An adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of photovoltaic panel technology, and more particularly to an adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support, comprising a rotating base, a supporting base plate, a photovoltaic panel body, a drive assembly, and a planetary gear set. The back surface of the photovoltaic panel body has an arc-shaped back plate, and the drive assembly is located below it, with a built-in electronically controlled transmission mechanism that works in conjunction with the arc-shaped back plate to adjust the pitch angle. A horizontal transmission rack is located below the supporting base plate, with a slidable paddle gear mounted on the rack. A planetary gear set with a concentric disk structure is fixed on the base, and the paddle gear meshes with it. When the electronically controlled transmission mechanism adjusts the pitch angle, it synchronously drives the transmission rack to rotate, causing the paddle gear to revolve along the planetary gear set, using the reaction force to force the supporting base plate to rotate horizontally. This invention requires only a single drive source to achieve dual-axis pure mechanical linkage tracking. By sliding the paddle to different radius gear tracks, it can accurately match the transmission ratio differences of the solar trajectory in different seasons, significantly reducing manufacturing costs and electronic control failure rates, and exhibiting strong structural stability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of solar energy utilization technology, and in particular to an adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing global demand for clean energy, distributed photovoltaic (PV) power generation technology has been widely adopted. To maximize solar energy absorption and improve the power generation efficiency of PV power plants, PV mounting systems have gradually evolved from fixed to solar tracking systems. The sun's trajectory in the sky involves continuous changes in two dimensions: altitude (pitch) and azimuth (horizontal). Therefore, dual-axis tracking PV mounting systems, capable of simultaneously tracking both dimensions, have become the ideal choice for improving light-gathering efficiency.

[0003] However, existing dual-axis photovoltaic tracking brackets have many shortcomings in practical applications. First, the electrical control system is complex, with high manufacturing costs and failure rates. Traditional dual-axis tracking typically requires two independent drive motors to control azimuth and pitch separately, while heavily relying on photosensitive sensors, anemometers, and complex electronic control algorithms to correct the angle in real time. In harsh conditions such as extreme cold, extreme heat, and sandstorms in the field, electronic components are prone to aging and failure, leading to high maintenance costs. Second, although some existing technologies attempt to use a single motor linked by a linkage, the sun's trajectory varies greatly throughout the year, for example, the azimuth angle range is large at the summer solstice and small at the winter solstice. Traditional purely mechanical linkage devices have a fixed transmission ratio, which cannot match the changes in the sun's declination angle in different seasons, resulting in a significant decrease in light-gathering efficiency in certain seasons. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides an adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: An adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support includes a photovoltaic panel body and a support for mounting the photovoltaic panel body. The two ends of the photovoltaic panel body are rotatably mounted on the support by fixing components. The support also includes a rotating base, a supporting base plate, a drive component, and a planetary gear set. The back surface of the photovoltaic panel body is provided with an outwardly protruding arc-shaped back plate. The arc-shaped back plate is provided with several transverse adjustment grooves at intervals along the arc-shaped circumference of the photovoltaic panel body, so that the surface of the arc-shaped back plate forms a toothed meshing structure. The rotating base is fixed to the ground, and the supporting base plate is horizontally rotatably mounted on the top of the rotating base via a slewing bearing. The photovoltaic panel body, the support, and the drive assembly are all mounted on the supporting base plate. The drive assembly includes an assembly housing and an arc-shaped guide groove disposed on one side of the assembly housing and extending through it. An electronically controlled transmission mechanism is disposed within the arc-shaped guide groove. The drive assembly is disposed below the photovoltaic panel body. The top opening surface of the arc-shaped guide groove slides against the arc-shaped back plate, providing bottom arc-shaped sliding support for the photovoltaic panel body. The transmission surface of the electronically controlled transmission mechanism protrudes upward from the arc-shaped guide groove and forms a mechanically engaged transmission with several adjustment grooves on the arc-shaped back plate. By moving the adjustment grooves, the arc-shaped back plate is driven to slide along the support surface of the arc-shaped guide groove, thereby adjusting the pitch angle of the photovoltaic panel body with the fixed component as the support axis. The supporting base plate has a vertical through opening directly below the assembly housing. The lower end of the electronically controlled transmission mechanism is connected to a conversion chain, which extends to the bottom of the opening. A space is reserved between the supporting base plate and the ground, in which a transmission rack and planetary gear set are installed. The conversion chain is connected to the horizontally arranged transmission rack. A paddle gear is slidably mounted on the transmission rack, and the planetary gear set is fixed on the rotating base. The planetary gear set has a concentric multi-ring toothed disc structure. The paddle gear meshes with the tooth surfaces of the planetary gear set. When the electronically controlled transmission mechanism operates to change the pitch angle of the photovoltaic panel body, the electronically controlled transmission mechanism synchronously drives the transmission rack to rotate. The transmission rack drives the paddle gear to revolve around the planetary gear set. Relying on the reaction force of the gear meshing, the support base plate is pushed to rotate horizontally around the rotating base, thereby realizing the mechanical linkage adjustment of pitch and azimuth angles of a single drive source.

[0006] Furthermore, the electronically controlled transmission mechanism includes a transmission sprocket, a transmission chain, and a drive motor. The transmission sprocket and transmission chain are connected in a transmission manner. The drive motor is mounted on one side of the assembly housing, and its output shaft extends into the assembly housing and connects to the transmission sprocket. The output shaft of the drive motor is connected to the transmission sprocket, and the transmission chain is constrained within a through-type arc-shaped guide groove. Two transmission sprockets are provided, rotatably mounted inside the assembly housing via a rotating shaft. By arranging the positions of the two transmission sprockets and simultaneously providing limit baffles along the arc-shaped guide groove, the transmission chain is confined to the edge of the arc-shaped guide groove. The drive motor drives the rotation of the transmission sprocket, which in turn drives the rotation of the transmission chain. The transmission chain engages with several adjustment slots, enabling controllable pitch adjustment of the photovoltaic panel body.

