Tracking flexible photovoltaic support

Abstract

The present invention discloses a tracking type flexible photovoltaic support. A damping and stabilizing device for supporting a photovoltaic module is installed on a steel cable. Each damping and stabilizing device includes four support swing arms. One end of each support swing arm is installed on the corresponding steel cable through a ball hinge, and the other end of the support swing arm is hinged to a module mounting seat; A tension rod is slidably supported on a steel cable column. A tension nut is screwed on the threaded section of the tension rod. The tension nut is rotatably supported on the steel cable column. A tension worm gear is fixedly installed on the tension nut. A tension worm driven by a tension motor and the tension worm gear form a worm and worm gear pair; A steel cable cross beam and a tracking worm gear which are fixedly connected to each other are rotatably supported on the tension rod. A tracking worm driven by a tracking motor and the tracking worm gear form a worm and rod pair. The tracking motor is installed on a motor slide plate. This photovoltaic support can not only adjust the pitching angle of the photovoltaic module plate, but also ensure that the steel cable has sufficient tensile force and avoid the damage of the steel cable vibration to the photovoltaic module.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to solar photovoltaic technology equipment, in particular to a flexible photovoltaic bracket with a single-axis tracking and steel cable tensioning structure. Background Art

[0002] Flexible photovoltaic brackets replace rigid steel profiles with steel strands to form a flexible cable structure, and photovoltaic modules are directly installed on two module steel cables. They have advantages that traditional photovoltaic brackets do not have, such as simple structure, less material usage, light weight, and short construction period. Flexible photovoltaic brackets can avoid adverse factors such as site undulations and have stronger environmental adaptability in complex terrain conditions such as mountains, deserts, woodlands and ponds.

[0003] Flexible photovoltaic racks are wind-sensitive structures. Steel cables under tension can experience tension relaxation and irregular oscillations due to changes in ambient temperature and fluctuations in loads such as wind loads. Wind loads can easily cause large and irregular deformations between the cables, leading to uncoordinated deformations between the photovoltaic modules and the cables' connection points, causing the modules to twist and shear. This oscillation amplitude and frequency increase when the cables are loose and the wind speed and force are high. The consequences of these oscillations are hidden cracks or even breakage in the photovoltaic modules, directly affecting their power generation efficiency. The applicant previously employed flexible photovoltaic racks in a 300MW photovoltaic project. One year later, the photovoltaic modules experienced severe hidden cracking and breakage, resulting in significant economic losses. In fact, hidden cracking in photovoltaic modules is a common phenomenon in current flexible photovoltaic racks. Maintaining the stability of the cable tension and reducing the destructive effects of cable oscillation on photovoltaic modules are pressing challenges for the industry.

[0004] Another shortcoming of traditional flexible photovoltaic brackets is that they use a steel cable system to fix the photovoltaic module panels. The steel cable system requires a large tension force to provide sufficient support rigidity. Therefore, the two ends of the steel cables of the existing flexible photovoltaic brackets are fixed on the columns, and the pitch angle of the photovoltaic module cannot be adjusted according to the changes in the position of the sun. Therefore, the existing flexible photovoltaic bracket system cannot adjust the pitch angle of the photovoltaic module according to the longitude and latitude of the installation area, the difference in altitude and the sunset angle, which is also an important factor that cannot be ignored in affecting the power generation and power generation efficiency of the photovoltaic power station. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a tracking flexible photovoltaic bracket, which can not only adjust the pitch angle of the photovoltaic module panel to track the altitude position of the sun, but also ensure sufficient tension of the steel cable and avoid the destructive effect of the steel cable vibration on the photovoltaic module.

[0006] To solve the above problems, a tracking flexible photovoltaic support of the present invention includes a cable column, a cable cross beam supported on the cable column, and two cables tensioned on the cable cross beam.

