assembly for supporting a solar panel in an inclined state and installation for energy production comprising such an assembly

Abstract

Assembly (1) for supporting a solar panel (11) in an inclined state comprising two uprights (2) and two connecting pieces (3) each coupleable to one end of an upright (2) to be interposed between the upright (2) and the panel (11) to be supported, the uprights (2) are of different lengths, each upright (2) and its associated connecting piece (3) comprise, for their interlocking coupling, parts of complementary shapes, one called male (21; 31), the other called female (32; 22), the female part (22), or respectively male (21), of each upright (2) is identical from one upright (2) to another, each connecting piece (3) is provided, opposite its male part (31), or respectively female (32), with a flat surface (4) and is, in the interlocking coupled state with the associated upright (2), an orientable connecting piece (3) around an axis (YY') orthogonal to the longitudinal axis (XX') of the upright (2). Figure for the abstract: Fig. 2

Description

Title of the invention: assembly for supporting a solar panel in an inclined state and installation for producing energy comprising such an assembly

[0001] The present invention relates to an assembly for supporting a solar panel in an inclined state, as well as an installation for producing energy comprising such an assembly.

[0002] It relates in particular to an assembly for supporting a solar panel in an inclined state, said assembly comprising at least two uprights and two connecting pieces, each connecting piece being coupleable to one end of an upright to be interposed between the upright and the panel to be supported.

[0003] Solar panels require, particularly for their installation on a roof, their support in a horizontal or inclined state. Solar panel manufacturers impose a distance between the support points called the fixing range which can vary from one manufacturer to another. The difficulty for an operator is to have a versatile support solution for said panel to adapt to different panel designs.

[0004] An object of the invention is to propose an assembly of the aforementioned type whose design makes it possible to adapt to panels having a variable fixing range from one panel to another without compromising the simplicity and ease of implementation of said assembly.

[0005] Another object of the invention is to provide an assembly of the aforementioned type in which the number of types of parts can be reduced without harming the versatility of said assembly.