[0007] Furthermore, two sets of drive components are symmetrically arranged below the photovoltaic panel body. One set of drive components does not have an internal drive motor and serves as a driven component to provide balanced support. The two sets of drive components are identical in structure except for the presence or absence of a drive motor. The symmetrical arrangement of the two sets of drive components provides stable two-point coplanar support for the photovoltaic panel body, improving the overall bending section modulus and structural stiffness of the system. Moreover, since the drive component with the drive motor serves as the rotational power source, the operation of the drive motor on one side ensures unobstructed rotation of the support base plate.

[0008] Furthermore, the control terminal of the drive motor is connected to a forward / reverse timing module. This module is set to drive the transmission chain at a fixed slow speed during the day and to reverse at high speed at night to reset the photovoltaic panel and supporting base plate to their initial east-facing position. This application, through the forward / reverse timing module, only needs to send a basic time pulse signal to make the drive motor operate at an extremely slow, constant speed during the effective sunshine period of the day, thus driving the mechanical structure to automatically complete a three-dimensional spatial movement that matches the sun's trajectory. At night, the timing module outputs a reverse signal, causing the drive motor to reverse and pull the photovoltaic panel and supporting base plate back to their sunrise standby position facing due east.

[0009] Furthermore, upper and lower limit switches are installed at the physical extreme points at both ends of the inner side of the arc-shaped guide groove. When the drive motor drives the photovoltaic panel to reach the extreme pitch angle of sunrise or sunset, the corresponding limit switch is triggered to cut off the forward or reverse power supply to the drive motor, preventing the transmission chain from breaking due to overload. Upper and lower limit switches are configured at the extreme points at the upper and lower ends of the inner side of the arc-shaped guide groove. When the drive assembly pushes or pulls the arc-shaped back plate to its extreme position, the chain fixing members at both ends of the arc-shaped back plate will directly touch and press down the corresponding limit switch located at the port of the arc-shaped guide groove. Once the limit switch is touched, the normally closed contact inside the switch will instantly disconnect the power supply circuit of the drive motor, performing forced power-off protection, thereby greatly improving the safety of the equipment while ensuring that the transmission mechanism does not interfere.

[0010] Furthermore, the planetary gear set is concentrically provided with at least four annular toothed tracks with different radii and different numbers of teeth, corresponding to the solar declination angles of around +23.45°, around 0°, the transition zone between -11° and +11°, and the tracking transmission ratio around -23.45°.

[0011] Furthermore, the pitch circle radius of the annular toothed track is negatively correlated with the ratio of the daily variation of the solar azimuth angle to the daily variation of the pitch angle at the location. Specifically, the radius of the annular toothed track is smallest when the solar declination angle is around +23.45° to match the largest daily azimuth angle span throughout the year, and the radius of the annular toothed track is largest when the solar declination angle is around -23.45° to match the smallest daily azimuth angle span throughout the year. Thus, by changing the track radius of the paddle gear meshing, the transmission ratio of the mechanical linkage between the pitch angle and the azimuth angle is changed.

[0012] Furthermore, the transmission rack is a splined shaft with an axial guide groove, and the inner bore of the paddle gear has an internal spline that matches the splined shaft, allowing the paddle gear to slide axially on the transmission rack for shifting gears, and maintaining synchronous transmission of circumferential torque with the transmission rack during rotation. The axial guide groove on the transmission rack and the internal spline in the inner bore of the paddle gear are in clearance fit, allowing maintenance personnel to smoothly adjust the gear by pushing it along the axial direction of the transmission rack. In the circumferential rotation direction, when the drive motor above drives the transmission rack to rotate, the transmission rack can fully transmit the rotational torque to the paddle gear.

[0013] Furthermore, the transmission rack has annular positioning slots at the axial positions corresponding to each annular toothed rail. The side of the paddle gear has a manual operation lever and an elastic limiting pin. When the paddle gear is manually moved above the annular toothed rail corresponding to the target solar declination angle, the elastic limiting pin engages in the corresponding annular positioning slot to form an axial lock. During long-term use, the paddle gear will inevitably generate resonance and slight axial movement, which may cause it to slip off the target annular toothed rail, resulting in distortion of the transmission tracking trajectory. Therefore, when the maintenance personnel operate the lever to push the paddle gear to the required position, the elastic limiting pin on the side of the paddle gear will spring into the annular positioning slot on the transmission rack under the push of the internal spring.

[0014] Furthermore, the conversion chain has a closed-loop structure. The inner ring of the conversion chain is equipped with meshing teeth. Drive shafts mesh at the upper and lower ends of the inner ring. The sidewall of the upper drive shaft is coaxially and fixedly connected to the drive sprocket, while the lower drive shaft is sleeved and fixed to the drive rack, ensuring that the lower end of the conversion chain is coaxially connected to the drive rack. Both ends of the drive rack are suspended from the bottom surface of the support base plate via bearings. The electrically controlled transmission mechanism includes two drive sprockets positioned vertically and vertically, and a drive chain supporting the operation. When the lower drive sprocket rotates, its sidewall is rigidly fixed to the upper drive shaft meshing with the conversion chain, achieving coaxial and synchronous rotation. The inner teeth of the conversion chain wrap around the upper and lower drive shafts. Since the lower drive shaft is directly fitted and fixed to the horizontally arranged transmission rack, when the drive motor rotates and drives the lower transmission sprocket to rotate, the power is transmitted through the upper drive shaft and the zero-slip tooth profile of the conversion chain, ultimately entering the transmission rack. Furthermore, both ends of the transmission rack are suspended from the bottom surface of the support base plate via seated bearings. The transmission rack and the support base plate form a rotating body, allowing the transmission rack to rotate on its own axis while also following the support base plate in a wide range of azimuth rotation.

