WALKING DEVICE FOR WALKING ON SOLAR MODULES

Description

[0001] The invention relates to one of two walking devices for walking on solar modules, comprising a carrying device, to which a damping device intended for stepping on the solar modules is connected at the bottom, a foot holder provided above the carrying device and a compensation device arranged between the carrying device and the foot holder, which enables the foot holder to be moved and locked.

[0002] The closest prior art includes walking devices described in documents FR 2 584 277 A1, DE 20 2012 000 072 U1, DE 20 2015 001 998 U1, and WO 2020 / 160721 A1. Walking devices according to the latter patent application have been tested in practice. Although these walking devices were equipped with a relatively thick damping device, damaging hairline cracks were nevertheless observed in the glass panels of the solar modules after walking on them.

[0003] Document DE 20 2020 001 533 U1 also forms part of the state of the art. The solution proposed in this document deals with a special design of the compensation device in conjunction with the support device and the foot rest. However, the document does not propose a solution for preventing the formation of hairline cracks in the glass panels of solar modules when walking on them.

[0004] The object of the invention is to further develop the two walking devices of the type present here in such a way that the formation of hairline cracks in the solar modules is avoided when walking on them.

[0005] A first solution to the problem is described in the characterizing part of claim 1.

[0006] A second solution to the problem is provided by the characterizing part of claim 2.

[0007] When walking on solar modules, their framed glass panels bend downward. The maximum permissible deflection is approximately 12 mm. A solar module is comparable to a beam clamped on all sides, which is subjected to a moving load when walked on. The so-called moment curve, which results from the moving load and the resulting varying bending moments, is roughly parabolic, with the exception of the four edge areas of the solar module.

[0008] This is where the two proposed solutions come into play in an advantageous manner. In the first solution, at least the underside of the damping device intended to rest on the surface of the glass plate and / or at least the underside of the support device is / are designed with a spatial curve bent downwards so that when walking on a solar module, it is / are approximately adapted to the downwardly bent surface area of ​​the solar module. This achieves the greatest possible contact between the proposed walking device and a solar module, particularly with the aid of the flexurally elastic damping device. The surface loads per unit area are thus considerably reduced. For extensive adaptation to the spatial curvature of a loaded solar module, a spherical cap-shaped or paraboloid-shaped design of the underside of the support device and / or the underside of the damping device is particularly suitable.

[0009] The second proposed solution also proves advantageous because it creates a resilient edge area on all sides of the support device. The easily bendable edge area of ​​the support device is therefore able to adapt to the curvature of a bent solar module over a large area when subjected to load and rest firmly on it. This means that the surface pressure forces acting on a solar module per unit area are also significantly lower than the linear surface pressure forces caused by previously known walking devices.

[0010] In all state-of-the-art walking devices, the support device and its damping device are designed as flat plates, with the support device being designed to be rigid. Since the glass plate bends downwards when walking on a solar module, the curved glass plate is comparable to a flat bowl. If one stands on a solar module with a previously known walking device, the walking device, with its rectangular, rigid support device and its likewise rectangular damping device, only supports itself with its four corner areas on the bent solar module due to the resulting deflection of the solar module. This results in four small-area or even linear support areas, with the consequence that high surface pressure values ​​per unit area inevitably arise in these corner or support areas.These high surface pressure values ​​ultimately cause hairline cracks to form in the brittle glass panels of the solar modules. With the walking devices now proposed, support is provided not only over these corner areas, but also over a maximum area and in a spatially curved manner, resulting in lower surface pressure values ​​per unit area, thus preventing the formation of damaging hairline cracks in the solar modules.

[0011] A further advantage of the invention arises when the foam cushioning device is equipped with foam-free zones, such as openings, recesses, or cavities. The foam suitable for walking devices must be water-resistant and therefore must not have water-absorbing properties. However, these conditions result in a foam that is harder and stiffer and not sufficiently flexible to achieve an ideal cushioning effect. By incorporating foam-free zones into the cushioning device, optimal flexibility can be achieved while maintaining sufficient stability.The cushioning device can therefore be formed from either a single thick foam panel or at least two thinner foam panels, which are also equipped with foam-free zones. To achieve the aforementioned positive properties of the cushioning device, the size, i.e., the volume of the foam-free zones, is crucial. Since the goal is to design walking devices with the lowest possible weight, the zones contribute to weight reduction. Such zones can also be provided on the support device for weight reasons.