[0007] A number of vibration damping and stability devices for supporting photovoltaic modules are installed on the cables. Each vibration damping and stability device includes four support swing arms. One end of each support swing arm is installed on the corresponding cable through a ball joint, and the other end of the support swing arm is hinged to a module mounting seat; A sliding rod is fixedly installed between the module mounting seats corresponding to the two cables respectively. Two sliders are slidably supported on the sliding rod. A balance spring sleeved on the sliding rod is located between the two sliders; A guide rod sleeve is hinged to each slider. One end of the support spring guide rod is slidably sleeved on the guide rod sleeve, and the other end of the support spring guide rod is hinged to the support swing arm on the corresponding side. A swing arm support spring is sleeved on the support spring guide rod.

[0008] A tension rod is slidably supported on the cable column. A tension nut is screwed on the threaded section of the tension rod. The tension nut is rotatably supported on the cable column. A tension worm gear is fixedly installed on the tension nut. A tension worm driven by a tension motor and the tension worm gear form a worm and worm gear pair; A cable cross beam and a tracking worm gear which are fixedly connected to each other are rotatably supported on the tension rod. A tracking worm driven by a tracking motor and the tracking worm gear form a worm and rod pair. The tracking motor is installed on a motor slide plate.

[0009] Further, two support swing arms installed on the same cable are fixedly connected through a swing arm connecting rod. The stability of the support for the photovoltaic module is improved.

[0010] Further, both the swing arm support spring and the balance spring are compression springs, and the elastic coefficient of the swing arm support spring is greater than that of the balance spring. The vibration damping and stability effects are further enhanced.

[0011] Further, the ball joint includes a hinge support ball head which is movably installed between a hinge support ball cover and a ball joint seat. The ball joint seat is clamped on the cable through a cable clamp cover. A friction reducing pad is installed on the ball joint seat and / or the hinge support ball cover, and the friction reducing pad wraps around the hinge support ball head.

[0012] Further, the tension rod is a stepped shaft. One end of the tension rod is a threaded section, and the other end of the tension rod is a cylindrical section. A sliding section is located between the threaded section and the cylindrical section of the tension rod; The sliding section of the tension rod is a prism section, and the prism section is axially slidably supported on the cable column through a tension rod sleeve.

[0013] Further, the tension nut is rotatably installed on a bearing seat through a nut bearing, and the bearing seat is fixedly installed on the cable column; The tension motor is a stepping motor or a servo motor, and the tension motor is fixedly installed on the cable column through a tension motor seat.

[0014] Further, the motor slide plate is slidably supported on the tracking motor base through a dovetail sliding pair. The tracking motor base is fixedly installed on the cable column, and the tracking motor is a stepper motor or a servo motor.

[0015] Further, the mutually fixed tracking worm wheel and the cable cross beam are rotatably supported at the cylindrical section position of the tension rod through a worm wheel sliding sleeve, and the outer flange of the cylindrical section of the tension rod is located inside the cable cross beam.

[0016] Further, the cable end of the cable is connected to the cable cross beam through a cable tensioner.

[0017] In the above structure, since the tracking worm wheel and the cable cross beam which are fixedly connected to each other are rotatably supported on the tension rod, the tracking motor drives the cable cross beam to swing through a worm and worm wheel pair, so that the two cables change the inclination angle of the plane where the two cables are located with the swing of the cable cross beam, thereby changing the pitch angle of the photovoltaic module, realizing the tracking of the solar altitude angle, and obtaining more solar radiation and photovoltaic power generation.

[0018] Also, since a tension nut is screwed on the threaded section of the tension rod, the tension nut is rotatably supported on the column, the tension motor drives the tension nut to rotate through a worm and worm wheel pair, and the rotation of the tension nut causes the tension rod to move outwards. The outwardly moved tension rod pulls the component cable through the cable cross beam, so that the cable reaches the tensioning and tightening effect, to stabilize and increase the tension stress of the cable, increase the bearing capacity and structural stiffness of the cable, and reduce the vibration amplitude and frequency of the cable; at the same time, the synchronism of the two cables is also improved, and the irregular fluctuation deformation amplitude between the two cables is reduced.

[0019] The above tracking structure can automatically change the pitch angle of the photovoltaic module by driving the worm and worm wheel pair through the tracking motor according to the height position of the sun; and the tensioning structure can realize the automatic tensioning of the cable tension. The cable stress sensor can drive the tension motor to work and automatically tighten the cable according to the change of the cable tension stress value. Therefore, the flexible photovoltaic support with this structure is particularly suitable for the automatic control and centralized management of large-scale photovoltaic power plants.

