Solar panel support and drive system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current solar panel support systems are complex and costly due to the need to accommodate bending and torsion forces from terrain misalignments, wind loading, and weight, which increases material requirements and design complexity.
Innovation Solution
A solar panel support and drive system that uses a support frame with pivotally connected posts and linear actuators, allowing the frame to pivot about post pivot connections, reducing the size and complexity by transferring weight off the drive shaft and allowing for flexible adjustment of solar panel attitude.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If current support structures use torque tubes as drive shafts to accommodate bending and torsion forces, then the system can handle terrain misalignments and wind loading, but the size and complexity of the torque tube increases and material costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the support structure into separate functional components: support posts that handle terrain misalignment through individual adjustment, and a driveshaft that only transmits torque without bearing bending loads. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function, reducing overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the bending and torsion load-bearing function from the driveshaft and assigns it to the support posts and frame structure. The driveshaft is left to perform only its primary function of transmitting rotational torque, significantly reducing its required size and complexity.
2Strength
If torque tubes are used to carry deflection and torque forces, then the system can accommodate wind and weight loading, but the material costs and design complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The load path is segmented so that gravitational and wind loads are carried by the support posts and frame, while the driveshaft only carries torque. This allows the use of lighter, less expensive materials for the driveshaft while maintaining overall structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The support posts and frame act as intermediary structures that absorb and redirect bending and torsion forces away from the driveshaft. These intermediaries protect the driveshaft from loads it is not designed to handle, reducing material requirements.
3Productivity
If fixed racks are used to hold solar panels stationary, then the system is simpler and more reliable, but the angle of incidence cannot be adjusted to maximize energy production
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a fixed, static configuration to a dynamic one where the support posts can pivot independently to adjust the panel angle. This dynamic capability allows optimization of energy production while keeping the overall mechanism relatively simple through the use of pivot connections rather than complex actuation systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A solar panel support apparatus comprising: a support frame for holding the solar panel; a support post pivotally connected to the support frame at a post pivot connection and anchored to an adjacent supporting surface, the support post for positioning the support frame above the supporting surface; and a linear actuator coupled at a proximal end to the support post by a support pivot connection and at a distal end by a frame pivot connection with the support frame, the post pivot connection and the frame pivot connection spaced apart from one another on the support frame; wherein a change in a length of the linear actuator results in pivoting of the support frame about the post pivot connection.