Horizontal solar tracker
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Solution Overview
Problem
Solar trackers with clamps used to join rotating beams suffer from deformation and stress concentration due to repetitive turning movements and wind incidence, leading to potential breaks and mechanical energy loss.
Innovation Solution
A horizontal solar tracker design featuring a connecting rod-crank mechanism with a tubular portion that directly clasps the rotating beam, minimizing the need for additional mechanical joining elements and reducing stress concentration by transmitting mechanical energy directly from the drive element to the rotating beams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If clamps with mechanical joining elements are used to join the rotating beam to the drive device, then the connection can be assembled, but the clamps deform and deteriorate due to repetitive turning movements and wind incidence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the clamping function and the joining function into a single integrated tubular portion. The tubular portion directly clasps the rotating beam and provides the joining interface with the drive device, eliminating the need for separate clamps and mechanical joining elements. This integration removes the weak points where deformation and deterioration occurred.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the separate clamps and mechanical joining elements from the assembly. By eliminating these intermediate components, the design reduces the number of potential failure points and simplifies the stress transmission path from the rotating beam to the drive device.
2Power
If clamps are used to join transmission beams, then the mechanical energy can be transmitted, but stress concentration occurs in the joining areas leading to potential breaks
Solution Approach 1:
The tubular portion integrates the energy transmission function and the structural joining function into a single component. This eliminates stress concentration at multiple joining interfaces and creates a continuous stress transmission path from the rotating beam through the tubular portion to the drive device, maintaining mechanical energy transmission while eliminating weak points.
3Reliability
If multiple mechanical joining elements are used to connect the rotating beam, then the connection can be secured, but the device complexity increases and manufacturing becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple joining functions into a single tubular portion structure. The tubular portion provides both the clamping action to secure the rotating beam and the joining interface with the drive device, reducing the number of components from multiple separate joining elements to a single integrated component.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent removes unnecessary mechanical joining elements from the assembly. By extracting these redundant components, the design achieves connection security through the simplified tubular portion structure, reducing device complexity and easing manufacturing while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A horizontal solar tracker (1) with a configuration that ensures the transmission of the turning movement generated by the drive element to the rotating beam and to the connecting rod-crank mechanism, prevents possible breaks and weaknesses in the joining areas, and is easy to transport. It comprises at least one front rotating beam (3) and at least one rear rotating beam (12) that can turn, joined by means of a connecting rod-crank mechanism (4). A drive assembly (2) generates the turning movement in a mobile element (22). The front rotating beam (3) has a first joining sector (31) that can be coupled to the mobile element (22) and the connecting rod-crank mechanism (4) comprises a tubular portion (42) that clasps the rotating beam (3) and a second joining sector (43) that can be coupled to the mobile element (22).