[0020] Since the photovoltaic module is supported on the module steel cable by symmetrically arranged supporting swing arms, and a swing arm support spring is sleeved on the supporting spring guide rod hinged on the supporting swing arm, and a balance spring is also arranged between the sliders for hinging the guide rod sliding sleeve. On the one hand, the module longitudinal beam of the photovoltaic module support, the symmetrically arranged supporting swing arms and the two parallel module steel cables form a parallelogram linkage mechanism, forming a translational support structure for the photovoltaic module. This translational support structure can reduce the influence of the fluctuation difference between different steel cables on the photovoltaic module. On the other hand, the two swing arm support springs and the balance spring form a good buffer and vibration damping structure, effectively blocking the adverse effects formed by the steel cable oscillation on the photovoltaic module. In particular, the swing arm support spring, the balance spring on one side and the swing arm support spring on the other side form a series spring structure. This series spring structure can form a reverse fluctuation between the two steel cables, thereby suppressing and reducing the influence of the fluctuation difference between different steel cables on the photovoltaic module to stabilize the constant supporting effect of the steel cable on the photovoltaic module.

[0021] Also, since the supporting swing arm is installed on the module steel cable through a spherical hinge, the spherical hinge structure can eliminate the influence of the lateral and longitudinal fluctuations of the steel cable on the photovoltaic module.

[0022] Adopting the above structure not only enables the steel cable to maintain a stable and sufficient cable tension, but also avoids the adverse effects of the steel cable fluctuation on the photovoltaic module, effectively avoiding the hidden cracks and breakages of the photovoltaic module battery chips. Adopting this structure also facilitates the automatic regulation and centralized management of the support units of large-scale photovoltaic power plants. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The following further describes the tracking flexible photovoltaic support of the present invention in conjunction with the drawings and specific embodiments.

[0024] Figure 1 is a partial three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of a specific embodiment of the tracking flexible photovoltaic support of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 is Figure 1 the installation structure schematic diagram of the photovoltaic module and the vibration damping and stability device in the shown embodiment;

[0026] Figure 3 is Figure 2 the front view structure diagram of the vibration damping and stability device;

[0027] Figure 4 is Figure 3 the top view structure schematic diagram of

[0028] Figure 5 is Figure 2 the cross-sectional structure diagram of the spherical hinge in

[0029] Figure 6 is Figure 1Schematic diagram of the installation structure of the cable tensioning mechanism and the tracking drive mechanism in the illustrated embodiment;

[0030] Figure 7 is Figure 6 Enlarged structure diagram of the A-A section in;

[0031] Figure 8 is Figure 6 Structure diagram of the tension rod in;

[0032] Figure 9 is Figure 6 Enlarged structure diagram of the B-B section in.

[0033] In the figure, 1 - cable column; 2 - cable tensioning mechanism, 201 - tensioning motor base, 202 - tensioning motor, 203 - tensioning worm, 204 - tensioning worm gear, 205 - tension rod, 206 - tension nut, 207 - nut bearing, 208 - bearing seat, 209 - rod sliding sleeve; 3 - tracking drive mechanism, 301 - tracking motor base, 302 - tracking motor, 303 - tracking worm, 304 - tracking worm gear, 305 - worm gear sliding sleeve, 306 - sliding gasket, 307 - motor slide plate; 4 - cable cross beam; 5 - cable tensioner; 6 - vibration damping and stabilizing device, 601 - component mounting seat, 602 - support swing arm, 603 - ball hinge, 604 - swing arm support spring, 605 - support spring guide rod, 606 - balance spring, 607 - slide rod, 608 - swing arm connecting rod, 609 - slider, 610 - guide rod sliding sleeve, 611 - hinge ball head, 612 - hinge ball cover, 613 - antifriction pad, 614 - ball hinge seat, 615 - cable clamp cover; 7 - photovoltaic module, 701 - photovoltaic panel, 702 - module cross beam, 703 - module longitudinal beam; 8 - module cable; 9 - column cable. Specific implementation mode

