Solar Powered Car Camera

[andrew.perrong]

As some of you may know, 1080p car cameras have recently taken off. They mount in your windshield and if (God forbid) you get in an accident, you have video evidence as to who was at fault. Additionally, most have internal batteries or car battery connection kits so they can record while parked. However, I have been reluctant to install one because of the wiring mess involved. They have dropped in size (my other big complaint), but not the wires.
So today, I was wondering "what is the best way to install a car camera in my car", and the idea just hit me: solar power. Adding a solar panel should not be that hard (input?). It's really not that much power draw, would make a great continuously powered parking cam, and would remove the necessity for unsightly wires. Thoughts on this and ideas how this can get to actually become a product? Is it even possible to have a panel in the application I am suggesting, size wise and all?

[Legit-Design]

I'm not sure a single camera could be much of use, as pointed in the video, or a camera inside the car at all.

[andrew.perrong]

I already saw that video, but thanks anyway. I am not that concerned about vandalism as I am the wiring. I do not want to have a wire to obstruct my view and I do not want to have to tear the car apart to install one out of sight. The ability to record while the car is off is just a bonus. If it catches something, all the better, but it is not critical.

[Legit-Design]

Where will you install the solar panel and how, if you don't want wires? How will your camera auto start and stop, if you are not going to wire it straight to the car? I think you are going to need more wires and more permanent install solutions by going solar panel. Small panel is not going to do much, also there is the reliability, you will want the camera to have recorded the accident when it happens. Are you going to trust only the solar panel to keep it charged?

Are you trying to design a product or just have your car wired up this way? Adding a solar panel is not going to magically solve all the problems, I think it actually creates more than it solves.

I'm not trying to discourage you, but unlimited solar power and wireless power transfer is not just there yet. If it was as easy as just adding a solar panel and sticking it with a camera to your windshield and calling it a day, we would already have actually functioning devices sold by the chinese. If camera has solar panel for power it should also have power from the car where it's much more easily available every time the car is running, and when the car is running recording is needed most.

[andrew.perrong]

I was thinking about a panel actually built into a camera, like by a manufacturer. It would not need to automatically stop and start, but could do so using GPS.
There could always be a backup adapter or audible alert, but most cameras can record 2-3 hours on a charge.
I am thinking of designing a product like this, or modifying an existing one. Perhaps a VF960?

[Shock]

There is a few problems if you can solve these you have a great idea.
Effectively when you say run on solar you mean charge the cameras batteries
Solar power is only good for sunny days
Your battery would run out at night
You're underestimating how large the device would have to be to mount cells on it
People want small (non shiny or reflective) cameras as they are less obvious to thieves

It's really easy to conceal a mini USB power cable if you have a good right angle connector and small mounting kit
All the dash and trim (easier than the dash) can be dismantled to run cabling to the fuse box
So while its not obvious to most consumers a professional install would make the solar implementation a bit pointless.

[Legit-Design]

Also solar panels should be pointed towards the sun, behind windshield is not usually pointed towards the sun, and will not receive even optimal sunlight because coatings it has. Powering something like this with solar wouldn't be a problem if efficiency of panels was much higher, and batteries could store more energy.
Also that innocent looking annoying cable most things currently have, thats still the cheapest way to do things. Good quality car cameras aren't cheap, powering it with solar wouldn't make it any cheaper, but much more expensive because of the power required.

If this kind of device was easy with current technology, we would have now or soon (I can think of possible indiegogo project) smart phones which wouldn't require charging, just use your phone where there is light and it would be ok.
If you can solve these problems, be sure to add cell phone capabilities into your device and make millions.

Just trying to be realistic...

[MacAttak]

I haven't messed with one of these, but the interior panels of vehicles are designed to snap in and are very easy to remove. Wiring for things like aftermarket speakers, radar detectors, etc are generally run there - against the steel side pillars and then the panels are snapped back in to hide it.

Again, I've not see the wiring for these cameras so it might be too bulky - but I don't see why it would be bulky at all since there wouldn't be any concern about current or noise.

Solar power is probably unnecessary unless you are talking about leaving the vehicle parked for weeks/months with the camera enabled. The standard 12v battery will be fine for normal parking durations.

[andrew.perrong]

@mojo-chan : The Lukas ACE car camera utilizes about 2W when on, including GPS, if that could provide any more info to you. An accelerometer would be another good option, but GPS popped in my head since most car cameras now seem to have them.

