New piercing clamp

Abstract

A piercing clamp, which is mounted on a guide rail of a photovoltaic support, comprising a conductive clamp, a sliding block, and a bolt, wherein the conductive clamp is fitted above a sliding groove of the guide rail and used for clamping a grounding wire, two sides of the conductive clamp are each provided with at least one integrally formed spike, the tip of the spike abutting downwards against the upper surface of the guide rail; the sliding block engages with the sliding groove of the guide rail by means of snap fitting; and the bolt passes through the conductive clamp and threadedly connects to the sliding block, and, when the bolt is locked, the spike fits against the upper surface of the guide rail so as to pierce an oxidation film of the guide rail. By integrally forming spikes on sides of a conductive clamp, the production process for the conductive clamp is simplified; moreover, when a bolt is locked, by allowing the spikes to pierce an oxidation film on the surface of a guide rail, the electric connection of the guide rail and the conductive clamp can be achieved, thereby achieving grounding of the guide rail once the conductive clamp clamps the wire; the forming of the spikes no longer requires a needle affixing process, saving on the labor and material costs for needle affixing.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to the technical field of grounding clamps for photovoltaic systems, and in particular to a novel grounding clamp. BACKGROUND A photovoltaic power system generally comprises a photovoltaic support bracket and a plurality of solar panels disposed on the photovoltaic support bracket. The solar panels are connected in series or in parallel to form a photovoltaic array for power generation. A metal frame of each solar panel is usually in close contact with the photovoltaic support bracket, and the photovoltaic support bracket is connected to the ground, so that the solar panel is grounded. In case the solar panel is struck by lightning during thunderstorm, the electrical current can be guided to the ground through the metal frame of the solar panel and the photovoltaic support bracket in time, thereby protecting the photovoltaic array from being damaged. At present, the photovoltaic support bracket is usually connected to the ground through a wire. One end of the wire is connected to the ground, and another end of the wire is fixedly connected to a conductive clamp disposed on the photovoltaic support bracket. In a conventional structure, electric conduction is achieved between the conductive clamp and the photovoltaic support bracket through surface contact of their respective contact surfaces. However, when a non-conductive medium exists in a gap between the conductive clamp and the photovoltaic support bracket, or an oxide layer caused by the chemical reaction of air and metals exists on a metal surface of the conductive clamp and / or the photovoltaic support bracket, poor contact occurs, and even worse, the intended electric conduction can no longer be achieved, thereby failing to ground the photovoltaic system. In the prior art, a solution to this problem is that a penetrating needle is planted on the conductive clamp made of copper or aluminum, and the penetrating needle is positioned to be in contact with the contact surfaces of both the conductive clamp and the photovoltaic support bracket. When fixing the conductive clamp, the penetrating needle can pierce through an oxide layer of the photovoltaic support bracket to achieve conductive connection between the photovoltaic support bracket and the wire. A disadvantage of this solution is that a penetrating needle planting process is complex and involves a high cost. SUMMARY The present invention is intended to provide a novel grounding clamp to solve the problem in the prior art. The novel grounding clamp has a simple structure, does not need a penetrating needle to be planted, can be quickly formed, and improves conductive stability between a conductive clamp of the grounding clamp and a guide rail of the photovoltaic support bracket. To achieve the above objects, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions: A novel grounding clamp, configured to be disposed on a guide rail of a photovoltaic support bracket; the novel grounding clamp comprises a conductive clamp, a slider, and a bolt; the conductive clamp is configured to be fitted on a sliding groove of the guide rail, and is configured to clamp a grounding wire; at least one spike is integrally formed on each of two sides of the conductive clamp; a tip of each spike is projected downwardly for abutting against an upper surface of the guide rail; the slider is configured to be limited within the sliding groove of the guide rail; the bolt penetrates through the conductive clamp, and is in threaded connection with the slider; when tightening the bolt, each spike is driven to press against the upper surface of the guide rail to pierce through an oxide film of the guide rail. The conductive clamp is made of a conductive material. Each spike is inclined outwardly and downwardly from a respective side of the conductive clamp. Each spike is integrally formed on a respective side of the conductive clamp by stamping during formation of a part of the conductive clamp where the spike is positioned. Two spikes are provided on each of the two sides of the conductive clamp. The conductive clamp comprises an upper