[0034] Such as Figure 1 The shown tracking flexible photovoltaic support includes two mutually aligned cable columns 1( Figure 1The partial three-dimensional structure including a steel cable column is shown, while the other opposite steel cable column is omitted. The steel cable column 1 is deeply embedded in the foundation. On each steel cable column 1, there is a steel cable crossbeam 4 supported by a steel cable tensioning mechanism 2 and a tracking driving mechanism 3. Between the two steel cable crossbeams 4 supported on the corresponding steel cable columns 1, there are two component steel cables 8 tensioned in parallel. The two ends of the component steel cable 8 are respectively fixedly connected to the steel cable crossbeam 4 at the corresponding end through a steel cable tensioner 5. The component steel cable 8 is a prestressed steel strand, and the steel cable tensioner 5 is a conventional rigging screw buckle so that the component steel cable 8 can obtain a tensioning force. There is a column stay cable 9 obliquely pulled outwards on the steel cable column 1, and the other end of the column stay cable 9 is anchored in the foundation. On the two component steel cables 8 tensioned in parallel, there are a number of vibration damping and stabilizing devices 6 supporting a photovoltaic module 7, and the photovoltaic module 7 is inclined to the ground and faces the sun. A number of the above photovoltaic support units form a large-area photovoltaic power station site.

[0035] As Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown, the photovoltaic module 7 includes a photovoltaic panel 701, a component crossbeam 702 and a component longitudinal beam 703. The component crossbeam 702 and the component longitudinal beam 703 that are fixedly connected to each other perpendicularly and alternately form a component support, and the photovoltaic panel 701 is fixedly installed on the component support. Four component mounting seats 601 are fixedly installed on the lower side of the component support through bolts, and the four component mounting seats 601 are located at the four corners of a rectangle of the component support. On each component mounting seat 601, there is a support swing arm 602 hinged. A slide bar 607 is fixedly installed between the two component mounting seats 601 corresponding to the two steel cables 8 respectively, and the two component mounting seats 601 are installed on the same component longitudinal beam 703. Two sliders 609 are slidably supported on the slide bar 607, and a balance spring 606 is arranged between the two sliders 609. The balance spring 606 is sleeved on the slide bar 607, and the two ends of the balance spring 606 respectively correspond to a slider 609. Ball joints 603 are arranged at the other ends opposite to the hinged ends of the support swing arms 602, and the two ball joints 603 are respectively fixedly installed on the corresponding component steel cables 8. On each slider 609, there is a guide rod sleeve 610 hinged. One end of a support spring guide rod 605 is slidably sleeved on the guide rod sleeve 610, and the other end of the support spring guide rod 605 is hinged to the corresponding support swing arm 602. A swing arm support spring 604 is sleeved on the support spring guide rod 605. The two support swing arms 602 located on the same component steel cable 8 are fixedly connected to each other through a swing arm connecting rod 608.

[0036] As Figure 5As shown, the hinge ball head 611 is fixedly installed at the lower end of the support swing arm 602. The ball head of the hinge ball head 611 is movably installed on the ball hinge seat 614 through the hinge ball cover 612. A friction-reducing pad 613 is padded between the ball hinge seat 614, the hinge ball cover 612 and the hinge ball head 611. The friction-reducing pad 613 is made of polyurethane material. The ball hinge seat 614 is fixedly clamped on the component steel cable 8 through the steel cable clamp cover 615.

[0037] As Figure 6 shown, on the steel cable column 1, a tension rod 205 is axially slidably supported through a tension rod sliding sleeve 209. The tension rod sliding sleeve 209 is locked to the steel cable column 1 through an axial bolt. The tension rod sliding sleeve 209 is made of wear-resistant cast iron. A tension nut 206 is screwed on the threaded section of the extended tension rod 205. The tension nut 206 is installed on the bearing seat 208 through a nut bearing 207. The bearing seat 208 is fixedly installed on the outer side surface of the steel cable column 1. The nut bearing 207 adopts a bearing combination structure, which includes a thrust roller bearing and radial ball bearings located on both sides of the thrust bearing.