[0012] The invention is explained in more detail using exemplary embodiments. Fig. 1 a first walking device in side view; Fig. 2 the same walking device in front view; Fig. 3 a solar module loaded with this walking device; Fig. 4 a geometric representation of the underside of a walking device with a bent solar module; Fig. 5 a second walking device in side view; Fig. 6 und Fig. 7 the carrying device of the second walking device; Fig. 8 und Fig. 9 two further versions of the carrying device; Fig. 10 a walking device in side view with a sectioned damping device; Fig. 11 which in Fig. 10 Damping device shown from above; Fig. 12 a damping device consisting of two foam plates with room zones in sectional view as well as Fig. 13 in plan view another damping device equipped with offset room zones.

[0013] The deflection of the solar modules is relatively small relative to their size and very difficult to represent to scale. Therefore, in the following drawings, the visible curvatures and deflections are exaggerated. Likewise, individual forces indicated by arrows are to be considered only as examples.

[0014] Fig. 1 shows a first walking device 1 located on a horizontal plane 24, which is intended for walking on solar modules 21. The walking device 1 may be imagined as weightless and unloaded, so that its damping device 9 is shown as unloaded. The walking device 1 has a support device 2, to which the damping device 9 is connected at the bottom. Above the support device 2, a

[0015] A foot holder 12 is provided, which is formed by a plate and, for example, by a shoe arranged on the plate. Between the support device 2 and the foot holder 12 there is a compensating device 11, which determines the mobility of the foot holder 12. After releasing a lock, the foot holder 12 can be pivoted in a known manner with the help of the compensating device 11 either only up and down about a horizontal axis or moved in all directions by means of a ball joint-like connection and then locked again for use. The straight plane 24 shown shows that the support device 2 and the damping device 9 are bent downwards, so that the damping device 9 rests with its underside 10 only partially on the plane 24.

[0016] Fig. 2 shows the same walking device 1 in side view. Here too, with the help of the drawn plane 24, it can be seen that the carrying device 2 and the damping device 9 are bent downwards. Thus, taking into account the deflection according to Fig. 1 , a spatially curved, downwardly bent deformation of the support device 2 and the damping device 9. The embodiment according to Fig. 1 und 2 allows for a simple manufacturing process. The support device 2 originates from a flat plate, which is bent downwards in a spatially curved manner using an embossing device. The damping device 9, in turn, is formed from a flat, flexible foam plate, the upper side of which is glued to the now spatially curved underside 3 of the support device 2, so that the underside 10 of the damping device 9 also has a spatially curved, downwardly bent shape. Nevertheless, the support device 3 and the damping device 9 can also be designed as molded parts originating from a mold, the undersides 3 and 10 of which are spatially curved and point downwards.The undersides 3 and 9 of all the aforementioned embodiments accordingly have a spatially curved, downwardly bent, or downwardly shaped surface region 14, wherein each surface region 14 can preferably be spherical, i.e., rotationally symmetrical or spheroidal. A spherical cap-shaped surface region 14, which is easy to manufacture, or another rotationally symmetrical surface region 14, for example, in the manner of a paraboloid, is ideal. On the other hand, the spatially curved surface region 14 can also be selected to be non-rotationally symmetrical, in which, for example, at least two spatially curved, downwardly bent sections of the surface region 14 are interrupted by at least one non-spatially curved surface section. These examples are intended to demonstrate that the spatially curved, downwardly bent, or shaped surface region 14 can be designed in different ways.

[0017] If only the underside 10 of the damping device 9 is spatially curved downwards or shaped, the centrally extending, thicker area of ​​the damping device 9 is loaded first when stepping on a solar module, before its edge areas gradually participate in the force transmission. This results in the same force pattern as shown below in Fig. 3 shown.

