PV Support Cable Routing With Tension Rollers for Wind Load Relief

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional cable installations for movable photovoltaic support structures face issues with excessive stress due to wind forces, requiring large and complex adjustment mechanisms, and existing solutions with circular segments and winches are cumbersome and inefficient.

Innovation Solution

A cable installation with deviating rollers and a variable diameter cable drum allows for wider spacing of cable ends and adjustable cable length, using a spring-loaded tension roller to maintain constant total length and pretension, enabling efficient and simplified adjustment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional cable installations with circular segments are used, then the cable length can be balanced during pivoting, but the device dimensions become large and the structure becomes complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecable length balancingVSAvoidcircular segment structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the cable length balancing function from the complex circular segment structure and implements it through a differential gear mechanism. The differential gear independently controls cable winding on two drums, achieving length balancing without requiring large circular segments concentrically connected to the pivoting axis.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a differential gear as an intermediary mechanism between the winch and the cable drums. This differential gear mediates the motion transmission, allowing independent control of cable winding on both drums while maintaining compact dimensions, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Stability of the object's composition

If the mesh points of adjustment cable are widely spaced for static stability, then the structure becomes more stable, but the distance between anchoring sites increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestatic stabilityVSAvoiddistance between anchoring sites

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent resolves this contradiction by utilizing the third dimension (vertical height) through offsetting the anchoring sites vertically rather than only horizontally. The cable routing through the differential gear mechanism allows the anchoring points to be positioned at different heights, maintaining static stability with widely spaced mesh points while controlling the overall footprint distance between anchoring locations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Adaptability or versatility

If wind forces act on the pivoting support structure, then the structure can track the sun, but excessive stresses occur in the adjusting means

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesun tracking capabilityVSAvoidstress resistance in adjusting means

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the conventional mechanical adjusting means (cylinders, gear segments, screws) with a cable-based tensioning system controlled by a differential gear winch. This substitution allows the support structure to resist wind forces through cable tension rather than mechanical joint strength, significantly reducing stresses in the adjusting means while maintaining sun tracking capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This solution reduces stress on adjustment and anchoring sites, simplifies the adjustment mechanism, and maintains constant cable length and tension, enhancing the stability and efficiency of photovoltaic module tracking systems.

Implementation Method 1

using a spring-loaded tension roller to maintain constant total length and pretension

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 2

A cable installation with deviating rollers and a variable diameter cable drum

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Implementation Method 3

variable diameter cable drum allows for wider spacing of cable ends and adjustable cable length

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMechanical Advantage: Mechanical Advantage

Data Source

PatentUS8937240B2Cable installation for pivoting a support structure for photovoltaic modules or comparable devices

Publication Date: 2015.01.20 CZALOUN JOHANN

AI summary

A cable installation having a support structure, for example a rod or a support frame will be proposed, the latter or the former, being able to be hinged to abuses structure about a first axis, respectively, wherein at each end of the support structure a deviating roller is rotatably provided, which is provided for a cable which at one end is fixed to an area of the support structure while the other end of the cable is fixed to a second area of the base structure which is spaced apart from the first area.