[0015] Furthermore, both ends of the transmission rack are provided with limiting grooves, and the inner ring of the mounted bearing is fitted into the limiting grooves to prevent axial movement of the transmission rack. By machining limiting grooves at both ends of the transmission rack and using an interference fit to rigidly lock the inner ring of the mounted bearing in the limiting grooves, the axial degree of freedom of the transmission rack is locked.

[0016] Furthermore, the geometric center axis of the planetary gear set is completely coincident with the rotation center axis of the rotating base, ensuring that the transmission rack does not generate eccentric jamming resistance against the supporting base plate when the paddle gear revolves around the planetary gear set. The reaction force generated by the paddle gear in cooperation with the fixed planetary gear set pushes against the supporting base plate. The constraint of the coincidence of the two axes ensures that the torque arm length of the meshing reaction force of the paddle gear remains constant at any position during its revolution cycle, ensuring smooth and even load distribution.

[0017] Furthermore, the planetary gear set is mounted on the rotating base via a lifting slide rod. This lifting slide rod allows the entire planetary gear set to descend vertically to avoid a collision, ensuring that the paddle gear and the planetary gear set's tooth surfaces are completely disengaged during manual adjustment of the shifter gear. A lifting slide rod is located below the center of the planetary gear set, and a guide sleeve fixed to the foundation is fitted around this rod. A cam locking handle is mounted on the side wall of the guide sleeve as a height locking component. When shifting gears, the cam locking handle is first released. Under the guidance of gravity or the auxiliary handwheel, the entire planetary gear set will slide vertically downwards along the guide sleeve a certain distance to avoid a collision. At this time, the lower gear disengages from the upper paddle gear, and the operator then moves the paddle on the transmission rack directly above the next seasonal track. Finally, the planetary gear set is lifted back to its original position, allowing the new track's tooth surfaces to re-mesh with the paddle gear, and the cam locking handle is pressed down to lock the height.

[0018] Furthermore, a ring-shaped windproof skirt extends downwards from the lower outer edge of the supporting base plate, covering the reserved space between the supporting base plate and the ground. The ring-shaped windproof skirt extends downwards from the outer edge of the supporting base plate to near the ground, enclosing the transmission rack, paddle gear, and planetary gear set within a relatively isolated chamber. This achieves dust protection while improving the wind-tipping safety factor of the photovoltaic array.

[0019] Furthermore, a slewing bearing is assembled between the supporting base plate and the rotating base. The inner ring of the slewing bearing is rigidly fixed to the top outer edge of the rotating base, and the outer ring is bolted to the flange at the bottom of the rotating supporting base plate. The slewing bearing contains crossed rollers or multiple rows of steel balls, enabling it to simultaneously and stably absorb the enormous gravitational pressure in the vertical direction and the overturning torque of the radial wind shear force in the horizontal direction. By rigidly anchoring the inner and outer rings of the slewing bearing to the supporting base plate and the stationary rotating base over a large area, and to avoid structural interference and achieve gear shifting functionality, the planetary gear set is independently positioned in the geometric center region of the rotating base.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. This invention uses a single drive motor to adjust the pitch angle of the photovoltaic panel body by adjusting the arc-shaped back plate. At the same time, the electric control transmission mechanism transmits power downward to drive the transmission rack to rotate. The paddle gear crawls on the planetary gear set fixed on the ground. The reaction force of the gear meshing is used to force the entire support base plate to rotate in a horizontal azimuth angle, reducing the deployment of complex components and lowering equipment and maintenance costs. 2. The present invention designs the planetary gear set as a concentric multi-ring toothed disc structure with four toothed tracks of different radii, which correspond to the solar declination angles of four different intervals. By manually sliding the toothed track on the transmission spline rack to switch the toothed track where the paddle gear is located, the mechanical linkage transmission ratio of the pitch angle and azimuth angle can be changed, that is, the larger circle in summer and the smaller circle in winter, so that it can achieve high-efficiency lighting efficiency on its own. 3. In addition to being able to adjust the pitch angle and azimuth, this invention can still provide the photovoltaic panel body with high overall rigidity and resistance to extreme typhoons by supporting the stability of the base plate and the stable support layout of the support and drive components. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the present invention; Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the driving components; Figure 3 This is a planar schematic diagram of the present invention; Figure 4 It is a planar schematic diagram of the engagement between the conversion chain and the transmission rack; Figure 5 This is a planar schematic diagram of the transmission rack; Figure 6 This is a top view of a planetary gear set; Attached diagram labels: 1-Photovoltaic panel body, 2-Support, 3-Fixed component, 4-Rotating base, 5-Support base plate, 6-Planetary gear set, 7-Adjustment groove, 8-Assembly housing, 9-Arc-shaped guide groove, 10-Opening, 11-Conversion chain, 12-Transmission rack, 13-Paddle gear, 14-Transmission sprocket, 15-Transmission chain, 16-Drive motor, 17-Annular positioning slot, 18-Manual operation lever, 19-Bearing with seat, 20-Limiting groove, 21-Windproof skirt, 22-Annular toothed rail, 23-Lifting slide bar. Detailed Implementation

