cogeneration using LEDs becomes a significant milestone in power conservation. The invention particularly claims the possibility of using at least one photovoltaic cell, to utilize light from sources other than the sun to generate electrical charge for storage or direct use.

Prior Art. Background and Historical Perspective

The development of heating appliances over the last centuries has led to the need to make more and more energy available in the form of electricity and fossil fuels, to make them work. Most processes require the heating of water to raise the temperature of water to desired levels, including producing steam.

Climatic conditions and Health conditions of users worldwide have prompted widespread use hot water in processes and more particularly in daily ablutions. The widespread acceptance of such practices have caused the introduction of appliances and gadgets in the art of water heating amongst the consumers worldwide, which in turn has accelerated the need to keep producing more and more power to meet this need. The growing number of such appliances and gadgets has prompted the heed to consider two major aspects of power consumption in these appliances and gadgets, namely:

2. Effective utilization of the supplied energy : Various types of heating methods are used in the art of water heating for processes and ablutions. a. Fundamentally, most of such heating elements prevalent in the art of water heating convert electricity into heat through the process of resistive or joule heating. The heat generated in the resistive element, usually a coil, is the result of the current passed across the coil. Such heat gets transferred to the water through contact transfer, i.e. conduction. The water inside the exchanger, which gets heated, also tends to lose heat by convection, especially if the ambient temperature and temperature of supplied water is lower. Therefore the effective work done by the appliance with respect to the supplied electrical energy is always much below the actual capability. There are inbuilt inefficiencies in the presently prevalent systems at each step, hich lead to substantial energy losses. This invention using cogeneration properties of LED proposes tb address all the above through usage of lower input power, and development of efficient heat production and transfer systems.

b. There are devices that utilize the Sun's Heat Energy for use in the art of water heating. Most of the solar collectors work on unpredictable factors that include the variations in the Solar Radiation, Climate, Seasons, Cloud factors etc. Geographical location is another inherent factor that causes inefficiency in utilization of available energy. Although considered to be a strong contender to replace electrically operated water heating systems, solar assisted mechanisms still need support from either fossil fuel fired heating systems, or electrical heating systems. They can never be considered as standalone replacements for electrical heating or fossil fuel fired heating systems.

c. The better solution to wiater heating has emerged in utilizing heat pumps which work on modification of the principle of the refrigeration cycle. Generally capable of achieving very high coefficient of performance, heat pumps operated electrically are a better source of water heating and are now regarded as an appropriate support system for solar assisted water heating. d. The age old methods of usihg coal and other fossil fuels for water heating are still prevalent. However, being highly polluting methods of water heating, continuation of such systems is not in the interest of the earth's survival. This invention is primarily proposed to be installed at the point of use arid proposes to completely replace fossil fuel fired heating systems in due course of time.

e. Boiling water for steam is being accomplished through the use of electrical appliances, fossil fuel fired appliances and the likes. Energy losses in such systems are high. This invention proposes to address the issue by providing the same results with lower input energy.

Making available usable electricity for lighting, ventilation and charging facilities for gadgets while generating heat:

a. There is no perceivable secondary utilization of the supplied energy in conventional water heating mechanisms like geysers, solar water heaters and diesel fired water heaters. The input energy supplied to the equipments and gadgets in the art of water heating is inefficiently utilized in the production of heated water. This invention proposes the use of degeneration using Light from at least one source of illumination, more particularly using at least one LED.

b. The last decade has seen the rise of handheld electronic devices working on storage batteries that require frequent charging from AC mains through AC/DC Adapters. This calls for the need to provide sockets for plugging in charging adapters for use, in buildings, trains, cars, airplanes and such likes. Each time a socket is connected to the main wiring system, there is a higher power demand projected on the whole electrical system, leading to higher sizing of wires and cables, installation of larger equipment , panels and transformers, incurring higher cost.

c. The Concept is proven through the invention of the LED Based Cogeneration water heating and electricity generation and storage system.

d. This invention is in continuation to the invention of the LED based Cogeneration Iron Box (Patent Pending Application no. 236/CHE/2015 submitted by same inventors), and proposes to change the way the world thinks in terms of using electrical energy. e. This invention proposes to radically reduce the demand for energy, improve the utilization of electrical energy in applications of heating while generating electricity at the same time.

The invention of the device is to replace and / or modify conventional devices in the utility segment that consume considerably high amount of energy for water heating, lighting, ventilation and use of stored energy.

The Invention has emerged from the need to focus attention on conservation of energy and optimizing the utilization of energy in high efficiency activities.

