Two-Axis Solar Panel Handling System Using Lightweight Tube Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solar trackers are heavy and cumbersome, limiting their installation on agricultural land and hindering sunlight penetration, while also being complex and costly to construct, especially those with two degrees of freedom that maximize solar panel efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A two-axis handling system for solar panels with a lightweight, two-dimensional 'checkerboard' structure using a network of tie-rods and hinged bolts, featuring a main rotating tube with secondary tubes and motors with reducing mechanisms for precise sun alignment, optimized for space and assembly, and protected mechanical and electrical components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If two-axis solar trackers are used to maximize solar panel efficiency, then energy production increases by 35%-40%, but construction complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the solar array into multiple independently trackable modules, each mounted on its own secondary tube that can rotate independently around its axis. This segmentation allows each module to be optimized for tracking while simplifying the overall control system compared to a fully integrated two-axis tracker.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines the tracking function with the mounting structure by integrating motors and reducing mechanisms directly into the tube system. The secondary tubes are both structural supports and tracking mechanisms, merging multiple functions into a single integrated system that reduces overall complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If heavy solar panels and bearing structures are used for two-axis tracking, then alignment precision improves, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses dynamic rotation of tubes around their axes to achieve precise alignment, replacing static heavy support structures with mobile, lightweight tube-based mechanisms. The tubes can rotate to any required angle to maintain optimal solar panel orientation without requiring massive counterweights or rigid frameworks.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the operational parameters by allowing continuous rotation of tubes around their axes, enabling precise angular adjustment of solar panels. This dynamic parameter adjustment (rotation angles) replaces the need for heavy mechanical alignment systems, achieving high precision through controlled movement rather than rigid structural precision.
3Stability of the object's composition
If dense bearing structure is used for solar tracker, then structural stability improves, but sunlight penetration to underlying soil decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a two-dimensional ground-based array to a three-dimensional elevated structure with tubes extending vertically and horizontally. Solar panels are mounted on tubes that can rotate in multiple dimensions, creating spatial separation between the tracking structure and the ground. This dimensional change allows sunlight to penetrate through to the underlying soil while maintaining structural stability through the three-dimensional tube network.
Solution Approach 2:
The tube-based structure uses thin-walled, lightweight tubes that provide sufficient structural strength while minimizing obstruction to sunlight. The tubular geometry offers high strength-to-weight ratio and allows light to pass through or around the structures, maintaining both stability and sunlight penetration to the ground below.
4Adaptability or versatility
If elevated checkerboard structure is used to allow agricultural machinery passage, then adaptability to agricultural land improves, but structural span requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing structure is divided into modular sections with poles positioned at optimized intervals. Each pole supports independent tube assemblies, creating a segmented framework that can be configured to match agricultural machinery dimensions. This segmentation allows customization of pole spacing and tube lengths to accommodate different agricultural operations while maintaining overall structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates dynamic tube rotation capabilities that allow the solar panels to be repositioned without moving the supporting poles. This dynamic adjustment enables the use of closer pole spacing while still providing adequate clearance for agricultural machinery, as the tubes can rotate to optimize panel orientation regardless of the fixed pole positions.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3a~3b
Figure 4a~4b
AI summary
A handling system for receptor devices of solar energy suitable for allowing the handling of said devices on a first axis (X) and on a second axis (Y), substantially orthogonal with respect to each other, said system being constrainable on fixed structures composed of supporting poles (2) kept in position by a network of tie-rods (3). The system comprises a main tube (4) rotating around said first axis (X), to which a plurality of secondary tubes (5) are connected, also rotating around their own axis (Y), fixed substantially perpendicularly to the main tube, the receptor devices being fixed on said secondary tubes. The main rotating tube comprising both the handling mechanism around the first axis (X) and the handling mechanism around the second axis (Y) activated by a respective first motor (41) and second motor (51).