clamp plate and a lower clamp plate independent from each other; the upper clamp plate and the lower clamp plate are provided with an upper through hole and a lower through hole respectively through which the bolt passes through; said at least one spike is disposed on each of two sides of the lower clamp plate. Preferably, a lower surface of each of two end portions of the upper clamp plate is recessed to form a limiting slot, and one end portion of an upper surface of the lower clamp plate is protruded to form a bump corresponding to a corresponding limiting slot. Preferably, each limiting slot is provided along a widthwise direction of the upper clamp plate, and the bump is provided along a width direction of the lower clamp plate. Preferably, a middle portion of each of other two sides of the lower clamp plate not disposed with any spike is bent downwardly to form a positioning flange; a length of each positioning flange is configured to be in clearance fit with a width of the sliding groove of the guide rail. Preferably, two end portions of each of said other two sides of the lower clamp plate not disposed with any spike of the lower clamp plate are each bent upwardly to form a positioning protrusion; each widthwise side of the upper clamp plate is fitted between two corresponding positioning protrusions so that the upper clamp plate is in clearance fit with the lower clamp plate. According to the above technical solutions, the present invention has the following technical effects: 1) At least one spike is integrally formed on each of two sides of the conductive clamp, so that a production process of the conductive clamp is simplified; also, the spike can pierce through the oxide film on the surface of the guide rail when tightening the bolt, so that an electric connection between the guide rail and the conductive clamp is achieved, and therefore the guide rail can be grounded after the conductive clamp clamps the grounding wire. 2) A penetrating needle planting process is no longer required for forming the spike, thereby saving labor and material costs for penetrating needle planting. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a specific embodiment according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the specific embodiment according to the present invention; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the specific embodiment in use according to the present invention; and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 3. Reference numerals in the figures: 1: guide rail; 11: sliding groove; 12: limiting edge; 2: conductive clamp; 21: upper clamp plate; 211: upper through hole; 212: limiting slot; 22: lower clamp plate; 221: spike; 222: lower through hole; 223: bump; 224: positioning flange; 225: positioning protrusion; 3: slider; 4: bolt; 5: flat gasket; and 6: spring washer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION To further explain the technical solutions of the present invention, a detailed description of the present invention is provided below through specific embodiments. With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the present invention discloses a novel grounding clamp disposed on a guide rail 1 of a photovoltaic support bracket (a non-conductive oxide film is generated on a surface of the guide rail 1 after anodic oxidation treatment). The novel grounding clamp comprises a conductive clamp 2, a slider 3, and a bolt 4. The conductive clamp 2 is fitted on a sliding groove 11 of the guide rail 1, and is configured to clamp a grounding wire tightly when in use. At least one spike 221 is integrally formed on each of two sides of the conductive clamp. A tip of each spike 221 is projected downwardly to abut against an upper surface of the guide rail 1. The slider 3 is positioned to be limited within the sliding groove 11 of the guide rail 1, so that the slider 3 is prevented from falling out of the sliding groove 11. The bolt 4 penetrates through the conductive clamp 2, and is in threaded connection with the slider 3. When tightening the bolt 4, each spike 221 presses against the upper surface of the guide rail 1 to pierce through an oxide film of the guide rail 1. The following describes the specific embodiments of the present invention. The conductive clamp 2 is made of a conductive material. The conductive material may be inexpensive conductive metal like copper or aluminum. Each spike 221 is inclined outwardly and downwardly from a respective side of the conductive clamp 2. Because each spike 221 is in the described inclined condition above the upper surface of the guide rail 1, when tightening the bolt 4, the spike 221 reacting on the guide rail 1 can pierce through the oxide film of the guide rail 1 more deeply. Each spike 221 is integrally formed on a respective side of the conductive clamp 2 by a stamping process during formation of a part of the conductive clamp 2 where the spike 221 is positioned, thereby achieving a purpose of an integrated connection between each spike and the conductive clamp. In this embodiment, two spikes 221 are provided on each of the two sides of the conductive clamp 2, thereby increasing contact points between the conductive clamp 2 and the guide rail 1, and improving conductive stability. The conductive clamp 2 comprises an upper clamp plate 21 and a lower clamp plate 22 independent from each other; the upper clamp plate 21 and the lower clamp plate 22 are provided with an upper through