[0022] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the embodiments and accompanying drawings. The illustrative embodiments and descriptions of the present invention are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0023] Example 1, as Figures 1-6As shown, the present invention discloses an adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support, including a photovoltaic panel body 1 and a support 2 for mounting the photovoltaic panel body 1. The two ends of the photovoltaic panel body 1 are respectively rotatably mounted on the support 2 by fixing parts 3. It also includes a rotating base 4, a supporting base plate 5, a drive assembly and a planetary gear set 6. The back surface of the photovoltaic panel body 1 is provided with an outwardly protruding arc-shaped back plate. The arc-shaped back plate is provided with several transverse adjustment grooves 7 at intervals along the arc-shaped circumference of the photovoltaic panel body 1, so that the surface of the arc-shaped back plate forms a toothed meshing structure. The rotating base 4 is fixed to the ground, and the supporting base plate 5 is horizontally rotatably mounted on the top of the rotating base 4 via a slewing bearing. The photovoltaic panel body 1, the support 2, and the drive assembly are all mounted on the supporting base plate 5. The drive assembly includes an assembly housing 8 and an arc-shaped guide groove 9 disposed on one side of the assembly housing 8 and extending through it. An electronically controlled transmission mechanism is disposed in the arc-shaped guide groove 9. The drive assembly is disposed below the photovoltaic panel body 1. The top opening surface of the arc-shaped guide groove 9 slides against the arc-shaped back plate, providing arc-shaped sliding support for the bottom of the photovoltaic panel body 1. The transmission surface of the electronically controlled transmission mechanism protrudes upward from the arc-shaped guide groove 9 and forms a mechanical interlocking transmission with several adjustment grooves 7 on the arc-shaped back plate. By moving the adjustment grooves 7, the arc-shaped back plate is driven to slide along the support surface of the arc-shaped guide groove 9, thereby adjusting the pitch angle of the photovoltaic panel body 1 with the fixing member 3 as the support axis point. The supporting base plate 5 has a vertical through opening 10 directly below the mounting housing 8. The lower end of the electric control transmission mechanism is connected to a conversion chain 11, which extends to the bottom of the opening 10. A space is reserved between the supporting base plate 5 and the ground. A transmission rack 12 and a planetary gear set 6 are installed in this space. The conversion chain 11 is connected to the horizontally arranged transmission rack 12. A paddle gear 13 is slidably mounted on the transmission rack 12, and the planetary gear set 6 is fixed on the rotating base 4. The planetary gear set 6 has a concentric multi-ring toothed disc structure. The paddle gear 13 meshes with the tooth surface of the planetary gear set 6. When the electronically controlled transmission mechanism operates to change the pitch angle of the photovoltaic panel body 1, the electronically controlled transmission mechanism synchronously drives the transmission rack 12 to rotate. The transmission rack 12 drives the paddle gear 13 to revolve around the planetary gear set 6. Relying on the reaction force of the gear meshing, the support base plate 5 is pushed to rotate horizontally around the rotating base 4, thereby realizing the mechanical linkage adjustment of pitch and azimuth angles of a single drive source.

[0024] The electrically controlled transmission mechanism includes a transmission sprocket 14, a transmission chain 15, and a drive motor 16. The transmission sprocket 14 and the transmission chain 15 are connected in a transmission manner. The drive motor 16 is mounted on one side of the assembly housing 8, and the output shaft of the drive motor 16 extends into the assembly housing 8 and connects to the transmission sprocket 14. Specifically, the output shaft of the drive motor 16 penetrates the side wall of the assembly housing 8 through a reducer and connects to the internal transmission sprocket 14. The transmission chain 15 is constrained inside the through arc-shaped guide groove 9. There are two transmission sprockets 14, which are rotatably mounted inside the assembly housing 8 via a rotating shaft. By arranging the positions of the two transmission sprockets 14 and simultaneously setting limit baffles along the arc-shaped guide groove 9, the transmission chain 15 is confined to the edge of the arc-shaped guide groove 9. Multiple transverse adjustment grooves 7 are milled side by side along the arc-shaped circumference on the surface of the arc-shaped back plate. The closed-loop transmission chain 15 constrained inside the arc-shaped guide groove 9 has evenly spaced protruding snap-fit ​​parts integrally formed on the metal links of its outer ring. The drive motor 16 drives the transmission sprocket 14 to rotate, which in turn drives the transmission chain 15 to rotate. Since the top opening of the arc-shaped guide groove 9 abuts against the upper arc-shaped back plate, it engages with the adjustment groove 7 on the arc-shaped back plate one by one. By continuously moving the adjustment groove 7, using the fixing pieces 3 at both ends as the center fulcrum, the pitch angle of the photovoltaic panel body 1 can be adjusted.

[0025] The transmission chain 15 is engaged with several adjustment slots 7 to enable controllable pitch adjustment of the photovoltaic panel body 1.

[0026] Two sets of drive components are symmetrically arranged below the photovoltaic panel body 1. One set of drive components does not have a drive motor 16 inside, and serves as a driven component to provide a balanced support point. Specifically, the two sets of drive components are identical in structure except for the presence or absence of a drive motor. Single-point support may undergo torsional deformation or insufficient load-bearing capacity under outdoor conditions and its own weight, leading to damage to the photovoltaic panel body 1. This application arranges two sets of drive components symmetrically below the photovoltaic panel body 1, providing stable two-point coplanar support for the photovoltaic panel body 1, improving the overall bending section modulus and structural stiffness of the system. Furthermore, since the drive component with the drive motor 16 serves as the rotational power source, the operation of the drive motor 16 on one side ensures that the support base plate 5 can rotate without obstruction.