@Shock : I have seen solar panels that output the power I need in sizes about 3x5. This is about the size of the VF960. If I could get two smaller panels and mount them between the lenses, this might be possible. In the case of night time operation, the camera has a battery that lasts for a good 2-3 hours, so that should not be an issue. Vandalism and theft are not really issues for me at least, and one can always stow away the camera. I know it is easy to conceal, but I do not think most people, myself included, have the know-how or will to go tearing apart their cars. Mine is also a newer model with side airbags and rain sensor with auto dimming rear mirror, so there is already a tiny bit of wiring going into a crevice in the ceiling. Not sure if I could wire it that way or what damage that would do.

@Legit-Design : Solar panels are almost always pointed at the sun in your car, and there are even solar powered car fans, so I do not think it would lose that much efficiently. Cell phones are always in your pocket or in your hand, covering up the panel, by comparison.

@MacAttak : See my above comments. With a newer car and my lack of car sense, this would probably be impossible. The cigarette lighter in the car normally turns off so a "parking mode" necessitates either a direct connection to the lead acid battery or the use of the camera's own internal LiOn battery.

If all of you or anyone else could possibly provide additional insight, it would be much appreciated. I will need to look into solar panels and will start to build a prototype.

[SeanB]

I made a mounting frame for mine that holds it just under the rear view mirror, and it simply is held in there by some neodynium magnets surplus from old CDROM drives. Frame is simply made from washers soldered to some copper brazing rods and painted black, and has a threaded portion that screws into a hole drilled and tapped into the bottom of the rear view mount which makes it nearly invisible both inside and outside. Power came from the interior lighting circuit by removing the housing from the DC-Dc converter it came with and feeding the lead through the top moulding, then used small cable ties to feed it down the rear view mount to the camera. As it is a pain to feed new wiring up the pillar in my car, I simply modified the interior light to both have a LED cluster in it, and repurposed the internal switch to operate the camera.

[MacAttak]

I'm not really sure why you are talking about the cigarette lighter circuit. I suspect you've never done any real automotive wiring that doesn't involve draping cords over the dashboard.

It is quite easy to run a small wire pair to any point within the passenger cabin if you have any experience with automotive wiring. They design it this way on purpose to make it easier to maintain and assemble the vehicle. It also makes it possible to install aftermarket security and audio systems. There will almost certainly already be a constantly available source of power near where you want to install it - for example the cabin light or auto-dimming electronics in the rear-view mirror - which you could easily tap into. And in the worst-case scenario you might need to run a line all the way down to the interior fuse panel. But even that shouldn't be too terribly difficult.

While yes, the windshield is facing roughly "upwards" and the sun is also roughly "upwards", this does not mean you will have peak efficiency. Peak solar efficiency is at noon on a clear day, with the sun directly overhead, and the panel being perfectly parallel to the ground. It drops off quickly from there. Also, don't forget that the upper few inches of most windshields in modern vehicles are heavily tinted, and the rest is often coated in UV film. Those are going to degrade solar collecting ability even further.

I really think you are greatly overestimating how much a solar cell will give you here.

[mtdoc]

Peak solar efficiency is at noon on a clear day, with the sun directly overhead, and the panel being perfectly parallel to the ground.

Only if you're on the equator! Optimal tilt angle depend on latitide (and day of the year).

I really think you are greatly overestimating how much a solar cell will give you here.

Agreed.  Even in direct sun, at optimal tilt and cold temperatures you're unlikely to see STC rated output. In a car window you'll be lucky if you see 50% of STC rated output in full sun.

[hlavac]

To paraphrase lord Vader: "You overestimate the power of the light side!" <breathing noises>

[Legit-Design]

@Legit-Design : Solar panels are almost always pointed at the sun in your car, and there are even solar powered car fans, so I do not think it would lose that much efficiently. Cell phones are always in your pocket or in your hand, covering up the panel, by comparison.

Just because chinese people manufacture and sell some crap doesn't mean it actually works. Solar powered fan with the panel on the roof of car is a good idea, because atleast it gets some light. When sun is shining the fan cooling removes heat produced by the sun itself. There is no real need for the solar powered fan when sun is not shining. However there is need for car camera even if the sun is not shining. There is a good reason why solar panels are mounted on roof of houses instead of behind normal windows inside the house.  I know there is some revolutionary new technologies where solar panels are integrated into windows, good luck waiting for that. Maybe the solar power windows also will have camera integrated into them. People could change their windshields, just so they could avoid hiding one wire behind car panels, which easily pop off or bend to install the simple wire.

A good product will work even if everything is against it, bad product will only work in optimal conditions which are rarely met.