MOUNTING SYSTEM FOR MOUNTING PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES ON ROOFS, WITH FALL PROTECTION

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a device according to the preamble of claim 1, i.e. a mounting system for mounting photovoltaic modules on roofs.

[0002] Photovoltaic modules, as we know, convert solar light directly into electrical energy. They are generally rectangular panels that are often mounted on the roofs of buildings.

[0003] Well-known mounting systems for installing photovoltaic modules on roofs include: ground rails to be arranged directly on the roof or a protective mat placed thereon, support elements to be mounted on the ground rails, to which the photovoltaic modules and / or other photovoltaic system components can be attached, and fastening devices, for example in the form of clamps, for fastening the photovoltaic modules and / or other photovoltaic system components to the support elements.

[0004] If required, cross braces, cable ducts, wind protection plates, ballast stones, ballast trays, etc. can also be provided running transversely to the floor rails.

[0005] At least in the case of flat roofs, it is preferable to use support elements of different heights so that the photovoltaic modules mounted on them can be tilted relative to the horizontal as desired and thus better aligned with the sun.

[0006] Photovoltaic systems constructed in this way or otherwise are preferably so-called aerodynamic systems. This means that these systems are designed and arranged in such a way that they can be installed without attaching the mounting system to the roof, thus preventing damage to the roof covering or roof structures, and they cannot be moved or lifted, even by severe weather. They are secured in position solely by their own weight and additional ballast, if necessary.

[0007] To protect people on the roof, especially those working on the photovoltaic system, it is necessary to provide a fall protection device that prevents a person from falling from the roof. However, the practical implementation of such a fall protection device is very complex, especially in an aerodynamic system, because in such cases, damage to the roof membrane or roof structures should not occur.

[0008] Further prior art in this regard can be found in the documents NL 2 008 114 A, DE 20 2014 103997 U1, WO 2008 / 059694 A1, and WO 2017 / 041805 A1.

[0009] The present invention is therefore based on the object of finding a fall protection device for photovoltaic systems to be installed on roofs that is easy and quick to install and yet reliable.

[0010] This object is achieved according to the invention by the mounting system claimed in patent claim 1.

[0011] The mounting system according to the invention is characterized in that the fall protection device comprises a rope guide device attached to the mounting system and a safety rope guided through the rope guide device, to which the person staying there can connect himself.

[0012] The claimed attachment of the fall protection device to the mounting system and the use of a safety rope enable the fall protection device to be installed extremely quickly and easily. The reliability of such a solution is in no way inferior to more complex designs.

[0013] Advantageous further developments of the invention can be found in the following description, the figures and the subclaims.

[0014] The invention will be explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments with reference to the figures. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a photovoltaic system with a mounting system with fall protection described in more detail below, Figure 2 is an enlarged view of a part of the photovoltaic system shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a perspective view of a U-bracket of the fall protection device, and Figure 4 is a side view of the Figure 3 shown U-bracket.

[0015] The mounting system described in more detail below is a mounting system for installing photovoltaic modules on flat roofs. However, the mounting system can also be used unchanged on roofs with a slight slope of up to, for example, 5°, and with appropriate adaptation to the prevailing conditions, even on roofs with even steeper slopes.

[0016] The Figure 1shows the complete system. The photovoltaic modules to be mounted on the roof using the mounting system are designated in the figures with the reference number 1. The photovoltaic modules 1 are rectangular panels with a frame made of aluminum, for example, surrounding them. The mounting system supporting the photovoltaic modules 1 comprises Figure 1 In the example shown, a protective mat or protective mat strip 3 placed on the roof, floor rails 4 glued to the protective mat 3, first (low) support elements 5 and second (high) support elements 6 attached to the floor rails 4, and cross braces 7 attached to the second support elements 6 and running at right angles to the floor rails 4.