[0027] The control terminal of the drive motor 16 is connected to a forward / reverse timing module. This module is set to drive the transmission chain 15 at a fixed slow speed during the day, and to reverse at high speed at night to reset the photovoltaic panel body 1 and the supporting base plate 5 to their initial east-facing position. Specifically, traditional dual-axis photovoltaic brackets rely on light source tracking sensors, anemometers, and complex closed-loop microcomputer algorithms, which not only increases procurement costs but also leads to equipment aging and failure due to extreme conditions such as deserts and high-altitude cold regions, requiring frequent maintenance. This application, through its forward / reverse timing module, only needs to send a basic time pulse signal to make the drive motor 16 operate at an extremely slow, constant speed during the effective sunshine period of the day, thus automatically driving the mechanical structure to complete a three-dimensional spatial movement that fits the sun's trajectory. At night, the timing module outputs a reverse signal, causing the drive motor 16 to reverse, pulling the photovoltaic panel body 1 and the supporting base plate 5 back to their sunrise standby position facing due east.

[0028] The inner ends of the arc-shaped guide groove 9 are equipped with upper limit switches and lower limit switches at their physical extreme points (i.e., near the top and bottom). When the drive motor 16 drives the photovoltaic panel body 1 to reach the extreme pitch angle of sunrise or sunset, the corresponding limit switches are triggered to cut off the forward or reverse power supply of the drive motor 16, preventing the transmission chain 15 from being overloaded and breaking. Specifically, due to mechanical wear, thermal expansion and contraction caused by extreme temperature differences, or the accumulation of occasional errors in the timing module, the actual mechanical position may become out of sync with the theoretically calculated position after long-term operation. If the drive motor 16 continues to forcibly output torque when the photovoltaic panel body 1 has already reached its physical limit position (such as the maximum pitch angle in the morning or the minimum pitch angle at noon), it will generate huge mechanical destructive force, which may lead to the risk of breaking the transmission chain 15 and breaking the gears. Therefore, this system is equipped with upper and lower limit switches at the extreme points on the upper and lower ends of the inner side of the arc-shaped guide groove 9. When the drive assembly pushes or pulls the arc-shaped back plate to its limit position, the chain fasteners fixed to both ends of the arc-shaped back plate will directly touch and press down the corresponding limit switches located at the ports of the arc-shaped guide groove 9. Once the limit switches are touched, the normally closed contacts inside the switches will instantly disconnect the power supply circuit of the drive motor 16, performing forced power-off protection, thereby greatly improving the safety of the equipment while ensuring that the transmission mechanism does not interfere.

[0029] The transmission rack 12 is a splined shaft with an axial guide groove. The inner hole of the paddle gear 13 is provided with an internal spline that matches the splined shaft, allowing the paddle gear 13 to slide axially on the transmission rack 12 for shifting, and maintaining synchronous transmission of circumferential torque with the transmission rack 12 during rotation. Specifically, the axial guide groove on the transmission rack 12 and the internal spline of the inner hole of the paddle gear 13 are in clearance fit, and maintenance personnel can achieve adjustment by smoothly sliding the paddle gear 13 along the axial direction of the transmission rack 12. In the circumferential rotation direction, when the drive motor 16 drives the transmission rack 12 to rotate, the transmission rack 12 can fully transmit the rotational torque to the paddle gear 13.

[0030] The transmission rack 12 has annular positioning slots 17 at the axial positions corresponding to each annular toothed rail 22. The side of the paddle gear 13 is provided with a manual operation lever 18 and an elastic limiting pin. When the paddle gear 13 is manually moved above the annular toothed rail 22 corresponding to the target solar declination angle, the elastic limiting pin engages in the corresponding annular positioning slot 17 to form an axial lock. Specifically, during long-term use, the paddle gear 13 will inevitably generate resonance and a small axial movement component, which may cause it to slip off the target annular toothed rail 22, resulting in a distortion of the transmission tracking trajectory. Therefore, when the maintenance personnel operate the lever to push the paddle gear 13 to the required position (such as directly above the toothed rail corresponding to the summer solstice), the elastic limiting pin on the side of the paddle gear 13 will spring into the annular positioning slot 17 on the transmission rack 12 under the push of the internal spring.

[0031] The conversion chain 11 is a closed-loop structure. The inner ring of the conversion chain 11 has meshing teeth. Drive shafts mesh at the upper and lower ends of the inner ring of the conversion chain 11. The side wall of the upper drive shaft is coaxially and fixedly connected to the drive sprocket 14, and the lower drive shaft is sleeved and fixed to the drive rack 12, so that the lower end of the conversion chain 11 and the drive rack 12 are coaxially connected for transmission. Both ends of the drive rack 12 are suspended from the bottom surface of the support base plate 5 by bearings 19. Specifically, the electrically controlled transmission mechanism includes two drive sprockets 14 arranged vertically and vertically, and a drive chain 15 supporting the operation. When the lower drive sprocket 14 rotates, its side wall is rigidly fixed to the upper drive shaft meshing with the conversion chain 11, achieving coaxial synchronous rotation. The inner ring teeth of the conversion chain 11 wrap around the upper and lower drive shafts. Since the lower drive shaft is directly sleeved and fixed on the horizontally arranged transmission rack 12, when the drive motor 16 rotates and drives the lower transmission sprocket 14 to rotate, the power is transmitted through the upper drive shaft and the zero-slip tooth profile of the conversion chain 11, and finally into the transmission rack 12. Furthermore, both ends of the transmission rack 12 are suspended and mounted on the bottom surface of the support base plate 5 through seated bearings 19. The transmission rack 12 and the support base plate 5 form a rotating body, allowing the transmission rack 12 to rotate on its own axis while also following the support base plate 5 to perform a wide range of azimuth angular rotation.