[0006] To this end, the invention relates to an assembly for supporting a solar panel in an inclined state, said assembly comprising at least two uprights and two connecting pieces, each connecting piece being coupleable to one end of an upright to be interposed between the upright and the panel to be supported, characterized in that the uprights, which each have a longitudinal axis, are of different lengths, in that each upright and its associated connecting piece comprise, for their coupling which is a fitting coupling, parts of complementary shapes, one called male, the other called female, in that the female, or respectively male, part of each upright is identical from one upright to another, in that each connecting piece is provided, opposite its male, or respectively female, part with a flat surface to form a bearing surface for the panel to be supported, and in that each connecting piece is,in the coupled state with the associated upright, an adjustable connecting piece pivotally mounted around an axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the, upright to be able to vary the angle formed by the flat surface of the connecting piece with the longitudinal axis of the upright. Having uprights whose male or female part is identical from one upright to another simplifies the design of the connecting pieces. The creation of a snap-fit coupling with the possibility of angular orientation of the connecting piece and the upright in the snap-fit coupled state makes it possible to cover a wide range of solar panels by adapting the angular orientation of the connecting piece and consequently the position of the flat surface of the connecting piece according to the spacing between said uprights to allow perfect support in each angular position.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the invention, the male or female part of each connecting piece is identical from one connecting piece to another. This results in a lower risk of error in assembly.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the invention, each connecting piece is identical from one connecting piece to another. This results in a reduced number of types of pieces.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the invention, the interlocking coupling between each upright and the associated connecting piece is a sliding interlocking coupling in a direction parallel to the axis around which the connecting piece is pivotally mounted.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the invention, said assembly comprises two locking parts, each locking part being, in the coupled state with sliding interlocking of the male and female parts of an upright and an associated connecting part, mounted to move relative to said parts between a position, called locking of the sliding movement of said parts, in which it comes to overlap said parts, to prevent sliding movement of said parts, and a position, called unlocked, in which the male and female parts are uncovered to allow relative sliding movement of said parts between them.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the invention, at least one of the locking parts is in the form of a sliding ring that can be positioned around the connecting part in the uncoupled state of the complementary male and female parts of the connecting part and the upright. This design allows easy mounting of the locking part and rapid passage by simply sliding the locking part from one position to another. The locking part can thus be pre-mounted on the connecting part.This locking part is configured to, in the coupled state of the upright and the connecting part, pass by simple sliding from an unlocked position in which it surrounds the connecting part in an area of the connecting part arranged outside the male or female part of said connecting part to a locked position in which it surrounds the connecting part in an area of the connecting part arranged in the area of the male or female part of said part. connecting the locking part. This locking part is, in the locked position and in the coupled state of the upright and the connecting part, in abutment against a bearing surface carried by said upright.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the invention, the female and male parts of complementary shapes of an upright and of the associated connecting piece are, for said female part, in the form of an at least partially cylindrical sheath split longitudinally open at at least one of its ends, and for said male part, in the form of an at least partially cylindrical elongated body, and the body of the male part is, in the coupled state with said male and female parts interlocking, arranged at least partially inside the sheath of the female part. This configuration allows relative pivoting movement of the elongated body and the sheath about an axis passing through a longitudinal axis of said body as a function of the desired angular orientation between the flat surface of the connecting piece and the longitudinal axis of said upright.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the invention, each connecting piece comprises two bent branches connected at one of their ends by the male, or respectively female, part of the connecting piece, in that the portion of each branch which extends between the bend and the free end of the branch forms a wing of the connecting piece, in that said wings are coplanar to form the flat surface of the connecting piece, and in that said wings develop longitudinally in a direction transverse to the direction of longitudinal development of the male, or respectively female, part of the connecting piece which is an elongated part.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the invention, each upright is provided, opposite its male or female part, for coupling to the connecting piece, with a sole forming a slide with a longitudinal axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the upright.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the invention, the longitudinal axis of the sole of the upright and the longitudinal axis of the sheath constituting the female part or the longitudinal axis of the elongated body constituting the male part equipping said upright extend in parallel directions.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the invention, the assembly comprises at least two rails each capable of cooperating in a sliding interlocking manner with a base of an upright.

[0017] The invention also relates to an installation for the production of energy comprising at least one solar panel and an assembly for supporting said solar panel in the inclined state, characterized in that said assembly is of the aforementioned type.

[0018] The invention also relates to a method of mounting an assembly of the aforementioned type, said method comprising at least the following operations: - coupling by interlocking of each upright with a connecting piece - positioning of the uprights arranged in the erected state at a distance from each other - angular orientation of each connecting piece in relation to the associated upright depending on the distance between said uprights.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the method in which the assembly comprises at least two locking parts, said method further comprises at least one operation of mounting each locking part on a connecting part before coupling by interlocking of each upright with a connecting part. Brief description of the drawings

[0020] The invention will be better understood on reading the following description of exemplary embodiments, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

[0021] [Fig-1] represents a perspective view of an installation according to the invention in which the panel is shown being positioned resting on the connecting pieces;

[0022] [Fig.2] represents a schematic view of an installation in which the locking parts have been omitted with a detailed view of the connection of a connecting part with an upright;

[0023] [Fig.3] represents a schematic view of an installation in which the locking parts have been omitted with a detailed view of the connection of a connecting part with an upright;

[0024] [Fig.4] represents in the form of 4 successive views the stages of the sliding interlocking coupling of a connecting piece and an upright and of the locking of said sliding;

[0025] [Fig.5] represents a perspective view of a connecting piece and a locking piece;

[0026] [Fig.6] represents a partial perspective view of an assembly during the interlocking coupling of the connecting piece and the upright;

[0027] [Fig.7] represents a partial sectional view of an assembly.

[0028] As mentioned above, the invention relates to an assembly 1 for supporting a solar panel 11 in an inclined state for the purpose of producing an energy production installation 10, in accordance with that shown in [Fig.l], and the resulting energy production installation 10. The assembly 1 is intended to form a support structure for a solar panel 11 for maintaining said solar panel 11 in an inclined position. In the state supported by said assembly 1, the solar panel 11 has, in the positioned state of the installation 10 on a horizontal plane surface, an inclination relative to said plane surface generally of between 7° and 13°.

