Photovoltaic support capable of automatically cleaning accumulated snow

Abstract

The invention provides an accumulated snow self-cleaning photovoltaic support, and relates to the field of solar power generation, the accumulated snow self-cleaning photovoltaic support comprises a photovoltaic panel and a mounting support, a plurality of elastic hinges are fixedly mounted between the photovoltaic panel and the mounting support, and after accumulated snow is accumulated on the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel, the elastic hinges can be compressed to guide the accumulated snow to slide down; the elastic hinge is a double-rigidity elastic hinge and is composed of a hinge body, a middle plate, a low-rigidity torsional spring and a high-rigidity torsional spring, the elastic end of the low-rigidity torsional spring makes contact with an upper cover plate of the hinge body and the middle plate, and the elastic end of the high-rigidity torsional spring makes contact with the middle plate and a side cover plate of the hinge body. The photovoltaic panel is driven by the gravity of accumulated snow to turn downwards to guide the accumulated snow to slide off from the photovoltaic panel, the accumulated snow on the photovoltaic panel can be automatically cleaned in a heavy snow environment, manpower, machinery and electric energy are not used in the cleaning process, the cleaning difficulty of the accumulated snow on the photovoltaic panel is reduced, and meanwhile the cleaning cost of the accumulated snow on the photovoltaic panel is reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of solar power generation, in particular to a photovoltaic support capable of self-cleaning of accumulated snow. BACKGROUND

[0002] Photovoltaic power generation is a power generation system that directly converts solar radiation energy into electrical energy by using the photovoltaic effect of photovoltaic cells. With the development of modern industry, the advantages of solar energy resources have been highly valued by the world. In the long-term energy strategy, solar photovoltaic power generation will become the cornerstone of future energy for human society and the main character on the world energy stage. It is an important form of solar energy utilization.

[0003] The efficiency of photovoltaic power generation is easily affected by external factors. In winter, especially in northern regions, the photovoltaic panel after heavy snow is very easy to accumulate thick snow. The existing cleaning methods are generally manual cleaning or using cleaning robots, unmanned aerial vehicles and other tools to assist cleaning. Not only does it occupy a lot of manpower, but it is also time-consuming and laborious, and the cleaning cost is high. SUMMARY

[0004] In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the present application provides a photovoltaic support capable of self-cleaning of accumulated snow. By arranging elastic hinges between the photovoltaic panel and the mounting support, the accumulated snow on the photovoltaic panel can be guided to slide off by using the gravity of the snow to turn the photovoltaic panel downward. In a heavy snow environment, the accumulated snow on the photovoltaic panel can be automatically cleaned without using manpower, machinery and electrical energy. This reduces the difficulty of cleaning the accumulated snow on the photovoltaic panel and greatly reduces the cleaning cost, thereby solving the problems raised in the above background.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the present application is realized by the following technical scheme: a photovoltaic support capable of self-cleaning of accumulated snow, comprising a photovoltaic panel and a mounting support, a plurality of elastic hinges being fixedly installed between the photovoltaic panel and the mounting support, the elastic hinges being capable of being compressed to guide the accumulated snow to slide off after the photovoltaic panel is covered with snow on the upper surface. The elastic hinge is a double-rigidity elastic hinge, which is composed of a hinge body, an intermediate plate, a low-rigidity torsional spring and a high-rigidity torsional spring. The elastic ends of the low-rigidity torsional spring are in contact with the upper cover plate of the hinge body and the intermediate plate, respectively. The elastic ends of the high-rigidity torsional spring are in contact with the intermediate plate and the side cover plate of the hinge body, respectively. The hinge body and the intermediate plate rotate around the same shaft.

[0006] As a preferred embodiment of the present application, a plurality of V-shaped microgrooves are formed on the tempered glass on the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel. The V-shaped microgrooves are arranged in the longitudinal direction along the installation angle of the photovoltaic panel.

[0007] As the photovoltaic support of the present application is preferably self-cleaning of snow, in the working state of the photovoltaic panel receiving light, the low stiffness torsion spring always pushes the photovoltaic panel to flip at the preset installation angle.

[0008] As the photovoltaic support of the present application is preferably self-cleaning of snow, in the working state of the photovoltaic panel receiving light, the low stiffness torsion spring always pushes the photovoltaic panel to flip at the preset installation angle.

[0009] As the photovoltaic support of the present application is preferably self-cleaning of snow, in the working state of the photovoltaic panel receiving light, the low stiffness torsion spring always pushes the photovoltaic panel to flip at the preset installation angle.