[0017] The support elements 5, 6 serve as supports for the photovoltaic modules 1. The photovoltaic modules 1 are attached to the support elements 5, 6 by clamps or other fastening devices. By using support elements 5, 6 of different heights as supports for the photovoltaic modules 1, the photovoltaic modules are inclined relative to the horizontal and can thus be better aligned toward the sun.

[0018] The floor rails 4 are formed by hollow chamber profiles.

[0019] The floor rails 4, the support elements 5 and 6, and the cross braces 7 are made of aluminum in the example considered, but could also be made of another metal or other material.

[0020] For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that not only photovoltaic modules 1 or windshields 9 can be attached to the support elements 6, 8, but also any other photovoltaic system components.

[0021] If required, cable ducts, wind protection plates, ballast stones, fiber trays and other photovoltaic system components can also be provided.

[0022] The mounting system also has a Figures 2 to 4 The fall protection device shown is installed, which prevents a person located there from falling from the roof. This fall protection device includes a cable guide device 10 attached to the mounting system and a safety cable 11 guided through the cable guide device, to which the person located there can connect themselves.

[0023] The cable guide device 10 is attached to the floor rails 4. It comprises several U-shaped brackets or U-brackets 12 and attached eyelets 16, wherein the U-brackets are designed to be inserted from the side onto the floor rails 4 and secured thereto. In this case, the fastening is achieved by the U-brackets 12 and screws 121 running through the floor rails 4, but could also be implemented in any other way.

[0024] The lower horizontal leg 13 of the U-bracket 12, which lies below the floor rail 4, has a length corresponding to the width of the floor rail. The vertical leg 14 of the U-bracket 12, which lies on one side of the floor rail 4, has a length corresponding to the height of the floor rail 4. The upper horizontal leg 15 of the U-bracket 12, which lies above the floor rail 4, has a length that exceeds the width of the floor rail.

[0025] If the floor rail 4 is very low, the U-shaped bracket 12 may be difficult to manufacture. In this case, the lower horizontal leg 13 can be made shorter and a counterplate formed by a separate component can be connected to it. In this case, it is no longer the lower horizontal leg 13 that contains the threads into which the screws 121 are screwed, but rather this counterplate.

[0026] The U-bracket 12 is attached to the floor rail 4 in such a way that the upper horizontal leg 15 of the U-bracket protrudes laterally from the photovoltaic system.

[0027] The eyelets 16 provided on the U-shaped bracket 12 serve to secure the beginning and / or end of the safety cable 11 and / or to guide the safety cable through. The eyelets are each attached to the section of the upper horizontal leg 15 that protrudes laterally from the photovoltaic system and are formed by screw-in individual parts.

[0028] The safety rope 11 is connected to a rope tensioning device 17 for tensioning the safety rope. It is also connected to a fall absorber 18 for reducing the forces acting on a falling person.

[0029] The safety rope 11 preferably runs close to the edge around the entire photovoltaic system.

[0030] The safety cable sections running parallel to the floor rails 4 do not extend over the entire length of the floor rails, but start at the earliest between the first and second photovoltaic module of the row of photovoltaic modules mounted on a floor rail and end at the latest between the penultimate and last photovoltaic module of the row of photovoltaic modules mounted on the floor rail.

[0031] From where the safety rope section running parallel to the floor rails 4 ends, the safety rope is guided, if necessary, through the rope guide device perpendicular to the floor rails to the opposite side of the photovoltaic system.

[0032] The safety cable sections running perpendicular to the floor rails 4 run across the entire extent of the photovoltaic system in this direction between two adjacent photovoltaic module rows.

[0033] Such a safety rope guide proves advantageous because the floor rails 4, which are not attached to the roof, cannot absorb as much force near their free ends as they can further in the middle. There would be a risk of the floor rails 4 slipping or lifting off the ground there. This risk does not exist with the safety rope guide described above.

[0034] Regardless, the safety rope always runs close to the ground. This also helps ensure that the forces acting on the mounting system do not become excessive.