[0029] This assembly 1 comprises, as illustrated in figures 2 and 3, two uprights 2 and two connecting pieces 3. In the configuration of use of the assembly 1, as illustrated in figures 1 to 3, each upright 2 is in the erected state and each connecting piece 3 is coupleable to the upper end of the upright 2 to be interposed between the upright 2 and the panel 11 to be supported. The panel 11 to be supported is intended to rest on each connecting piece 3. Each upright 2 is here made of metal but could, in a similar manner, have been made of synthetic material. This upright 2 can be derived from a profiled blade which has been cut transversely along parallel lines to form, between two parallel transverse lines, an upright 2. This upright 2 here has two facing faces connected to each other by spacers to form the elongated body of the upright 2. Each end of the body is extended by a technical part whose role and design will be described below.

[0030] Each upright 2 therefore has a longitudinal axis XX'. The uprights 2 of a set 1 are of different lengths, as illustrated in Figures 1 to 3. For example, one of the uprights of said set 1 has a length of between 240 and 300 mm while the other upright 2 of said set 1 has a length of between 50 and 110 mm. Generally, the length of one of the uprights 2 is equal to at least 2.7 times the length of the other upright 2. Each upright 2 comprises, for its coupling with the associated connecting piece 3, a female part 22, as illustrated in Figures 2 to 4, or a male part 21, as illustrated in [Fig.7]. This female part 22, or respectively male 21, of the upright 2 is capable of fitting into a male part 31, or respectively female 32, of the connecting piece 3.It is understood in view of the above that, for a fitting coupling of the upright 2 and the associated connecting piece 3, the complementary male and female parts are arranged indifferently, one on the upright 2, the other on the connecting piece 3. Each time, in the examples shown and independently of their positioning, the female and male parts of complementary shape of an upright 2 and of the associated connecting piece 3 are presented for said female part, whether it is the female part 22 of the upright 2 or the female part 32 of the connecting piece 3, in the form of an at least partially cylindrical sheath split longitudinally and open at at least one of its ends. In the examples shown, this sheath is open at each of its ends.These male and female parts of complementary shapes of an upright 2 and of the associated connecting piece 3 are presented, for the male part 31 of the connecting piece 3 or 21 of the upright 2, in the form of an elongated body which is at least partially cylindrical. The body of the male part is, in the coupled state with the fitting of said male and female parts, arranged at least partially inside the sheath of the female part.

[0031] Figures 1 to 6 illustrate the case where the male part is carried by the connecting piece 3 and the female part by the upright 2. [Fig.7] illustrates the case where the male part is carried by the upright 2 and the female part by the connecting piece 3.

[0032] It is noted that in all these embodiments, the male part 21 or respectively female part 22 of each upright 2 is identical from one upright 2 to another. Ideally, the male part 31, or respectively female part 32, of each connecting piece 3 is identical from one connecting piece 3 to another. Each connecting piece 3 is provided opposite its male part 31, or respectively female part 32, with a flat surface 4 to form a bearing surface for the panel 11 to be supported. Each connecting piece 3 is, in the state coupled to fit with the upright 2 associated with said connecting piece 3, orientable by pivoting around an axis YY' orthogonal to the longitudinal axis XX' of the upright 2 in order to be able to vary the angle a formed by the flat surface 4 of the connecting piece 3 with the longitudinal axis XX' of the upright 2. The flat surface 4 of each connecting piece 3 may be a continuous or discontinuous surface, as in the example shown in particular in [Fig.5].In practice, each connecting piece 3 comprises two bent branches 6 connected at one of their ends by the male part 31, or respectively female part 32, of the connecting piece 3. The portion of each branch 6, which extends between the bend and the free end of the branch 6, forms a wing 7 of the connecting piece 3. The wings 7 are coplanar to form the flat surface 4, in this case discontinuous, of the connecting piece 3. Said wings 7 develop longitudinally, that is to say from the bend in the direction of the free end of the branch 6, in a direction transverse to the direction of longitudinal development of the male part 31, or respectively female part 32, of the connecting piece 3, which is an elongated part, as explained above.