[0018] To ensure that the compensating device 11 rests snugly against the support device 2 and can be attached to it, it is possible to provide a flat, horizontal surface section centrally in a spatially curved support device 2, for example, formed by a plate, which interrupts the spatial surface area 14 of the support device 2. In the example, this surface section, not shown in the drawing, would correspond to a flat circular surface, since the compensating device 11 shown here as an example has a cylindrical outline. In this case, the surface area 14 is only partially spatially curved and only partially bent downwards.

[0019] Fig. 3 shows a schematic of a solar module 21 that is centrally and evenly loaded by a walking device 1. This is essentially an ideal loading condition. The glass plate 22 of the solar module 21 is bent downwards, largely following a spatial parabolic curve. The glass plate 22 refers to the glass body unit intended for power generation. The arrow F indicates the magnitude of the load exerted by the walking device 1 resting on the solar module 21. In the example, the bending elasticity of the damping device 9 is chosen to be the same throughout the damping device 9. The curvature of the underside 3 of the support device 2, i.e., the curved surface area 14, does not exactly follow the parabolic curvature of the glass plate 22. The underside 3 of the support device 2 is spatially more curved than the spatial curvature of the glass plate 22.As a result, when loaded, the distance a measured centrally between the support device 2 and the glass plate 22 is smaller than the equally measured distance b at the edge regions 4 of the support device 2. In the example, due to the selected flexural elasticity of the damping device 9, the weight force F is transmitted across the entire footprint of the damping device 9. The force diagram shown (arrows) shows that the individual forces per unit area increase steadily towards the center and decrease towards the edge regions 4, where they can even reach zero. This decrease in force is due to the fact that the distances between the underside 3 of the support device 2 and the surface of the glass plate 22 become greater the closer one approaches the circumferential edge region 4 of the support device 2, because the closer one reaches this area, the less the damping device 9 is compressed.The flexural elasticity of the damping device 9 must therefore be selected such that the entire footprint of the damping device 9 participates in transferring the weight of a person carrying the walking device 1. This optimal condition results in low and harmless individual forces per unit area. The four edge zones 23 of the downwardly bent glass panel 22 gradually transition to a horizontal shape as they approach the frame of the solar module 21, before then being fastened to and within the frame of the solar module 21. This creates a circumferential transition area in which the surface of the glass panel 22 transitions from a horizontal position to a parabolic shape when subjected to load. Tests have shown that this circumferential transition area is particularly susceptible to stress and that the formation of hairline cracks in the glass panel 22 is particularly likely here.However, since the surface load from the walking device 1 decreases toward the edges of the support device 2, the aforementioned transition areas of the solar module 22 are advantageously subjected to less stress, so that there is no risk of hairline cracks forming here either. This situation can be easily visualized using the drawing by imagining the walking device 1 moving to the right or left.

[0020] Fig. 4 schematically illustrates the curvature of the underside 10 of the damping device 9 and the approximately parabolic shape of a bent solar module 21. In the example, the underside 10 of the damping device is designed as a spherical cap, while the glass plate 22 of the solar module 21 is a cap with a largely parabolic cross-section. Towards the center, the curvature of the underside 10 of the damping device 9 increasingly approaches the parabolic shape of the glass plate 2. From a purely geometric perspective, the walking device 1 designed in this way rests on only one point on the glass plate 22.When the walking device 1 is subjected to a load, as can easily be imagined, the damping device 9 is increasingly compressed, so that with increasing load, an increasingly larger, circular support surface 20, viewed from above, is created between the damping device 9 of the walking device 1 and the glass plate 22. As already mentioned, the aim is that, when subjected to a weight load from a person, the aforementioned support surface 20 is formed by the entire footprint of the damping device 9.

[0021] The underside 10 of the damping device 9 can additionally be equipped with at least one anti-slip device 13, so that the at least one anti-slip device 13 forms the underside 10 of the damping device 9 and is also spatially curved downwards. In this case, the anti-slip device 13 is a component of the damping device 9 and forms its underside 10.

[0022] Fig. 5 shows a second embodiment of a walking device 1' located on a solar module 21. A preferably plate-shaped support device 2 is provided, on the underside 3 of which the damping device 9 is located. The walking device 1' rests with its damping device 9 on the solar module 21. The compensating device 11 is arranged on the support device 2. The compensating device 11 supports the foot holder 12. With the help of the compensating device 11, the foot holder 12 can be fixed in various angular arrangements, as already described. The support device 2 is formed in at least two parts.