hole 211 and a lower through hole 222 respectively through which the bolt 4 passes through. Said at least one spike 221 is disposed on each of two sides of the lower clamp plate 22. The upper clamp plate 21 and the lower clamp plate 22 are pressed against each other to clamp the wire tightly. When tightening the bolt 4, not only the entire conductive clamp 2 can be fixed on the upper surface of the guide rail 1 so that each spike 221 can pierce through the oxide film of the guide rail 1, the upper clamp plate 21 and the lower clamp plate 22 can also be locked tightly against each other to clamp the wire tightly. In other words, complete installation of the present invention only requires one single tightening operation of the bolt, thereby enhancing the installation efficiency. Further, a lower surface of each of two end portions of the upper clamp plate 21 is recessed to form a limiting slot 212, and one end portion of an upper surface of the lower clamp plate 22 is protruded to form a bump 223 corresponding to a corresponding limiting slot 212. A space between a flat upper surface of the lower clamp plate 22 without the bump and a corresponding limiting slot 212 allows a wire with a larger wire diameter to be positioned and clamped tightly. A space between the bump 223 and another corresponding limiting slot 212 allows a wire with a smaller wire diameter to be positioned and clamped tightly. In this way, a problem in the prior art where the grounding clamp cannot be used for both a wire with a smaller wire diameter and a wire with a larger wire diameter is solved, and the grounding clamp according to the present invention is suitable for wires with various wire diameters. In this embodiment, each limiting slot 212 is formed on the upper clamp plate 21 by a stamping process, and the bump 223 is formed on the lower clamp plate 22 by a stamping process, so that surfaces of the upper clamp plate 21 and the lower clamp plate 22 present a corrugated shape. Each limiting slot 212 is provided along a widthwise direction of the upper clamp plate 21, and the bump 223 is provided along a width direction of the lower clamp plate 22. Secondly, a middle portion of each of other two sides of the lower clamp plate 22 not disposed with any spike is bent downwardly to form a positioning flange 224, and a length of the positioning flange 224 is approximately equal to a width of the sliding groove 11 of the guide rail 1, so that the length of each positioning flange 224 is in clearance fit with the width of the sliding groove 11 of the guide rail 1. When the conductive clamp 2 is installed on the guide rail 1, the lower clamp plate 22 can be automatically aligned with the sliding groove 11 through each positioning flange 224 of the lower clamp plate 22, thereby preventing the conductive clamp 2 from rotating when tightening the bolt 4, and thus ensuring that each spike 221 is in contact with the upper surface of the guide rail 1. Further, two end portions of each of said other two sides of the lower clamp plate 22 not disposed with any spike of the lower clamp plate 22 are each bent upwardly to form a positioning protrusion 225, and a spacing between positioning protrusions 225 of the two end portions of a same side is approximately equal to a width of the upper clamp plate 21, so that when the upper clamp plate 21 is placed on the upper surface of the lower clamp plate 22, each widthwise side of the upper clamp plate 21 is fitted between two corresponding positioning protrusions 225 so that the upper clamp plate 21 is in clearance fit with the lower clamp plate 22. In this way, the upper clamp plate 21 can be installed and limited on the upper surface of the lower clamp plate 22, and a purpose of quick installation can be achieved. The slider 3 is a Z-shaped slider. The slider 3 slidably engages with a limiting edge 12 on an inner side wall of the sliding groove 11 to achieve limitation of the slider 3 within the guide rail 1. The limiting edge 12 can prevent the slider 3 from falling out of the sliding groove 11. The present invention further comprises a flat gasket 5 and a spring washer 6 that are sequentially stacked on an upper surface of the conductive clamp 2. The bolt 4 is in a threaded connection to the slider 3 after sequentially passing through the spring washer 6, the flat gasket 5, and the conductive clamp 2. The flat gasket 5 and the spring washer 6 serve as cushions for protection. According to the above technical solutions of the present invention, at least one spike 221 is integrally formed on each of two sides of the conductive clamp 2, so that a production process of the conductive clamp 2 is simplified; also, the spike 221 can pierce through the oxide film on the surface of the guide rail 1 when tightening the bolt 4, so that an electric connection between the guide rail 1 and the conductive clamp 2 is achieved, and therefore the guide rail 1 can be grounded after the conductive clamp 2 clamps the wire. A penetrating needle planting process is no longer required for forming the spike 221, thereby saving labor and material costs for penetrating needle planting. The above embodiments and illustrations are not intended to limit the form and style of the product of the present invention. Any appropriate variations or modifications made by those of ordinary skills in the art within the scope of the present invention shall be considered as falling within the scope of the present 5 invention.