[0038] A tension worm wheel 204 is fixedly installed at the outer end of the tension nut 206. A tension motor seat 201 is also fixedly installed on the outer side surface of the steel cable column 1. A tension motor 202 is installed on the tension motor seat 201. The output shaft end of the tension motor 202 is connected with a tension worm 203 through a coupling. The tension worm 203 is rotatably supported on the tension motor seat 201. The tension worm wheel 203 and the tension worm 203 form a worm and worm wheel pair. The tension motor 202 is a stepper motor or a servo motor.

[0039] The inner end of the tension rod 205 is a cylindrical section. A tracking worm wheel 304 is swingably supported on the cylindrical section of the tension rod 205 through a worm wheel sliding sleeve 305. The worm wheel sliding sleeve 305 is made of wear-resistant cast iron. A tracking motor 302 is fixedly installed on a motor slide plate 307. A tracking worm 303 is also rotatably supported on the motor slide plate 307. The output shaft of the tracking motor 302 is connected with the tracking worm 303 through a coupling. The tracking worm wheel 304 and the tracking worm 303 form a worm and worm wheel pair. The motor slide plate 307 is slidably supported on the tracking motor seat 301 through a dovetail sliding pair. The tracking motor seat 301 is fixedly installed on the steel cable column 1. The tracking motor 302 is a stepper motor or a servo motor.

[0040] A steel cable cross beam 4 is fixedly connected to the inner side surface of the tracking worm wheel 304. The outer end flange of the cylindrical section of the tension rod 205 is located on the side surface of the steel cable cross beam 4. A sliding gasket 306 is padded between the flange and the side surface of the steel cable cross beam 4. The sliding gasket 306 is made of wear-resistant cast iron. The tension rod 205 pulls the steel cable cross beam 4 through the outer end flange of its cylindrical section.

[0041] The ends of the two-component cable 8 are buckled to both ends of the cable cross beam 4 through a cable tensioner 5, and the cable tensioner 5 is a common thimble in the market.

[0042] As Figure 7 shown, the pull rod sliding hole on the pull rod sliding sleeve 209 fixedly installed on the cable column 1 is a rectangular through hole. The sliding of the pull rod 205 is located between the threaded section and the cylindrical section. This sliding section is a rectangular columnar structure, and this rectangular column just slides and is inserted into the rectangular through hole of the pull rod sliding sleeve 209. In addition to being a rectangular column, the sliding section of the pull rod 205 can also be a prism structure such as a triangular prism, or structures such as a spline shaft and a key shaft, and the through hole shape of the pull rod sliding sleeve 209 corresponds to it.

[0043] As Figure 8 shown, the pull rod 205 adopts a stepped shaft structure, with the front section being a threaded section, the middle section being a sliding section, and the rear section being a cylindrical section. At the outer end of the cylindrical section is a hook flange.

[0044] As Figure 9 shown, the electric skateboard 307 is slidably supported on the tracking motor base 301 by a common dovetail sliding structure, so that the electric skateboard 307 can slide in a direction parallel to the axis of the pull rod 205; of course, this sliding structure can also adopt a sliding guide rail structure.

[0045] While the tensioning motor 202 and the tracking motor 302 adopt stepping motors or servo motors, a strain tension sensor is arranged on the component cable 8, and a solar tracker is arranged on the photovoltaic module. The strain tension sensor and the solar tracker are electrically connected to the electric field controller, and the electric field controller adopts a CPU controller. The electric field controller can control the actions of the tensioning motor 202 and the tracking motor 302 according to the strain tension sensor and the solar tracker to automatically adjust the tension of the cable and the inclination angle of the photovoltaic module. In this way, it is not only convenient to implement automatic regulation and centralized management of the support units of large-scale photovoltaic power plants, but also effectively improves the photovoltaic power generation efficiency.