[0010] As the photovoltaic support of the present application is preferably self-cleaning of snow, in the working state of the photovoltaic panel receiving light, the low stiffness torsion spring always pushes the photovoltaic panel to flip at the preset installation angle.

[0011] As the photovoltaic support of the present application is preferably self-cleaning of snow, in the working state of the photovoltaic panel receiving light, the low stiffness torsion spring always pushes the photovoltaic panel to flip at the preset installation angle.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following beneficial effects: By setting the elastic hinge between the photovoltaic panel and the mounting bracket, after the accumulation of snow on the photovoltaic panel, the gravity of the snow is used to drive the photovoltaic panel to flip downward to guide the snow to slide off the photovoltaic panel. In a snow environment, the snow on the photovoltaic panel can be automatically cleaned, and the cleaning process does not use artificial, mechanical and electrical energy, reducing the difficulty of cleaning the snow on the photovoltaic panel, while greatly reducing the cost of cleaning the snow on the photovoltaic panel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 The present application is a schematic diagram of the overall structure; Figure 2 The present application is a schematic diagram of the photovoltaic panel flip structure; Figure 3 The present application is a schematic diagram of the mounting bracket structure; Figure 4 The present application is a sectional view of the photovoltaic panel; Figure 5 The present application is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the elastic hinge; Figure 4 The present application is a partial enlarged view of the area B; Figure 6 The present application is a bottom view of the elastic hinge; Figure 7 The present application is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the elastic hinge; Figure 8 The present application is a partial enlarged view of the area A. Figure 2

[0014] ​Among them, 1. Photovoltaic panel; 101. Tempered glass; 2. Mounting bracket; 3. Elastic hinge; 301. Hinge body; 3011. Top cover plate; 3012. Side cover plate; 302. Middle plate; 303. Low stiffness torsion spring; 304. High stiffness torsion spring; 4. V-shaped microgroove; 5. Stop bar; 6. Buffer pad. Detailed Implementation

[0015] like Figures 1-8 As shown, a self-cleaning photovoltaic support includes a photovoltaic panel 1 and a mounting bracket 2. Several elastic hinges 3 are fixedly installed between the photovoltaic panel 1 and the mounting bracket 2. After snow accumulates on the surface of the photovoltaic panel 1, the elastic hinges 3 can be compressed to guide the snow to slide off. The elastic hinge 3 is a dual-stiffness elastic hinge 3. The elastic hinge 3 is composed of a hinge body 301, an intermediate plate 302, a low-stiffness torsion spring 303 and a high-stiffness torsion spring 304. The elastic end of the low-stiffness torsion spring 303 contacts the upper cover plate 3011 of the hinge body 301 and the intermediate plate 302 respectively. The elastic end of the high-stiffness torsion spring 304 contacts the intermediate plate 302 and the side cover plate 3012 of the hinge body 301 respectively. The hinge body 301 and the intermediate plate 302 rotate around the same axis.

[0016] In actual operation, the power generation efficiency of photovoltaic power generation systems is easily affected by the external environment. In winter, especially in northern regions, photovoltaic panels are very prone to accumulating thick snow after heavy snow. The existing cleaning methods are generally manual cleaning or the use of cleaning robots, drones and other tools to assist in cleaning, which not only consumes a lot of manpower, is time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also has a high cleaning cost. After improvement, by setting an elastic hinge 3 between the photovoltaic panel 1 and the mounting bracket 2, after snow accumulates on the photovoltaic panel 1, the gravity of the snow will cause the photovoltaic panel 1 to flip downwards and guide the snow to slide off the photovoltaic panel 1. In heavy snow environments, the snow on the photovoltaic panel 1 can be automatically cleared without the use of manual labor, machinery and electricity, reducing the difficulty of clearing the snow on the photovoltaic panel 1 and greatly reducing the cost of clearing the snow on the photovoltaic panel 1.

[0017] Furthermore; In an optional embodiment, a plurality of V-shaped microgrooves 4 are formed on the tempered glass 101 on the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel 1, and the V-shaped microgrooves 4 are formed in the longitudinal direction along the installation tilt angle of the photovoltaic panel 1.