Claims

1. A grounding clamp, configured to be disposed on a guide rail of a photovoltaic support bracket; the novel grounding clamp comprises:a conductive clamp, a slider, and a bolt;the conductive clamp is configured to be fitted on a sliding groove of the guide rail, and is configured to clamp a grounding wire; at least one spike is integrally formed on each of two sides of the conductive clamp; a tip of each spike is projected downwardly for abutting against an upper surface of the guide rail;the slider is configured to be limited within the sliding groove of the guide rail;the bolt penetrates through the conductive clamp, and is in threaded connection with the slider; when tightening the bolt, each spike is driven to press against the upper surface of the guide rail to pierce through an oxide film of the guide rail.

2. The grounding clamp of claim 1, wherein the conductive clamp is made of a conductive material.

3. The grounding clamp of claim 1, wherein each spike is inclined outwardly and downwardly from a respective side of the conductive clamp.

4. The grounding clamp of claim 1, wherein each spike is integrally formed on a respective side of the conductive clamp by stamping during formation of a part of the conductive clamp where the spike is positioned.

5. The grounding clamp of claim 1, wherein two spikes are provided on each of the two sides of the conductive clamp.

6. The grounding clamp of any one of claims 1 -5, wherein the conductive clamp comprises an upper clamp plate and a lower clamp plate independent from each other; the upper clamp plate and the lower clamp plate are provided with an upper through hole and a lower through hole respectively through which the bolt passes through; said at least one spike is disposed on each of two sides of the lower clamp plate.

7. The grounding clamp of claim 6, wherein a lower surface of each of two end portions of the upper clamp plate is recessed to form a limiting slot, and one end portion of an upper surface of the lower clamp plate is protruded to form a bump corresponding to a corresponding limiting slot.

8. The grounding clamp of claim 7, wherein each limiting slot is provided along a widthwise direction of the upper clamp plate, and the bump is provided along a width direction of the lower clamp plate.

9. The grounding clamp of claim 6, wherein a middle portion of each of other two sides of the lower clamp plate not disposed with any spike is bent downwardly to form a positioning flange; a length of each positioning flange is configured to be in clearance fit with a width of the sliding groove of the guide rail.

10. The grounding clamp of claim 6, wherein two end portions of each of other two sides of the lower clamp plate not disposed with any spike of the lower clamp plate are each bent upwardly to form a positioning protrusion; each widthwise side of the upper clamp plate is fitted between two corresponding positioning protrusions so that the upper clamp plate is in clearance fit with the lower clamp plate.

Images