Claims

1. A tracking flexible photovoltaic support, comprising a cable column (1), a cable cross beam (4) supported on the cable column (1), and two cables (8) tensioned on the cable cross beam (4), characterized in that: A number of shock-absorbing and stabilizing devices (6) for supporting photovoltaic modules (7) are installed on the cable (8). Each shock-absorbing and stabilizing device (6) includes four support swing arms (602). One end of the support swing arm (602) is installed on the corresponding cable (8) through a ball joint (603), and the other end of the support swing arm (602) is hinged to a module mounting seat (601); A slide bar (607) is fixedly installed between the module mounting seats (601) corresponding to the two cables (8). Two sliders (609) are slidably supported on the slide bar (607). A balance spring (606) sleeved on the slide bar (607) is located between the two sliders (609); A guide rod sleeve (610) is hinged to each slider (609). One end of a support spring guide rod (605) is slidably sleeved on the guide rod sleeve (610), and the other end of the support spring guide rod (605) is hinged to the support swing arm (602) on the corresponding side. An arm support spring (604) is sleeved on the support spring guide rod (605); A tension rod (205) is slidably supported on the cable column (1). A tension nut (206) is screwed on the threaded section of the tension rod (205). The tension nut (206) is rotatably supported on the cable column (1). A tension worm gear (204) is fixedly installed on the tension nut (206). A tension worm (203) driven by a tension motor (202) and the tension worm gear (204) form a worm and worm gear pair; A cable cross beam (4) and a tracking worm gear (304) which are fixedly connected to each other are rotatably supported on the tension rod (205). A tracking worm (303) driven by a tracking motor (302) and the tracking worm gear (304) form a worm and rod pair. The tracking motor (302) is installed on a motor slide plate (307).

2. The tracking flexible photovoltaic support according to claim 1, wherein: Two support swing arms (602) installed on the same cable (8) are fixedly connected through an arm connecting rod (608).

3. The tracking type flexible photovoltaic support according to claim 1, wherein: Both the arm support spring (604) and the balance spring (606) are compression springs, and the elastic coefficient of the arm support spring (604) is greater than that of the balance spring (606).

4. The tracking type flexible photovoltaic support according to claim 1, wherein: The ball joint (603) includes a hinge support ball head (611). The hinge support ball head (611) is movably installed between a hinge support ball cover (612) and a ball joint seat (614). The ball joint seat (614) is clamped on the cable (8) through a cable clamp cover (615).

5. The tracking type flexible photovoltaic support according to claim 4, characterized in that: A friction-reducing pad (613) is installed on the ball joint seat (614) and / or the hinge support ball cover (612). The friction-reducing pad (613) wraps around the hinge support ball head (611).

6. The tracking type flexible photovoltaic support according to claim 1, wherein: The tension rod (205) is a stepped shaft. One end of the tension rod (205) is a threaded section, and the other end is a cylindrical section. Between the threaded section and the cylindrical section of the tension rod (205) is a sliding section; the sliding section of the tension rod (205) is a prism section, and this prism section is axially slidably supported on the cable column (1) through a tension rod sliding sleeve (209).

7. The tracking type flexible photovoltaic support according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tension nut (206) is rotatably mounted on the bearing seat (208) through a nut bearing (207), and this bearing seat (208) is fixedly mounted on the cable column (1); the tension motor (202) is a stepping motor or a servo motor, and this tension motor (202) is fixedly mounted on the cable column (1) through a tension motor seat (201).

8. The tracking type flexible photovoltaic support according to claim 1, wherein: The motor slide plate (307) is slidably supported on the tracking motor seat (301) through a dovetail sliding pair, and this tracking motor seat (301) is fixedly mounted on the cable column (1), and the tracking motor (302) is a stepping motor or a servo motor.

9. The tracking type flexible photovoltaic support according to claim 1, wherein: The mutually fixed tracking worm wheel (304) and the cable cross beam (4) are rotatably supported at the position of the cylindrical section of the tension rod (205) through a worm wheel sliding sleeve (305), and the outer end flange of the cylindrical section of the tension rod (205) is located inside the cable cross beam (4).

10. The tracking type flexible photovoltaic support according to claim 1, wherein: The cable end of the cable (8) is connected to the cable cross beam (4) through a cable tensioner (5).

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