Subtle concrete solar bench offered for licensing

Czech R&D Institution has developed a high-performance solar bench which is offered for licensing. Public and private investors into public space require solutions that offer durable furniture design with protection against vandalism and aesthetical value. In environments without power connection and wi-fi connectivity (eg. along cycling paths) investors and infrastructure operators need to offer reliable solution for leisure and tourism safety, making possible to access internet without pre-paid internet services and to enable charging of mobile devices. The smart bench reflects such needs for both frequented public spaces as well as remote areas. Current state-of-art of solar benches and other outdoor solar furniture do not offer balanced combination of material durability, reliability of power supply and aesthetics. Compared to the new model, state-of-art of concrete furniture does not work with subtle high-performance concrete, thus significantly reducing the aesthetical value and weight (transportation costs). Wooden furniture is more likely to be destroyed than concrete. Most of other types of solar benches (non-roofed) do not offer sufficient size of the solar panel to provide sufficient power or their solar panel has decreased efficiency (eg. they are shadowed while people sit on them). Furthermore, existing models of solar benches (several types were identified) are solitary installations. The disclosed design offers integration into larger nests of benches with or without the solar technology, thus increasing its usability for public space planners. The foundation structure of the bench ensures its stability. As a whole the body of the bench takes the shape of the letter “C”. The corpus is fitted with the technology (in a small box integrated into the design) and battery system (within the foundation). For safety reasons, the bench is anchored to the base depending on its final shape and weight. A foundation depth is less than 0.5 m, therefore suitable for most of the possible city applications. Mixture of concrete with replacement of natural aggregate with recycled concrete aggregate was used in the amount of 30%. Thus, the final amount of new concrete in the foundation was reduced, and its environmental parameters were further improved. The bench serves as an example of practical application of recycled aggregate concrete. The reinforcement of foundation was made by traditional steel reinforcement B500B, bars with a diameter of 10 mm. The top of the bench, the upper part was reinforced with textile reinforcement as mentioned in the previous report from the first stage. From the design point of view, the upper part behaves as a single-angled bracket with a projection of approximately 1.0 m and a thickness of 40 mm. Only the edges around the photovoltaic panel are 50 mm thick. The bench provides enough power to supply the wired (USB connectors) and wireless (inductive) charging of mobile phones, and it is able to transmit the Wi-Fi signal as a converter from the mobile operator´s network to a Wi-Fi signal with a defined range. Both chargers and Wi-Fi are limited to 15 minutes once the activation button is pressed. The disclosed technology is offered by the R&D Institution for licensing to companies interested in exercising intellectual property rights and secret know-how for manufacturing, selling, renting or developing products produced.