Historically, the concept of heating water for various utilities has been a traditional activity that has been handed down through the ages. Water heating has been used in activities ranging from cooking to ablutions and industrial processes. Water Heating is accomplished from earlier times using fossil fuels, usually wood, coal, diesel, petrol and gas. Electricity has become an accepted source for water heating over the recent years. Water heated for ablution is using electrically operated heaters using the coil technology. Contact heating using coils, fossil fuels, solar photo thermal cells in insulated heat exchange containers is the prevalent in the art. With each development, the demand for energy to operate these equipment also kept increasing. Such Appliances also impose a demand on installing distribution and control systems of higher capacities. Electrically operated water heaters used independently and as support to solar water heating systems along with fossil fuel fired water heating boilers have become a common feature in all processes and households across the world.

Every portable gadget that is used in the current age utilizes energy from some form of battery, and it is highly common nowadays to darry a portable battery bank. Such battery banks are also required to be charged frequently to maintain the charge.

"Imagine generating useful electricity from the water heater!"

This invention is exemplified in the prototype which' serves as a representative of the Cogeneration Concept using LED in water heating, Generation of Heat from LEDs and generation of Electrical Energy from LED using Photo voltaic cell. The invention has effectively combined the utility of a daily use water heating system and the battery bank into a single system that works at an appreciably higher efficiericy as corhpared to all similar devices in use. The on board battery bank can hold sufficient charge for supporting the associated lighting and exhaust requirements including charging portable gadgets.

It is well known in the art that a light-erfiitting diode (LED) which is a basic pn-junction diode, emits light when activated. The light emitting diode may be driven to emit light by the supply of direct forward current so that the electrons are able to recombine with electron holes within the device, releasing energy in the form of photons. This effect is called electroluminescence, and the colour of the light (correspohding to the energy of the photon) is determined by the energy band gap of the semiconductor. Light-emitting diodes have an inherent capability to produce heat in large quanta along with producing light. This feature of LEDs is a well known fact, and there are several measures being taken worldwide to try and remove or reduce the heat from the LEDs. This invention successfully displays the possibility to consider the heat and light from the LED as sources for use in design of specific devices that can be called cogeneration devices.

The COB type LED, that is used in the present invention, has been designed to produce light and release heat as a by-product. The high point of the invention is the capability to utilize both these forms of useful energy output from the LED ..

Novelty of the Invention

This invention is absolutely new as at present there is no granted patent that discusses any of the following concepts:

1. The Concept of Generation of Electrical Charge from Photovoltaic Cells using sources other than the Sun that can be used directly Or through storage batteries.

2. The concept of effective utilization of Heat from LEDs for . raising the temperature of static or flowing contained water, to the desired temperature

3. The Concept of Cogeneration usi io LEDs to create and/or , assemble appliances for water heating Coupled with producing electricity.

In particular, there is a pending application for patent for considering LEDs as a cogeneration source, submitted by Mr Shreegartesh V Nair {one of the inventors} and Mr Safnil S {one of the inventors}. (Patent Pending Application no. 236/CHE/2015 submitted by same inventors) There is another pending application for patent proposing the development of the theoretical model of Heat Emitting Diodes (HED) submitted by Mr Shreeganesh V Nair {one of the inventors} , which proposes the development of pn junctions that predominantly produce high quantities of heat..

This invention proposes to go a lortg way in effectively managing the energy crisis through methods to reduce the power consumption in house hold appliances.

Objective of the invention

The need and necessity of this invention emerged from the deep concern of the inventors to focus on conservation of energy. Being in the business of Green Buildings, Energy and Water Conservation, the development of such a device was a natural outcome for the inventors.

This invention proposes to address the following problems currently faced in the art of water heating:

1. Resistive Joule heating requires high connected power.

2. Electrically operated water heaters do not produce any other Energy form simultaneously from the electricity supplied, that can be used.

3. High Connected Loads lead to higher costs on infrastructure and power demands.

4. Solar Water heating is not reliable as a standalone water heating system.

5. Fossil fuel fifed water heaters and boilers consume natural resources and cause pollution to the environment. 6. Heat Pump based systems require higher connected loads. Electrically operated heat pumps can produce cooler temperatures simultaneously from the electricity supplied, but the same is not useful commercially.

7. Lighting and Ventilation in the areas where heated water is required need separate additional power, and add up the connected loads.

This invention successfully solves all the above problems and proposes to serve the planet as a safe replacement that is environmentally sensitive.

The main objective of the present invention is to utilize LEDs as COGENERATION sources for use in design of water heating equipment capable of providing lighting simultaneously. The present invention effectively proves the above point through the development on one such system, in particular called the LED Based Cogeneration water heating and electricity generation system.

Another objective of the present invention is to considerably reduce the power demand in the world for Heating appliances and Light Electrical Loads, by using this cogeneration capability of LED .