[0018] Traditional photovoltaic panels 1 typically have a surface layer of tempered glass 101, which is flat and allows for "surface contact" between the glass and the panel. This results in a large contact area, strong intermolecular forces, and high adhesion. Figure 4 , Figure 5As shown, by creating V-shaped microgrooves 4 on the tempered glass 101 of the photovoltaic panel 1, snow can form line or point contact on the surface of the photovoltaic panel 1. The snow only adheres to the raised edges (ridges) of the grooves, and a tiny air gap is formed between the bottom of the grooves and the snow, similar to a suspended state. This greatly reduces the contact area between the snow and the photovoltaic panel 1, and the adhesion of the snow to the surface of the photovoltaic panel 1 is also reduced accordingly. After the thin snow melts, it forms a tiny water film. The water film on the flat surface will be tightly adsorbed onto the panel through capillary action. After refreezing, it forms an ice bridge, which greatly enhances the adhesion. The groove structure of the V-shaped grooves breaks the continuity of the water film: the water film will gather at the bottom of the grooves and cannot form a continuous water film covering the entire surface, thus avoiding capillary adsorption. At the same time, the inclination of the grooves The sidewalls allow moisture to drain away quickly, reducing the number of ice bridges that refreeze and decreasing adhesion at the source. When a thin layer of snow covers the surface of the V-shaped groove, the edges of the groove will cause stress concentration on the snow layer. The snow layer is subjected to much greater stress at the edges than on flat areas, which can easily form micro-cracks. As the photovoltaic panel 1 flips downward, the cracks will expand rapidly, causing the thin snow to break into small pieces along the groove direction and slide off naturally under gravity, preventing the entire snow layer from sticking to the photovoltaic panel 1. It should be noted that the optimal V-angle of the V-shaped microgroove 4 (i.e., the angle between the two sidewalls) is 45°-55°, which can be relaxed to 60° in extreme wet snow scenarios. An angle that is too small (<40°) or too large (>65°) will significantly reduce the anti-sticking effect or affect the power generation efficiency.

[0019] In an optional embodiment, when the photovoltaic panel 1 is in the working state of receiving sunlight, the low-stiffness torsion spring 303 always pushes the photovoltaic panel 1 to flip at a preset installation angle.

[0020] After the elastic hinge 3 is installed, a certain preload is required between the elastic hinge 3 and the photovoltaic panel 1. When the snow on the photovoltaic panel 1 is guided and cleared, the low stiffness torsion spring 303 can drive the elastic hinge 3 and the photovoltaic panel 1 to flip upward and reset, so as to maintain the normal power generation state of the photovoltaic panel 1.

[0021] In an optional embodiment, as the photovoltaic panel 1 flips to guide the snow to slide off, the low-stiffness torsion spring 303 and the high-stiffness torsion spring 304 undergo progressive deformation in stages.

[0022] In actual snowfall, the amount of snow is uncontrollable. If only a single-stiffness torsion spring is used, although the elastic hinge 3 can be compressed to change the tilt angle of the photovoltaic panel 1 and guide the snow to slide off after the snow accumulates to a certain thickness on the photovoltaic panel 1, under heavy snowfall, especially in extreme snow conditions, the tilt angle of the photovoltaic panel 1 will be further increased, causing the surface of the photovoltaic panel 1 to become too steep. This could result in a large-scale snowfall at once, posing a safety hazard. If a high-stiffness torsion spring 304 is used, the tilt angle of the photovoltaic panel 1 will be controlled within a reasonable angle (the normal tilt angle of the photovoltaic panel 1 will be controlled within 35°), and the rate of increase in tilt angle will be slowed, avoiding the impact of a single slide and making the photovoltaic panel 1 more controllable during snow removal. Furthermore, if the low-stiffness torsion spring 303 is subjected to large-angle deformation for a long time, it is prone to elastic fatigue, affecting the reset accuracy. Figure 6 , Figure 7 As shown, the high-stiffness torsion spring 304 can limit the deformation range of the low-stiffness torsion spring 303, keeping the low-stiffness torsion spring 303 always within a safe working range, thus extending the service life and performance of the low-stiffness torsion spring 303.

[0023] In an optional embodiment, the upper cover plate 3011 of the hinge body 301 is fixedly connected to the photovoltaic panel 1, and the side cover plate 3012 of the hinge body 301 is fixedly connected to the mounting bracket 2.