[0023] In Fig. 6 A preferred form of a carrying device 2 of the walking device 1' is shown. The carrying device 2 has a first part 5 and a second part 6, wherein the damping device 9 is located on the underside of the second part 6, see Fig. 5 . The first part 5 is placed on the second part 6 and is fixedly connected to the second part 6, for example by gluing, screwing or riveting.

[0024] Fig. 7 shows the Fig. 6 Illustrated carrying device 2 in plan view. The first part 5 is placed centrally on the second part 6. The footprint of the first part 5 is smaller than the footprint of the second part 6. The first part 5 forms a central region 7 of the walking device 1'. Because the footprint of the first part 5 is smaller than that of the second part 6, an edge region 4 is formed together with the second part 6, encompassing the central region 7 on all sides. At least the first part 5, and optionally also the second part 6, is designed to be resilient such that when walking on a solar module 21, at least the edge region 4 of the carrying device 2 adapts to the spatial curvature of the glass plate 22 of a solar module 21 that occurs under load by bending slightly upwards. When the load is removed, at least the second part 6 returns to its original position.Such spring-back properties can be achieved by using spring steel or a suitable and known plastic. When using spring steel, it is expedient to construct the second part 6 from thin spring steel sheet, thus advantageously reducing the overall height of the walking device 1' and its weight.

[0025] Fig. 8 und 9 show two exemplary embodiments of a carrying device 2. In these examples, the first part 5 and the second part 6 are joined together in a form-fitting and force-fitting manner, i.e., they are fixedly joined, as can be seen from the sectional views. Here, too, the first part 5 forms the central region 7, while the second part 5 creates the edge region 4.

[0026] At the Fig. 10 In the walking device 1 or 1' shown, the damping device 9 is formed in a known manner by a foam plate 15, which is interrupted in an inventive manner by a number of foam-free spatial zones 16, which in the example are designed as vertically arranged openings 18. The cross-section of the openings 18 can be chosen arbitrarily. A round cross-section is preferred.

[0027] Spatial zones 16 can also be provided in the same way at least on the second part 6 and / or on the first part 5 of a carrying device 2, as shown in the Fig. 8 und 9 described. This also allows a weight reduction of the carrying device 2.

[0028] Fig. 11 shows the Fig. 10 The damping device 9 described above is shown in plan view. The drawing shows a plurality of spatial zones 16 designed as openings 18. In the example, the openings 18 are selected to be of equal size, which does not preclude the possibility that the diameter of the cylindrical openings 18 may also be different from one another.

[0029] Fig. 12 shows a sectional view of a damping device 9 having two superimposed foam panels 15, 15a. Spatial zones 16 designed as openings 18, whose vertical axes 17 are each arranged congruently, are located in both foam panels 15, 15a. The drawing also shows the support device 2 and an anti-slip device 13, between which the damping device 9 formed by the two foam panels 15, 15a is located. More than two foam panels 15, 15a, etc., can also be provided one above the other to form a damping device 9. The spatial circumference, i.e., the size or diameter of the individual spatial zones 16, can be selected to be different between the foam panels 15, 15a, etc.

[0030] Fig. 13shows, in a top view, an axially offset arrangement of the spatial zones 16 formed as cylindrical openings 18 in two foam panels 15, 15a. The arrangement and size of the spatial zones 16 are selected such that the cylindrical contours 19 of the spatial zones 16 located in the upper foam panel 15 overlap with the cylindrical contours 19 of those spatial zones 16 located in the lower foam panel 15a. This arrangement creates a relatively soft-acting, yet still stable, damping device 9.

[0031] The spatial zones 16 can also be designed as inverted recesses in which no water can collect. The spatial zones 16 can also be designed as cavities located within the damping device 9.

