Solar panel mechanical connector and frame
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional solar panel installation methods require complex and time-consuming processes, especially for middle panels, due to limited access and mobility of connectors, leading to inefficient and costly installations without the need for rails.
Innovation Solution
An article of manufacture featuring a spacer with opposing surfaces and channels that allow for toolless engagement and sliding of solar panels, using a clamp and elongated body to secure panels without rails, enabling easier panel removal and installation by providing sufficient clearance and mobility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If connectors are positioned inside frames of solar panels to eliminate rails, then material costs and device complexity are reduced, but ease of operation and ease of repair deteriorate due to difficult access and tool requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is segmented into modular components: solar panels with integrated frames, adjustable connectors, and mounting points. This segmentation allows the connector to be independently accessed and manipulated without requiring access to the entire panel array, resolving the accessibility issue while maintaining the simplified rail-less structure.
Solution Approach 2:
An intermediary mechanism is introduced between the connector and the panel frame, allowing the connector to be adjusted and secured without direct manual access to tight spaces. This intermediary component enables tool-free or minimal-tool operation while maintaining the integrated frame design.
2Reliability
If connectors are fixed in position within panel frames, then manufacturing precision and reliability are improved, but adaptability deteriorates due to limited mobility for panel removal and reconfiguration
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is designed with dynamic characteristics, allowing it to transition between a locked secure state for reliable connection and an unlocked release state for easy removal. This dynamic design enables the connector to provide stable connections during operation while allowing rapid reconfiguration when needed, resolving the contradiction between reliability and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector's engagement parameters are made adjustable, allowing it to be securely engaged for reliable operation and easily disengaged for removal. By changing the engagement state parameter from locked to unlocked, the system achieves both high reliability during operation and high adaptability for reconfiguration.
3Manufacturing precision
If specialized tools are required to insert and secure connectors, then manufacturing precision and reliability are improved, but ease of operation and productivity deteriorate due to time-consuming installation and removal processes
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is designed with self-aligning and self-securing features that eliminate or minimize the need for specialized tools. The connector automatically guides itself into the correct position and secures itself through simple manual manipulation or basic tool-free mechanisms, achieving both high installation precision and rapid installation speed, thus resolving the contradiction between manufacturing precision and productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A bracket for coupling frames of solar panels includes a spacer for positioning between frames. An elongated body passes through a slot in the spacer and is positionable within channels formed in the frames. A clamp secures to the spacer and is biased toward the slot and elongated body, such as by means of a spring. The clamp defines seats for receiving portions of the frames of the solar panels. Sloped portions on end portions of the clamp facilitate insertion of the frames between the elongated body and the clamp. Another type of bracket includes a spacer and clamp, the spacer having protuberances for insertion into channels in the frames. A flange extends from the spacer such that it extends between the frames when the protuberances are positioned within the channels. An L-foot or other fixture may secure to the flange to secure the solar panels to a structure.