[0032] Both ends of the transmission rack 12 are provided with limiting grooves 20. The inner ring of the mounted bearing 19 is fitted into the limiting grooves 20 to prevent axial movement of the transmission rack 12. Specifically, limiting grooves 20 are machined at both ends of the transmission rack 12, and the inner ring of the mounted bearing 19 is rigidly locked in the limiting grooves 20 by interference fit, thereby locking the axial degree of freedom of the transmission rack 12 and allowing only rotational motion.

[0033] The geometric center axis of the planetary gear set 6 is completely coincident with the rotation center axis of the rotating base 4, ensuring that the transmission rack 12 does not generate eccentric jamming resistance on the supporting base plate 5 when the paddle gear 13 revolves around the planetary gear set 6. Specifically, the paddle gear 13, through the reaction force generated by its engagement with the fixed planetary gear set 6, pushes against the supporting base plate 5. The constraint of the coincidence of the two axes ensures that the torque arm length of the meshing reaction force of the paddle gear 13 remains constant at any position during its revolution cycle, ensuring smooth and even load distribution.

[0034] A ring-shaped windproof skirt 21 extends downward from the lower outer edge of the supporting base plate 5, covering the reserved space between the supporting base plate 5 and the ground. Specifically, photovoltaic power stations are often built in Gobi Desert, desert areas, or coastal regions, which are frequently affected by sandstorms, salt spray, or blizzards. The ring-shaped windproof skirt 21 extends downward from the outer edge of the supporting base plate 5 to near the ground, enclosing the transmission rack 12, the paddle gear 13, and the planetary gear set 6 within a relatively isolated chamber. This achieves dust protection while improving the wind-tipping safety factor of the photovoltaic array.

[0035] A slewing bearing is assembled between the supporting base plate 5 and the rotating base 4. The inner ring of the slewing bearing is rigidly fixed to the top outer edge of the rotating base 4, and the outer ring is bolted to the flange at the bottom of the rotating supporting base plate 5. Specifically, the slewing bearing has crossed rollers or multiple rows of steel balls arranged inside, which can simultaneously and stably absorb the huge gravitational pressure in the vertical direction and the overturning torque of the radial wind shear force in the horizontal direction. By rigidly anchoring the inner and outer rings of the slewing bearing to the supporting base plate 5 and the stationary rotating base 4 over a large area, and to avoid structural interference and achieve the shifting function, the planetary gear set 6 is independently placed in the geometric center area of ​​the rotating base 4. The central area not only avoids the load-bearing area of ​​the outer slewing bearing, but also provides vertical movement space for the planetary gear set 6 to be equipped with a lifting mechanism, ensuring that the planetary gear set can complete the up-and-down avoidance operation when shifting gears is required.

[0036] Example 2: Based on Example 1, this example proposes a specific working principle for an adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support.

[0037] The planetary gear set 6 is concentrically equipped with at least four annular gear tracks 22 of different radii and numbers of teeth, corresponding to the solar declination angles of approximately +23.45°, 0°, and the transition zone between -11° and +11°, as well as the tracking transmission ratio around -23.45°. Specifically, the Earth's axis of rotation is tilted at approximately 23.45° relative to the ecliptic plane, causing the point of direct sunlight to move back and forth between the Tropic of Cancer (+23.45°) and the Tropic of Capricorn (-23.45°) throughout the year, thus forming the four seasons. For photovoltaic supports installed on the ground, not only does the sun's highest daily elevation angle differ in different seasons, but its horizontal azimuth span across the sky also varies significantly. For example, in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, at the summer solstice, the sun rises in the northeast and sets in the northwest, spending a long time in the sky with a large azimuth span. At the winter solstice, however, the sun rises in the southeast and sets in the southwest, with a very small azimuth span. If the support structure uses only a fixed transmission ratio for mechanical tracking, the photovoltaic panels may not be accurately aligned with the sun in a particular season, resulting in a significant loss of power generation efficiency. This application addresses this by setting four concentric multi-turn geared rails with different radii, transforming the seasonal astronomical calendar into a mechanical wheel, thus achieving all-season matching and linkage adjustment across time and space using only a mechanical structure.