[0032] It is up to the manufacturer of the walking devices 1, 1' to choose which combinations of spatial zones 16 they wish to select, with or without an axially offset arrangement. Furthermore, the manufacturer is free to determine the spatial perimeter of the individual spatial zones 16. The spatial zones 16 can be selected to be the same size or, in combination, to be of different sizes. Spatial zones 16 designed as openings 18 or as depressions can, for example, be cut into the foam panels 15, 15a, etc., using suitable and known cutting tools. The cross-sectional shapes and arrangements to be selected for the spatial zones 16 depend on the respective strength of the foam panels 15, 15a, etc. The respective spatial perimeter or the size or volume of the spatial zones 16 is always larger than the spatial perimeter of the individual pores of the foam panels 15, 15a, etc., and thus of the damping device 9.The damping device 9 can, as already described, be made from at least one commercially available foam board 15. However, it is also possible to manufacture the damping device 9, equipped with or without spatial zones 16, as a molded plastic foam part, in which, for example, only the underside 10 is spatially curved downwards. The same applies to the carrying device 2.

Claims

1. Walking device (1) for walking on solar modules (21), with a carrying device (2), to which a damping device (9) intended for stepping on the solar modules adjoins at the bottom, with a foot receptacle provided above the carrying device (2) (12) and with a support device (2) between the support device (2) and the foot support (12). (12), which enables the foot holder (12) to be moved and locked, characterized in that - the underside (3) of the carrying device (2) or - the underside (10) of the damping device (9) has a spatially curved surface area (14) which is curved downwards or shaped to point downwards, or that the underside (3) of the carrying device (2) and the underside (10) of the damping device (9) each have a spatially curved surface area (14), both of which are curved downwards or shaped to point downwards.

2. Walking device (1') for walking on solar modules (21), having a carrying device (2) which is adjoined downwards by a damping device (9) intended for stepping on the solar modules (21), having a foot receptacle (12) provided above the carrying device (2) and having a compensating device (11) which is arranged between the carrying device (2) and the foot receptacle (12) and enables the foot receptacle (12) to be moved and locked, characterized in that the carrying device (2) has a first part (9), which is provided above the carrying device (2), and a second part (9), which is provided above the foot receptacle (12). (5) and a second part (6), wherein the first part (5) is placed on the second part (6) and forms a central region (7), wherein furthermore the ground plan of the first part (5) is smaller than the ground plan of the second part (6), so that an edge region (4) surrounding the central region (7) on all sides is formed on the carrying device (2), and wherein at least the second part (6), optionally also the first part (5), is (are) resiliently designed in such a way that, due to the load acting on a solar module (21) when walking, at least the edge region (4) of the carrying device (2) is adapted to the spatial curvature of the glass plate (22) of the solar module (21) resulting from this load.

3. Walking device according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the spatially curved surface areas (14) is either rotationally symmetrical, such as spherical or spheroidal or not rotationally symmetrical.

4. Walking device according to claim 1, characterized in that the complete carrying device (2) is spatially curved downwards or shaped downwards.

5. Walking device according to claim 1, characterized in that the spatially curved surface area (14) of the carrying device (2) is interrupted by a flat horizontal surface section to which the compensating device (11) is attached.

6. Walking device according to claim 2, characterized in that the damping device (9) is arranged on the underside of the second part (6).

7. Walking device according to claim 2, characterized in that a central area (7) is created by the first part (6), on which the balancing device (11) is arranged.

8. Walking device according to claim 2, characterized in that the first part (5) and the second part (6) are joined together.

9. Walking device according to claim 2, characterized in that the second part (6) is made of elastic spring plate or plastic.

10. Walking device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a number of spatial zones (16) are provided in the carrying device (2).

11. Walking device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the damping device (9) has a number of spatial zones (16) whose respective spatial circumference is greater than the spatial circumference of individual pores of the damping device (9) formed from foam.

12. Walking device according to claim 11, characterized in that the spatial circumference of the spatial zones (16) is selected to be either of the same size or of different sizes and in that the spatial zones (16) are formed by apertures (18) and / or recesses and / or by cavities.

13. Walking device according to claim 11, characterized in that the damping device (9) is formed by at least two foam plates (15, 15a, etc.) lying on top of one another, which have the spatial zones (16).

14. Walking device according to claim 13, characterized in that the spatial zones (16) of at least two foam panels (15, 15a, etc.) lying on top of one another are arranged offset relative to one another.

15. Walking device according to claim 14, characterized in that the spatial zones designed as openings (18) and / or recesses (16) are arranged vertically.