Distributed Support Frame for Crack-Resistant Photovoltaic Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional photovoltaic panels with glass-glass laminates are costly, prone to handling damage, and difficult to install, and they may crack under environmental loading due to their rigidity and high manufacturing and shipping costs.
Innovation Solution
A photovoltaic panel with a distributed support frame that uses a polymer back sheet instead of glass, featuring a support hub on the back surface with laterally extending support members to distribute external loads across the width of the panel, reducing the likelihood of cracking and deflection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If glass-glass laminates are used in photovoltaic panels, then structural strength and rigidity are improved, but manufacturing cost increases and handling damage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from glass-glass laminate to polymer back sheet, fundamentally altering the structural composition. This parameter change reduces both manufacturing cost and handling damage risk while maintaining adequate structural strength through the distributed support frame design
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure combining polymer back sheet with a distributed support frame system. The polymer provides flexibility and cost advantages, while the distributed support frame (with support hub and laterally extending members) provides the necessary structural strength, achieving a balance between cost and performance
2Stability of the object's composition
If glass-glass laminates are used in photovoltaic panels, then structural rigidity is improved, but susceptibility to cracking under environmental loading increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material from rigid glass-glass laminate to flexible polymer back sheet, fundamentally altering the structural response to environmental loads. This parameter change eliminates the cracking issue inherent in rigid glass structures under thermal and mechanical stress
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a polymer back sheet that provides flexibility to accommodate environmental loading without cracking. The flexible polymer material can deform under thermal expansion, contraction, and mechanical stress, then return to its original state, preventing the permanent damage that occurs in rigid glass structures
3Length of moving object
If distributed support frame is implemented, then span length between support locations is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the support function into multiple discrete support members extending from a central support hub. This segmentation distributes the load across multiple points, effectively reducing the span length between support locations while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure that is easier to manufacture and install than more complex alternative support systems
Data Source
AI summary
A photovoltaic panel having a photovoltaic module supported by a distributed support frame is described. The distributed support frame may include a support member extending over a back surface of the photovoltaic module. For example, one or more support members may extend laterally from a support hub mounted on the back surface. The distributed support frame may reduce a span length of the photovoltaic module between support locations, and thus, may reduce a likelihood that a module laminate will crack under a design load.