[0038] The pitch circle radius of the annular gear 22 is negatively correlated with the ratio of the daily variation of the solar azimuth angle to the daily variation of the pitch angle. Since the smaller the radius of the meshed track when the transmission rack 12 rotates by the same angle, the larger the azimuth angle of the supporting base plate 5, the smaller the radius of the annular gear 22 is near the solar declination angle of +23.45° to match the largest daily azimuth angle span throughout the year. The radius of the annular gear 22 is largest near the solar declination angle of -23.45° to match the smallest daily azimuth angle span throughout the year. Thus, by changing the meshing track radius of the paddle gear 13, the transmission ratio of the mechanical linkage between the pitch angle and azimuth angle is changed. Specifically, according to relevant astronomical literature, taking the mid-latitude region of the Northern Hemisphere as an example, the azimuth angle variation span of the sun throughout the day is extremely large (up to about 240 degrees) on the summer solstice (declination angle +23.45°), while the effective pitch angle variation around noon is relatively gradual, resulting in a very large pitch variation ratio. According to the principle of planetary gear transmission, the rotation angle of the support base plate 5 is equal to the removal of the travel arc of the paddle gear 13 by the radius of the 22 pitch circle of the annular gear track. When the electronically controlled transmission mechanism adjusts to similar elevation angles daily (i.e., the travel displacement of the paddle gear 13 is similar), the system needs to drive the support base plate 5 through a very large horizontal rotation angle. Therefore, the gear track design corresponding to the summer solstice is set to the minimum radius extreme value (located in the innermost ring of the planetary gear set 6), utilizing a small base circle to amplify the rotation angle. Conversely, on the winter solstice (declination angle -23.45°), the azimuth angle span of the sun throughout the day is drastically reduced (only about 120 degrees), and its pitch change ratio is extremely small. At this time, when the paddle gear 13 is manually moved to the gear track with the largest radius (located in the outermost ring of the planetary gear set 6), with the gear circumference increasing, when the chain adjusts to the same elevation angle, the azimuth angle by which the rotating base 4 is pushed back will be significantly smaller. By calculating the circumference ratio of the four toothed tracks and manually sliding the levers during seasonal changes, the deviation of the sun's trajectory in each season can be compensated for through mechanical gear ratio changes, thus maintaining the sun's direct absorption rate at the optimal level throughout the year.

[0039] Example 3: Based on Example 1, this example proposes an adjustable planetary gear set based on a height-adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support.

[0040] The planetary gear set 6 is mounted on the rotating base 4 via a lifting slide 23. The lifting slide 23 allows the planetary gear set 6 to descend vertically to avoid interference, ensuring that the paddle gear 13 and the teeth of the planetary gear set 6 are completely disengaged during manual adjustment of the gear position. Specifically, during seasonal gear shifting, if the height of the planetary gear set 6 is not adjustable, the paddle gear 13 is difficult to move laterally in the horizontal direction because its teeth are engaged with the annular gear rail 22.

[0041] Therefore, a lifting slide bar 23 is provided below the center of the planetary gear set 6. A guide sleeve fixed to the foundation is fitted around the lifting slide bar 23, and a cam locking handle is provided on the side wall of the guide sleeve as a height locking component. When shifting gears, first release the cam locking handle. Under the guidance of gravity or the auxiliary handwheel, the entire concentric multi-turn gear plate structure of the planetary gear set 6 will slide vertically downwards along the guide sleeve a certain distance to avoid a collision. At this time, the lower gear plate disengages from the upper paddle gear 13, and the operator then moves the paddle on the transmission rack 12 to directly above the next seasonal track. Finally, the planetary gear set 6 is lifted again to reset, allowing the teeth of the new track to re-mesh with the paddle gear 13, and the cam locking handle is pressed down to lock the height.

[0042] Of course, the present invention may have many other embodiments. Without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make various corresponding changes and modifications according to the present invention, but these corresponding changes and modifications should all fall within the protection scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support, comprising a photovoltaic panel body (1) and a support (2) for mounting the photovoltaic panel body (1), wherein both ends of the photovoltaic panel body (1) are rotatably mounted on the support (2) via fasteners (3), characterized in that: It also includes a rotating base (4), a supporting base plate (5), a drive assembly and a planetary gear set (6). The back surface of the photovoltaic panel body (1) is provided with an outwardly protruding arc-shaped back plate. The arc-shaped back plate is provided with several transverse adjustment grooves (7) at intervals along the arc-shaped circumference of the photovoltaic panel body (1), so that the surface of the arc-shaped back plate forms a toothed meshing structure. The rotating base (4) is fixed to the ground, and the supporting base plate (5) is horizontally rotatably mounted on the top of the rotating base (4) through a slewing bearing. The photovoltaic panel body (1), the support (2) and the drive assembly are all mounted on the supporting base plate (5). The drive assembly includes an assembly housing (8) and an arc-shaped guide groove (9) disposed on one side of the assembly housing (8) and extending through it. An electric control transmission mechanism is provided in the arc-shaped guide groove (9). The drive assembly is located below the photovoltaic panel body (1). The top opening surface of the arc-shaped guide groove (9) slides against the arc-shaped back plate, providing bottom arc-shaped sliding support for the photovoltaic panel body (1). The transmission surface of the electric control transmission mechanism protrudes upward from the arc-shaped guide groove (9) and forms a mechanical interlocking transmission with several adjustment grooves (7) on the arc-shaped back plate. By moving the adjustment grooves (7), the arc-shaped back plate is driven to slide along the support surface of the arc-shaped guide groove (9), thereby adjusting the pitch angle of the photovoltaic panel body (1) with the fixing member (3) as the support axis point. The supporting base plate (5) has a vertical through opening (10) directly below the mounting housing (8). The lower end of the electric control transmission mechanism has a synchronously rotating output shaft. A conversion chain (11) is connected to the output shaft. The conversion chain (11) extends downward through the opening (10). There is a space between the supporting base plate (5) and the ground. A transmission rack (12) and a planetary gear set (6) are provided in the space. The lower end of the conversion chain (11) that passes through the opening (10) and the horizontally arranged transmission rack (12) are coaxially connected. A paddle gear (13) is slidably disposed on the transmission rack (12), and the planetary gear set (6) is fixed on the rotating base (4). The planetary gear set (6) has a concentric multi-ring toothed disc structure. The tooth surfaces of the paddle gear (13) and the planetary gear set (6) mesh together. When the electric control transmission mechanism operates to change the pitch angle of the photovoltaic panel body (1), the electric control transmission mechanism synchronously drives the transmission rack (12) to rotate. The transmission rack (12) drives the paddle gear (13) to revolve around the planetary gear set (6). The reaction force of the gear meshing pushes the support base plate (5) to rotate horizontally around the rotating base (4), thereby realizing the mechanical linkage adjustment of pitch and azimuth angle of a single drive source. The planetary gear set (6) is concentrically provided with at least four annular gear tracks (22) with different radii and different numbers of teeth, respectively corresponding to the transition zone between the solar declination angles of +23.45°, 0°, -11° and +11°, and the tracking transmission ratio of -23.45°. The transmission rack (12) is a spline shaft with an axial guide groove. The inner hole of the paddle gear (13) is provided with an internal spline that matches the spline shaft, so that the paddle gear (13) can slide axially on the transmission rack (12) to shift gears, and maintain synchronous transmission of circumferential torque with the transmission rack (12) when rotating.