[0035] It should be obvious and requires no further explanation that both the mounting system and the fall protection device attached to it can be modified independently of each other in a variety of ways. This applies both to the design of the individual components and to the location and method of installation.

[0036] The mounting system presented here, with its integrated fall protection device, proves to be extremely advantageous, regardless of the details of its practical implementation. The attachment of the fall protection device to the mounting system and the use of a safety rope enable extremely simple and quick installation of the fall protection device and provide highly reliable fall protection. List of reference symbols

[0037] 1Photovoltaic module 3Protective mat or protective mat strip 4Ground rail 5First support element (low) 6Second support element (high) 7Cross brace 10Rope guide device 11Safety rope 12U-bracket of 10 13Lower horizontal leg of 12 14Vertical leg of 12 15Upper horizontal leg of 12 16Eyelet of 10 17Rope tensioning device 18Energy absorber 121Screw for fastening 12 to 4

Claims

1. Mounting system for mounting photovoltaic modules (1) on roofs, having a fall protection device by way of which it is preventable that a person present on the roof can fall off the latter; wherein the fall protection device comprises a rope guiding device (10) which is attached to the mounting system, and a safety rope (11) which is guided by the rope guiding device and to which the person present there can connect; wherein the mounting system comprises - base rails (4) which are to be directly disposed on the roof or on a protective mat (3) placed on the latter; and - support elements (5, 6) which are able to be assembled on the base rails and to which the photovoltaic modules (1) and / or other photovoltaic system components are attachable; and wherein the rope guiding device (10) is attached to the base rails, characterized in that the rope guiding device (10) comprises a plurality of U-brackets (12) which are conceived to be plugged onto the base rails (4) from the side and to be fastened to the latter.

2. Mounting system according to Claim 1, characterized in that the lower horizontal leg (13) of the U-bracket (12) that comes to lie below the base rail (4) has a length corresponding to the width of the base rail.

3. Mounting system according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the vertical leg (14) of the U-bracket (12) that comes to lie on one of the sides of the base rail (4) has a length corresponding to the height of the base rail.

4. Mounting system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper horizontal leg (15) of the U-bracket (12) that comes to lie above the base rail (4) has a length exceeding the width of the base rail.

5. Mounting system according to Claim 4, characterized in that the U-bracket (12) is attached to the base rail (4) in such a way that the upper horizontal leg (15) of the U-bracket protrudes laterally from the photovoltaic system.

6. Mounting system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rope guiding device (10) comprises eyelets (16) for fastening the beginning and / or the end of the safety rope, and / or for guiding through the safety rope.

7. Mounting system according to Claim 6 in conjunction with Claim 5, characterized in that the eyelet (16) is attached to the portion of the upper horizontal leg (15) that protrudes laterally from the photovoltaic system.

8. Mounting system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the safety rope (11) is connected to a rope tensioning device (17) for tensioning the safety rope.

9. Mounting system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the safety rope (11) is connected to a fall arrestor (18) for reducing the forces acting on a falling person.

10. Mounting system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the safety rope (11) extends about the photovoltaic system so as to be close to the periphery of the latter.

11. Mounting system according to Claim 10, characterized in that the safety rope portions running parallel to the base rails (4) do not extend over the entire length of the base rails, but begin at the earliest between the first and the second photovoltaic module (1) of the row of photovoltaic modules mounted on a base rail, and terminate at the latest between the penultimate and the last photovoltaic module of the row of photovoltaic modules mounted on the base rail.

12. Mounting system according to Claim 11, characterized in that, from where the safety rope portion running parallel to the base rails (4) terminates, the safety rope (11) is guided by the rope guiding device (10) perpendicularly to the base rails to the opposite side of the photovoltaic system.

13. Mounting system according to one of Claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the safety rope portions running perpendicularly to the base rails (4) in this direction pass through between two adjacent photovoltaic module rows over the entire extent of the photovoltaic system.