A photovoltaic powered charging station for simultaneously charging a plurality of portable electronic devices

摘要

The invention relates to a photovoltaic (PV) powered charging station (200) for charging a plurality of portable electronic devices. The PV powered charging station includes a main battery 14 which may be charged by a source of electrical power, a charge distribution module 26 having connection jacks 28 for connecting electrical devices thereto for charging, and a PV cell 10 for supplying electrical power to the main battery 14. The invention allows the main battery 14 to be charged by electrical energy generated by the PV cell 10 when light energy is incident on the PV cell, or by mains power 16 otherwise. Modular expansion batteries 18, 20 may be added to provide increased capacity, and additional removable portable battery packs 34, 36 may be added. The charging station (200, figure 3) may include a stacking arrangement of a plurality of slots 202 to receive the electrical devices for charging. Each slot 202 may include a retrieval tab 240 which retains a charging connector.