2. The adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electronically controlled transmission mechanism includes a transmission sprocket (14), a transmission chain (15), and a drive motor (16). The transmission sprocket (14) and the transmission chain (15) are connected in a transmission manner. The drive motor (16) is installed on one side of the assembly housing (8), and the output shaft of the drive motor (16) extends into the assembly housing (8) and is connected to the transmission sprocket (14).

3. An adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support according to claim 2, characterized in that: Two sets of drive components are symmetrically arranged below the photovoltaic panel body (1). One set of drive components is not equipped with a drive motor (16) and serves as a follower component to improve the balance support force point. Two sets of adjustment slots (7) corresponding to the two sets of drive components are symmetrically arranged on the photovoltaic panel body (1).

4. An adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support according to claim 3, characterized in that: The control terminal of the drive motor (16) is connected to a forward and reverse timing module. The forward and reverse timing module is set to drive the transmission chain (15) at a fixed slow speed during the day and to reverse at high speed at night to reset the photovoltaic panel body (1) and the supporting base plate (5) to the initial state facing east.

5. An adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support according to claim 3, characterized in that: The upper limit switch and the lower limit switch are respectively installed on the inner side of the arc-shaped guide groove (9) near the top and bottom. When the drive motor (16) drives the photovoltaic panel body (1) to reach the extreme pitch angle of sunrise or sunset, the corresponding limit switch is triggered to cut off the positive or reverse power supply of the motor to prevent the transmission chain (15) from being overloaded and broken.

6. An adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pitch circle radius of the ring gear (22) is negatively correlated with the ratio of the daily variation of the solar azimuth angle to the daily variation of the pitch angle. The ring gear (22) with the solar declination angle of +23.45° has the smallest radius to match the largest daily azimuth angle span throughout the year, while the ring gear (22) with the solar declination angle of -23.45° has the largest radius to match the smallest daily azimuth angle span throughout the year. Thus, by changing the track radius of the paddle gear (13), the transmission ratio of the mechanical linkage between the pitch angle and the azimuth angle is changed.

7. An adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission rack (12) is provided with an annular positioning slot (17) at the axial position of each annular toothed rail (22). The side of the paddle gear (13) is provided with a manual operation lever (18) and an elastic limiting pin. When the paddle gear (13) is manually moved to the annular toothed rail (22) corresponding to the target solar declination angle, the elastic limiting pin is engaged in the corresponding annular positioning slot (17) to form an axial lock.

8. An adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support according to claim 2, characterized in that: The conversion chain (11) is a closed-loop structure. The inner ring of the conversion chain (11) is provided with teeth for meshing. The upper and lower ends of the inner ring of the conversion chain (11) are respectively meshed with drive shafts. The side wall of the upper drive shaft is coaxially fixedly connected to the drive sprocket (14). The lower drive shaft is sleeved and fixed on the drive rack (12), so that the lower end of the conversion chain (11) is coaxially connected to the drive rack (12). The two ends of the drive rack (12) are respectively suspended and installed on the bottom surface of the support base plate (5) through bearings (19).

9. An adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support according to claim 8, characterized in that: Both ends of the transmission rack (12) are provided with limiting grooves (20), and the inner ring of the bearing (19) is fitted in the limiting grooves (20) to prevent the transmission rack (12) from moving axially.

10. An adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support according to claim 1, characterized in that: The geometric center axis of the planetary gear set (6) is completely coincident with the rotation center axis of the rotating base (4), ensuring that when the paddle gear (13) revolves around the planetary gear set (6), the transmission rack (12) does not generate eccentric jamming resistance on the support base plate (5).

11. An adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support according to claim 1, characterized in that: The planetary gear set (6) is mounted on the rotating base (4) via a lifting slide rod (23). The lifting slide rod (23) allows the planetary gear set (6) to descend vertically as a whole to avoid collisions. This is used to ensure that the tooth surfaces of the paddle gear (13) and the planetary gear set (6) are completely disengaged from physical interference when the paddle gear (13) is manually adjusted to the gear position.

12. An adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower outer edge of the supporting base plate (5) is provided with an annular windproof skirt (21), which covers the reserved space between the supporting base plate (5) and the ground.

13. An adjustable distributed photovoltaic panel support according to claim 1, characterized in that: A slewing bearing is assembled between the support base plate (5) and the rotating base (4). The inner ring of the slewing bearing is rigidly connected to the top of the rotating base (4) which is fixed to the ground. The planetary gear set (6) is fixed on the rotating base (4). The outer ring of the slewing bearing is bolted to the bottom flange of the support base plate (5) which rotates with it.

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