[0024] The hinge body 301 is fixedly connected to the photovoltaic panel 1 and the mounting bracket 2 respectively. Since the mounting bracket 2 is fixed in position and angle, the hinge body 301 can form a fixed end and a movable end, thereby enabling the photovoltaic panel 1 to flip and guide the snow to slide off. It should be noted that the upper cover plate 3011 and the photovoltaic panel 1, and the side cover plate 3012 and the mounting bracket 2 can be fixedly connected by riveting, bolting or other means.

[0025] In an optional embodiment, a stop bar 5 is installed on the mounting bracket 2 to limit the position of the photovoltaic panel 1 after it is reset, and a buffer pad 6 is provided on the contact surface between the stop bar 5 and the photovoltaic panel 1.

[0026] like Figure 2 , Figure 8 As shown, since the elastic hinge 3 has a pre-tightening force on the photovoltaic panel 1 when the elastic hinge 3 is connected to the photovoltaic panel 1, it is necessary to limit the position of the movable end of the photovoltaic panel 1 so as to ensure that the photovoltaic panel 1 can be flipped to the preset angle to generate electricity after reset. The mounting bracket 2 and the baffle 5 are generally made of metal materials and are relatively hard. When the photovoltaic panel 1 is flipped and reset under the action of elastic force, if there is rigid contact between the photovoltaic panel 1 and the baffle 5, the resulting vibration will inevitably damage the photovoltaic panel 1. The setting of the buffer pad 6 can effectively reduce the impact force and vibration generated by the photovoltaic panel 1 on the baffle 5 when reset, and prevent damage to the photovoltaic panel 1.

[0027] In an optional embodiment, each photovoltaic panel 1 on the mounting bracket 2 rotates independently.

[0028] like Figure 2 As shown, since photovoltaic panel 1 is mostly composed of multiple small panels to form a large panel, if photovoltaic panel 1 is flipped while it is in the state of forming a large panel, the elastic hinge 3 needs to be set with a large trigger threshold and the elastic hinge 3 also needs to bear a large load. Not only is it difficult to trigger the threshold of elastic hinge 3 when thin snow accumulates, but it will also affect the service life of elastic hinge 3.

[0029] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A self-cleaning photovoltaic support for snow accumulation, comprising a photovoltaic panel (1) and a mounting bracket (2), characterized in that: Several elastic hinges (3) are fixedly installed between the photovoltaic panel (1) and the mounting bracket (2). After snow accumulates on the surface of the photovoltaic panel (1), the elastic hinges (3) can be compressed to guide the snow to slide off. The elastic hinge (3) is a dual-stiffness elastic hinge (3). The elastic hinge (3) is composed of a hinge body (301), an intermediate plate (302), a low-stiffness torsion spring (303) and a high-stiffness torsion spring (304). The elastic end of the low-stiffness torsion spring (303) contacts the upper cover plate (3011) of the hinge body (301) and the intermediate plate (302) respectively. The elastic end of the high-stiffness torsion spring (304) contacts the intermediate plate (302) and the side cover plate (3012) of the hinge body (301) respectively. The hinge body (301) and the intermediate plate (302) rotate around the same axis.

2. The self-cleaning photovoltaic support according to claim 1, characterized in that: Several V-shaped microgrooves (4) are provided on the tempered glass (101) on the upper surface of the photovoltaic panel (1). The V-shaped microgrooves (4) are set in the longitudinal direction along the installation tilt angle of the photovoltaic panel (1).

3. A self-cleaning photovoltaic support for snow accumulation according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the photovoltaic panel (1) is receiving sunlight, the low-stiffness torsion spring (303) always pushes the photovoltaic panel (1) to rotate at the preset installation angle.

4. A self-cleaning photovoltaic support for snow accumulation according to claim 3, characterized in that: During the process of the photovoltaic panel (1) flipping and guiding the snow to slide down, the low stiffness torsion spring (303) and the high stiffness torsion spring (304) undergo progressive deformation in stages.

5. A self-cleaning photovoltaic support for snow accumulation according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The upper cover plate (3011) of the hinge body (301) is fixedly connected to the photovoltaic panel (1), and the side cover plate (3012) of the hinge body (301) is fixedly connected to the mounting bracket (2).

6. A self-cleaning photovoltaic support for snow accumulation according to claim 3, characterized in that: The mounting bracket (2) is equipped with a stop bar (5) that limits the photovoltaic panel (1) after it is reset. A buffer pad (6) is provided on the contact surface between the stop bar (5) and the photovoltaic panel (1).

7. A self-cleaning photovoltaic support for snow accumulation according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each photovoltaic panel (1) on the mounting bracket (2) rotates independently.

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