Telescoping Bridge for Autonomous Solar Tracker Cleaning Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large solar tracker systems face inefficiencies due to dirt accumulation on solar cells, which reduces energy generation and causes degradation, and existing cleaning methods require significant manpower and are hindered by gaps between solar modules.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous cleaning system bridge with telescoping and hingedly connected portions that can transition between expanded and collapsed configurations to traverse solar trackers, bridging gaps and allowing free rotation of solar modules while reducing wind loading and damage risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual or vehicle-based cleaning methods are used, then cleaning can be performed on solar panels, but enormous manpower is required and cleaning efficiency is low
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system is autonomous and self-propelled, moving automatically along the solar panel arrays without requiring human operators. The bridge structure with telescoping beams enables the system to navigate gaps between modules independently, performing cleaning operations autonomously across large-scale solar installations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual labor and traditional vehicle-based cleaning systems with an autonomous robotic bridge system. This mechanical substitution eliminates the need for enormous manpower while maintaining effective cleaning coverage across extensive solar panel areas.
2Stability of the object's composition
If fixed bridge structures are used to span gaps between solar modules, then cleaning continuity is improved, but the structure interferes with solar tracker rotation and causes damage
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge structure incorporates telescoping parallel beams that can dynamically adjust their length. When solar trackers rotate, the beams extend or retract to accommodate the changing spatial relationships, allowing the bridge to maintain connectivity for cleaning operations while avoiding interference with the rotation mechanism and preventing structural damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the physical parameters of the bridge structure during operation. The parallel beams transition between extended and retracted states based on the rotational position of solar trackers, adapting the bridge's geometry to maintain both cleaning continuity and structural integrity throughout the tracking cycle.
3Productivity
If solar panels are oriented towards the sun at optimal angles, then energy generation is maximized, but the structure becomes vulnerable to wind loading and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge structure uses slender, flexible-looking parallel beams that can bend and deform under wind loads rather than resisting them rigidly. This flexible design allows the structure to accommodate wind forces while maintaining its spanning function, reducing the risk of damage during periods when solar panels are oriented at optimal tracking angles.
Solution Approach 2:
The telescoping beam mechanism provides dynamic adaptability to wind loading conditions. The beams can extend or retract to adjust the bridge's span and structural characteristics, allowing it to better withstand variable wind forces while maintaining the solar panels' optimal orientation for maximum energy generation.
Data Source
AI summary
An autonomous cleaning system bridge includes a pair of parallel beams and a pair of transverse beam assemblies interposed between the pair of parallel beams and disposed in spaced relation to one another. Each transverse beam assembly includes an outer tube extending between a first end portion coupled to a first parallel beam and an opposite, second end portion, an insert coupled to the second end portion and defining a through-bore, and an inner tube extending between a first end portion and an opposite, second end portion, the second end portion of the inner tube coupled to a second parallel beam, wherein the inner tube is slidably supported within the through-bore to enable to autonomous cleaning system bridge to transition from a first, expanded configuration to a second, collapsed configuration due to contact between the second parallel beam and a portion of a solar tracker system.