Summary of the Invention

An aspect of the present invention is to address at least the above-mentioned problems and / or disadvantages in the' present systems, and to provide at least the advantages described above.

Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention relates to a system of obtaining useful heat energy and electrical energy from at least One LED for use in heating devices and DC storage battery or direct use systems, the system comprising: a power supply that may be AC or DC supply or both, a current driver connected to at least one LED to supply DC power, either through the current driver that converts AC supply to DC supply or DC through a Storage Battery, at least one LED which receives DC supply as stated, a plate positioned underneath at least one LED, wherein the plate is to receive the heat energy from at least one LED while powered , with the plate(s) attached to the heat exchanger tubing system made of conducting material, at least one photovoltaic ceil capable of converting the light from at least one LED in a lit condition, to usable electrical energy placed facing the lit side of at least one lit LED, storage battery , and charging ports Useful for rechargeable battery cells, batteries and adapters of all kinds complete with facility for passing water through the tubing and control mechanisms.

Novelties attributable to the invention are:-

1. The Concept of Generation of Electrical Charge from Photovoltaic Cells using sources other than the Sun that can be used directly or through storage batteries.

2. The concept of effective utilization of Heat . from LEDs for raising the temperature of static or flowing contained water, to the desired temperature

3. The Concept of Cogeneration using LEDs to create and/or assemble appliances for water heating coupled with producing electricity.

Other aspects, advantages, and prominent features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, explains the exemplary design and embodiment of the invention. Detailed description of the invention as Best Method for the embodiment of the

Invention as a Wash room Heating arid Lighting System

The following description with reference to the accdl ipanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding through this embodiment of the invention as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details tb assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely an example to describe the concept of the invention. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms arid words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the invention. Accordingly, it hould be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention are provided for illustration purpose only arid hot for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims arid their equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a component surface" includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.

By the term "substantially" it is meant that the recited characteristic, parameter, or value need not be achieved exactly, but that deviations or variations, including for example, tolerances, measurement error, measurement accuracy limitations and other factors known to those of skill in the art, may occur in amounts that do hot preclude the effect the Characteristic was intended to provide. This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Figs. 1 through 5 discussed, and the embodiment used to describe the principles of the present disclosure in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way that would limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arranged system. The terms used to describe the embodiment are exemplary. It should be understood that these are provided to merely aid the understanding of the description, and that their use and definitions in no way limit the scope of the invention. Terms first, second, and the like are used to differentiate between objects having the same terminology and are in no way intended to represent a chronological order, unless where explicitly stated otherwise. A set is defined as a non-empty set including at least one element.

The present invention uses the Light Emitting Diode (LED) as a cogeneration device so that the user can utilize the heat generated with considerably lower power consumption as compared with that of coil giving same heat output, simultaneously generating enough electricity to power at least one storage battery or supply power directly to at least one electrically operated device.

The present invention relates to a system of obtaining useful heat energy and electrical energy from at least one LED for use in heating devices and DC storage battery or direct use systems, the system comprising: a power supply that may be AC or DC supply or both, a current driver connected to at least one LED to supply DC power, either through the current driver that converts AC supply to DC supply or DC through a Storage Battery, at least one LED which receives DC supply as Stated, a plate positioned underneath at least one LED, wherein the plate is to receive the heat energy from at least one LED while powered , with the plate(S) attached to the heat exchanger tubing made of conducting material, a photovoltaic cell capable of converting the light from at least one LED to usable electrical energy placed facing the lit side of at least one LED, storage battery , and charging ports useful for rechargeable battery cells, batteries and adapters of all kinds complete with facility for passing water through the tubing and control mechanisms.

Brief description of the drawings

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings to enable a person skilled in the art to understand the invention and to reduce the invention to practice. The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows the views of the proposed invention as an embodiment of the concept.

Figure 2 shows the design of the working model of LED based water heating and power generation and storage system as a cogeneration device, to form an appliance as described earlier, as an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 shows the view of the device when constructed as one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 shows an embodiment of a control panel that can be used in the present invention. The figure indicates the possible controls, size and location of the control panel for user's ease . Options for setting temperature, display of power consumption, working condition, flow conditions are provided along with the outputs from the storage battery for use in lighting and exhaust applications. The charging ports are indicated on the control panel for connecting any handheld device that needs battery charging. Figure 5 explains the proposed process as a flow chart. This embodiment of the cogeneration system used for wash room water heating and power generation comprises of a power supply system supplying DC power to the LED array mounted on the heat exchanger tube. The heat from the LED Arrays is conduced to the heat exchanger which transfers it to the water in the exchanger. The light from the LED Arrays is" consumed by the Photovoltaic cells to produce useful electrical energy stored in a battery in this embodiment of the invention. Part of the light is used in illuminating the wash room area where the invention is used. Electrical Energy stored in the Battery can be used for direct applications of area lighting, exhaust fan, and charging ports.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and may have not been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figure may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

The systems indicated in the drawings are merely representative of the concept of the invention and shall not in any way be construed as the inventor's claims being limited to the represented details.

Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like references are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures.

Developing the LED Based Cogeneration Wash room water heating and power generation system prototype:

The Figure 5 Explains the process used in the development of this embodiment of the invention. The Figure 1 to 5 shows an example of developing an LED based water heating and power generation system capable of generating heat and electricity simultaneously. This embodiment of the LED based water heating and electricity generation module consists of power supply, current driver, LED array, LED mounting plate, photovoltaic cell, heat exchanger tube (acts as heat sink), insulating sheets, casing for housing the compenents, storage battery, rechargeable ports, direct use ports arid connection to at least one on board LED. The COB type LED placed iri a designed array, mounted oh a plate, and is connected to the heat exchanger tube using thermal conductive dielectric.

For this LED array comprising of COB type LEDs is provided with a driver. The present invention uses a suitable current driver. It converts AC to DC of suitable current or DC from battery, which is then supplied to the LED array. When the LED array is powered, and starts producing light, there is simultaneous production of heat. The heat released side of the LED array is connected on to base plate (heat sink) using thermal dielectric and the LED array transfers the heat to the heat exchanger tubes (heat sink). When desired temperature is reached for the water in the heat exchanger tubes, it can be sensed arid cut off cari be provided to the supply of the current driver. The photovoltaic Cell mounted facing the Lit side of the LED Array is fixed to the insulation sheet. The Photovoltaic cell output is connected using suitable wires to the Storage battery terminals. The output charge Can be used to power at least one LED in the system. The output of the Storage battery is provided with suitable ports for placing rechargeable batteries, USB ports and connectioris for lighting and exhaust facilities.

Based on different consumer preferences for water heating in different climatic zones, different teniperature is needed. Such temperature control is obtained by varying the current supplied by the driver to the designed array of LED within a safe limit. Advanced heat control is possible. In the present invention the DC supply to power the designed LED Array may be given directly from battery, generator also.

CONTROLLING OF HEAT PRODUCED BY THE LEDs:

Controlling of junction temperature can be done by adjusting two factors current and ambient temperature. Controlling is possible by adjusting current from the current driver. Heat production in the pn junction is the fundamental cause of the generation of light. This heat can be regulated by altering the inputs to the pn junction using electronic controls for regulating current. Heat sensors place on the heat exchanger tubes can provide responses to trigger the supply or stoppage of current from the driver. Additional control devices and display devices can provided to provide the user with more flexibility in use.

CONTROLLING OF ELECTRIC CHARGE PRODUCED BY THE PV CELL:

Controlling of the electric charge produced by the PV Cell is accomplished using a switch. The charge produced by the PV Cell during the functioning of the device is stored in the battery and the output can be controlled by the switch. The charge that is produced directly without passing through the battery can also be regulated using a switch.

Applications of the invention:

The present invention proposes tb replace the existing high power consuming electrical and fossil fuel fired water heatihg equipments and appliances without compromising on the comfort requirements Of the user. The invention proposes to successfully remove all the problems associated with the current form of raising the temperature of water to desired temperatures in water heating as discussed earlier. Improvement possibilities for the invention

This invention has the potential to be improved to a level where the system should work with trigger power and substahtially lower operating power when compared to appliances presently used in the art.. The components that can further improve the efficiency include:

1. LEDs to produce more light (lumens) and heat (J) per watt

2. Perfect Alloys to conduct heat efficiently.

3. Advance PV Cells to improve collector efficiency per Sqm.

4. Development of PV Cells to generate more power per sqm considering that there is no change in the intensity of the light source in this case, unlike the variations in solar energy.

5. Development of Storage Cells/ batteries to increase battery pack capacity

6. Development of better arid compact Drivers to control curreht feed to the LEDs.

7. Improvement of PV Pahel efficiency for more efficient energy generation.

The present invention LED array comprising of at least one LED can be driven by battery, etc may provide more flexibility to user. Part of the array Can also be fed from the power generated from the PV panels.

FIGS. 1-5 are merely representational and are not drawn to scale. Certain portions thereof may be exaggerated, while others rfiay be minimized. FIGS. 1-5 illustrate various embodiments of the invention that can be understood and appropriately carried out by those of ordinary skill in the art.

In the foregoing detailed description of embodiments of the invention, various features are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamliningi the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments of the invention require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description of embodiments of the invention, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

It is understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. It is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined iii the appended claims. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. In the appended claims, the terms "including" and "in which" are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms "comprising" and "wherein," respectively.