Solar Panel Angle Adjustment With One-Hand Ribbon Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing outdoor electronic devices, such as solar-powered wireless routers, face challenges with accessibility for maintenance and upgrades due to sealing requirements, long and lossy cabling for antennas, and the need for solar panel re-orientation for optimal power output.
Innovation Solution
A quick-release tubular seal mechanism, sealed tubular antenna alignment system, solar panel angle adjustment system, rotational panel quick lock, and tubular clamping mechanism that allow for easy access, alignment, and adjustment of components while maintaining environmental protection, enabling one-person setup and maintenance with reduced cable losses and optimized solar panel orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electronic devices are sealed inside protective housing for environmental protection, then protection from water and dust is improved, but accessibility for maintenance and upgrades deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sealed housing is divided into multiple segments or sections that can be independently opened and closed. This allows maintenance personnel to access specific internal components without opening the entire housing, thus maintaining environmental protection for non-maintained sections while providing easy access to sections requiring maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
A quick-release seal mechanism acts as an intermediary between the sealed housing and the internal components. This mechanism provides a controlled interface that allows temporary access to components while maintaining the overall sealed environment, enabling easy maintenance without compromising the protective housing structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If long cables are used to interconnect antennas and processing circuitry, then installation flexibility is improved, but signal loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses adjustable and reconfigurable cable routing mechanisms that allow optimization of cable length based on specific installation requirements. This dynamic adjustment capability enables minimizing cable length for each installation while maintaining the necessary installation flexibility, thus reducing signal loss without sacrificing adaptability.
3Device complexity
If solar panels are placed in close proximity to wireless routers, then system complexity is reduced, but solar panel re-orientation requirements increase operational complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The solar panel system incorporates self-adjusting mechanisms such as solar trackers or automatic orientation systems that use sensors to detect sun position and automatically re-orient the panels to optimize power generation. This eliminates the need for manual intervention, maintaining reduced system complexity while solving the operational complexity of re-orientation.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein includes a solar panel angle adjustment system for actuation with a single hand. The solar panel adjustment system includes a tensioned variable ribbon configured to adjust the angular position of the mounting panel. The system includes a gear adapted to adjust the tensioned variable ribbon and configured to translate between a first position and a second position. Additionally, in some examples, the system includes a gear shaft mechanically coupled with the gear and configured to translate between the first and second position and actuate the gear, but the gear shaft is locked when disposed in the first position. The system may also include a spring adapted to bias the gear from the second position to the first position. Furthermore, the tensioned variable ribbon can adjust the angle of the mounting panel in response to the gear shaft actuating the gear in the second position.