[0033] An example of a connecting piece is more particularly visible in [Fig. 5]. In this example, the connecting piece 3 comprises a male part 31, in the form of an elongated cylindrical body. The branches 6 bent to each form an L-shaped branch originate outside the cylinder, along two parallel lines generating the cylinder. Said lines are spaced from each other by an angular sector less than 60°. These branches 6 develop outside the cylinder in a manner parallel to each other up to their bend, at which they are bent at right angles in a divergent manner, that is to say in the direction of the outside of the interval formed by said first portions of branches between them. This thus gives the bent branches, in cooperation with the male part 31 to which they are connected, a general U shape bordered at each of its free ends by the wing 7 described above.The embodiment of the branches 6, as described above, is identical when the connecting piece 3 no longer has a male part 31 but a female part 32 in the form of a longitudinally split sheath, as illustrated in [Fig.7].

[0034] In the examples shown, each connecting piece 3 is identical to a connecting piece connection 3 to another. When the body of the male part of the connecting piece 3 is, in the coupled state with the said male and female parts interlocking, arranged at least partially inside the sheath of the female part of the upright, as illustrated for example in [Fig. 6], said body is able to pivot about an axis passing through a longitudinal axis of said body as a function of the desired angular orientation between the flat surface 4 of the connecting piece 3 and the longitudinal axis XX' of said upright 2. Similarly, when the body of the male part of the upright 2 is, in the coupled state with the male and female parts interlocking, arranged at least partially inside the sheath of the female part of the associated connecting piece 3, as illustrated in [Fig.7], the sheath is able to pivot about an axis passing through a longitudinal axis of the body depending on the desired angular orientation between the flat surface 4 of the connecting piece 3 and the longitudinal axis XX' of the upright 2. A relative pivoting movement of the body and the sheath about the longitudinal axis of the body is always observed. This longitudinal axis of the body corresponds to the axis YY' orthogonal to the longitudinal axis XX' of the upright 2. This possibility of angular orientation of the connecting piece 3 relative to the upright 2 about an axis YY' orthogonal to the longitudinal axis XX' of the upright 2 to be able to vary the angle a formed by the flat surface 4 of the connecting piece 3 with the longitudinal axis XX' of the upright 2 makes it possible to use said assembly 1 for different intervals between said uprights 2, each interval being able to correspond to a recommendation of the manufacturer of the solar panel 11 depending on the characteristics of the solar panel 11. So in [Fig.2], the distance between two uprights 2 is equal to DI while in [Fig.3], the distance between the two uprights 2 is equal to D2 with D2 greater than Dl. .

[0035] As a result, the angle a, as shown in [Fig. 2], between the flat surface 4 of the connecting piece 3 and the longitudinal axis XX' of the upright 2, is greater in [Fig. 2] than in [Fig. 3]. Thus, the greater the distance between upright 2, the less the panel must be inclined, as illustrated by the angle [3 defining the angle formed by the panel with the ground in Figures 2 and 3 and therefore the more the angle a increases. This adjustment of the angular position of the connecting piece 3 can be carried out at the time of installation so that each time, the solar panel 11 rests perfectly on the flat surface 4 of the connecting pieces 3.

[0036] As illustrated in [Fig. 6], the interlocking coupling between each upright 2 and the associated connecting piece 3 is a sliding interlocking coupling, the sliding taking place in a direction parallel to the interlocking direction, that is to say in a direction parallel to the axis YY' around which the connecting piece 3 is pivotally mounted.

[0037] To avoid untimely disassembly of the connection between the connecting piece 3 and the upright 2, it is preferable to lock this sliding once the coupling has been carried out. To this end, said assembly 1 comprises two locking parts 5. Each locking part 5 is, in the coupled state with sliding interlocking of the male and female parts of an upright 2 and an associated connecting part 3, mounted to move relative to said parts between a position, called locking of the sliding movement of said parts, in which it overlaps said parts to prevent sliding movement of said parts, and a position, called locked, in which the male and female parts are uncovered to allow relative sliding movement of said parts between them.

[0038] In the examples shown, each locking part 5 is in the form of a ring, in this case square, as illustrated in [Fig. 5]. This ring can be moved by sliding to move from the unlocked position to the locked position and vice versa. As illustrated in [Fig. 4], this ring can be positioned around the connecting part 3 in the uncoupled state of the complementary male and female parts of the connecting part 3 and the upright 2 as shown in the first two views of [Fig. 4]. The ring is, for this purpose, introduced by the male or female part of the connecting part 3 onto said connecting part 3 up to an end-of-travel position which can be materialized for example by the wings of the connecting part 3.The ring is therefore brought into an unlocked position in which it surrounds the connecting piece 3 in the area of the connecting piece 3 arranged outside the male or female part of said connecting piece 3, that is to say here at the level of the bent branches of said connecting piece 3. The connecting piece 3 pre-equipped with the locking piece 5 and the upright 2 are coupled with sliding interlocking by cooperation of the male and female parts, as illustrated in [Fig. 6] which materializes the start of interlocking by sliding movement of the body inside the sheath then, the locking piece 5 is moved with sliding to the locking position in which it surrounds the connecting piece 3 at the level of the male part 31, or respectively female part 32, of said connecting piece 3.In this locking position, the locking part 5 can be in abutment against a bearing surface carried by the upright 2 and formed here by two coplanar shoulders of the upright on which each time rests an edge of the ring. These stops are visible in the last view of [Fig.4]. Thus, the ring is limited in axial displacement. It should be noted that this design does not require a tool for locking, or respectively unlocking, which are carried out by simple sliding of the ring and that the ring is, under the effect of its own weight, returned to the locking position, in the configuration for use of the assembly.

[0039] Obviously, the end of the upright 2 opposite that provided with the male part, or respectively female part of the upright 2, can be designed to allow easy maintenance in the erected state of said upright 2. Thus, in the example of [Fig.6], we note that each upright 2 is provided, opposite its male part 21, or respectively female 22, coupling to the connecting piece 3 of a sole 8 forming a slide with a longitudinal axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis XX' of the upright 2. The longitudinal axis of the sole 8 of the upright 2 and the longitudinal axis of the sheath constituting the female part 22 or the longitudinal axis of the elongated body constituting the male part 31 equipping said upright 2 extend in parallel directions.

[0040] The assembly further comprises at least two rails 9 each capable of cooperating in a sliding interlocking manner with a base 8 of an upright 2. The assembly of an assembly 1, as described above, therefore comprises the operations: - coupling two uprights to two parallel 9 rails spaced apart from each other by a distance depending on the characteristics of the solar panel to be supported, - positioning a locking piece on each connecting piece 3, - interlocking coupling of the male and female parts of the upright and the connecting piece 3 - angular orientation of the connecting piece 3 by rotation around the axis YY' orthogonal to the longitudinal axis XX' of the upright 2 to allow the flat surface 4 of the connecting pieces 3 to extend in the same plane and form a flat receiving surface by supporting the solar panel 11. These operations can be carried out quickly and easily without tools, in particular when the base of each upright 2 is pre-equipped with a clamping screw, as in the examples shown for holding it on a rail.

[0041]

Claims

Claims

1. Assembly (1) for supporting a solar panel (11) in an inclined state, said assembly (1) comprising at least two uprights (2) and two connecting pieces (3), each connecting piece (3) being coupleable to one end of an upright (2) to be interposed between the upright (2) and the panel (11) to be supported, characterized in that the uprights (2), which each have a longitudinal axis (XX'), are of different lengths, in that each upright (2) and its associated connecting piece (3) comprise, for their coupling which is a fitting coupling, parts of complementary shapes, one called male (21; 31), the other female (32; 22), in that the female part (22), or respectively male (21), of each upright (2) is identical from one upright (2) to another,in that the interlocking coupling between each upright (2) and the associated connecting piece (3) is a sliding interlocking coupling in a direction parallel to the axis (YY') around which the connecting piece (3) is pivotally mounted, in that each connecting piece (3) is provided, opposite its male (31) or female (32) part, with a flat surface (4) to form a support surface for the panel (11) to be supported, in that each connecting piece (3) is, in the interlocking coupled state with the associated upright (2), an orientable connecting piece (3) pivotally mounted around an axis (YY') orthogonal to the longitudinal axis (XX') of the upright (2) to be able to vary the angle (a) formed by the flat surface (4) of the connecting piece (3) with the longitudinal axis (XX') of the upright (2) and in that said assembly (1) comprises two connecting pieces locking (5), each locking part (5) being,in the coupled state with sliding interlocking of the male (21; 31) and female (32; 22) parts of an upright (2) and an associated connecting part (3), mounted to move relative to said parts between a position, called locking of the sliding movement of said parts, in which it comes to overlap said parts, to prevent sliding movement of said parts, and a position, called unlocked, in which the male (21; 31) and female (32; 22) parts are uncovered to allow relative sliding movement of said parts between them.,

2. Assembly (1) for supporting a solar panel (11) in an inclined state according to claim 1, characterized in that the male part (31), or respectively female part (32), of each connecting piece (3) is identical from one connecting piece (3) to another.

3. Assembly (1) for supporting a solar panel (11) in an inclined state according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that each connecting piece (3) is identical from one connecting piece (3) to another.

4. Assembly (1) for supporting a solar panel (11) in an inclined state according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that at least one of the locking parts (5) is in the form of a sliding ring positionable around the connecting part (3) in the uncoupled state of the complementary male and female parts of the connecting part (3) and the upright (2).

5. Assembly (1) for supporting a solar panel in an inclined state according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the female and male parts of complementary shapes of an upright (2) and of the associated connecting piece (3) are, for said female part (22; 32), in the form of an at least partially cylindrical sheath split longitudinally open at at least one of its ends, and for said male part (31; 21), in the form of an elongated body at least partially cylindrical, and in that the body of the male part (31; 21) is, in the coupled state with said male and female parts interlocking, arranged at least partially inside the sheath of the female part (22; 32).

6. Assembly (1) for supporting a solar panel (11) in an inclined state according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that each connecting piece (3) comprises two bent branches (6) connected at one of their ends by the male (31), or respectively female (32), part of the connecting piece (3), in that the portion of each branch (6) which extends between the bend and the free end of the branch (6) forms a wing (7) of the connecting piece (3), in that said wings (7) are coplanar to form the flat surface (4) of the connecting piece (3), and in that said wings (7) develop longitudinally in a direction transverse to the direction of longitudinal development of the male (31), or respectively female (32), part of the connecting piece which is an elongated part.

7. Assembly (1) for supporting a solar panel (11) in an inclined state according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that each upright (2) is provided, opposite its male (21) or female (22) part, for coupling to the connecting piece (3), with a sole (8) forming a slide with a longitudinal axis orthogonal to the axis longitudinal (XX') of the upright (2).

8. Assembly (1) for supporting a solar panel (11) in an inclined state according to claim 7 taken in combination with claim 6, characterized in that the longitudinal axis of the sole (8) of the upright (2) and the longitudinal axis of the sheath constituting the female part (22) or the longitudinal axis of the elongated body constituting the male part (21) equipping said upright (2) extend in parallel directions.

9. Assembly (1) for supporting a solar panel in an inclined state according to one of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that it comprises at least two rails (9) each capable of cooperating in sliding interlocking with a base (8) of an upright (2).

10. Installation (10) for the production of energy comprising at least one solar panel (11) and an assembly (1) for supporting said solar panel (11) in the inclined state, characterized in that said assembly (1) conforms to one of claims 1 to 9.

Images