Solar collector cable support tray and support system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10003298-B2
Application number	US-201615057942-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 1, 2016
Priority date	Mar 2, 2015
Publication date	Jun 19, 2018
Grant date	Jun 19, 2018

Abstract

A cable tray and support system facilitates cable management in a solar energy collector system at reduced cost relative to previous cable tray and support systems. The cable tray and support system comprises cables trays, mounting brackets, and vertically-oriented piles. The mounting brackets are coupled to the cables trays and vertically-oriented piles. The mounting brackets include one or more stress relief features (e.g., notches) to allow the mounting bracket to provide cantilevered deflection in response to thermal expansion or contraction-of the cable tray. The cable tray and support system also provides a ground path from a cable tray, to the mounting bracket, to the pile, and then to the ground to dissipate transient voltages in the solar energy collection system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cable management system comprising:
a vertically-oriented pile;
a mounting bracket comprising:
a central member secured to the vertically-oriented pile by one or more couplers and having a top end and a bottom end, the central member comprising a planar projection extending outwardly from the central member at the top end in a first direction,
a first arm extending from the central member in the first direction, the first arm comprising:
a first arm wall having a top edge and a bottom edge extending longitudinally in the first direction from the central member,
a top flange extending from the first arm wall at the top edge in a second direction toward the central member, the top flange of the first arm comprising:
a first section of the first arm top flange having a plurality of ports, and
a second section of the first arm top flange coplanar with the first section of the first arm top flange and defining a first top flange space, the first top flange space disposed between the first section of the first arm top flange and the second section of the first arm top flange and extending across an entire width of the top flange,
wherein the top flange of the first arm and the planar projection of the central member define a first corner space the first corner space positioned between and on a same plane as the top flange of the first arm and the planar projection of the central member; and
a first cable tray comprising:
a base of the first cable tray including a first aperture coupled to a first port of the plurality of ports of the top flange of the first arm by a first fastener,
a first side wall of the first cable tray extending vertically from the base of the first cable tray, and
a second side wall of the first cable tray extending vertically from the base of the first cable tray;
wherein the mounting bracket receives stress applied from the first cable tray to the first arm by:
the first section of the top flange of the first arm deflecting at the first top flange space relative to the second section of the top flange of the first arm, and
the first arm deflecting at the first corner space relative to the central member.

2. The cable management system of claim 1 wherein the mounting bracket, first cable tray, and fastener coupling the first cable tray to the mounting bracket form a continuous electrical connection.

3. The cable management system of claim 1 wherein a continuous electrical grounding path is established from the first cable tray to the vertically-oriented pile via the fastener coupling the first cable tray to the mounting bracket, mounting bracket, and the one or more couplers securing the central member to the vertically-oriented pile.

4. The cable management system of claim 1 wherein the mounting bracket further comprises:
a second arm extending from the central member in the first direction, the second arm comprising:
a second arm wall having a top edge and a bottom edge extending longitudinally in the first direction from the central member,
a top flange extending from the second arm wall at the top edge in a third direction toward the central member, the top flange of the second arm comprising:
a first section of the second cable tray having a second plurality of ports, and
a second section of the second cable tray coplanar with the first section of the second arm top flange and defining a second top flange space disposed between the first section of the second arm top flange and the second section of the second arm top flange,
wherein the top flange of the second arm and the planar projection of the central member define a second corner space therebetween;
the cable management system further comprising:
a second cable tray comprising:
a base of the second cable tray including a second aperture coupled to a second port of the plurality of ports of the top flange of the first arm by a second fastener,
a first side wall of the second cable tray extending vertically from the base of the second cable tray, and
a second side wall of the second cable tray extending vertically from the base of the second cable tray;
wherein the mounting bracket receives stress applied from the second cable tray to the second at iii by:
the first section of the top flange of the second arm deflecting at the second top flange space relative to the second section of the top flange of the second arm,
the second arm deflecting at the second corner space relative to the central member.

5. The cable management system of claim 1 wherein the first cable tray comprises steel and the mounting bracket comprises steel.

6. The cable management system of claim 1 wherein the first cable tray is between 9 and 22 feet long.

7. The cable management system of claim 1 wherein the base of the first cable tray includes one or more raised embossments on an end of the first cable tray proximal to the mounting bracket.

8. The cable management system of claim 1 wherein the first cable tray further includes a rim extending from the first side wall on an end distal from the base of the first cable tray, the cable management system further comprising a wire clip coupled to the rim of the first cable tray, the wire clip adapted to support cables disposed on an outside of the first cable tray.

9. The cable management system of claim 1 wherein the base of the first cable tray includes a plurality of drain holes.

10. The cable management system of claim 1 wherein the first aperture of the base of the first cable tray includes a plurality of elongate apertures.

11. The cable management system of claim 1 wherein a body of the first arm includes a tool access cutout.

12. The cable management system of claim 1 wherein the cable management system is coupled to a solar energy collection system.

13. A cable management system comprising:
a vertically-oriented pile;
a mounting bracket comprising:
a central member secured to the vertically-oriented pile by one or more couplers and having a top end and a bottom end, the central member comprising:
a planar projection extending outwardly from the central member at the top end in a first direction, and
a bottom flange extending outwardly from the central member at the bottom end in the first direction, and a first arm extending from the central member in the first direction, the first arm comprising:
a first arm wall having a top edge and a bottom edge extending longitudinally in the first direction from the central member, the first arm wall including a first notch proximal to the bottom edge and the central member,
a top flange extending from the first arm wall at the top edge in a second direction toward the central member, the top flange of the first arm comprising:
a first section of the first wall top flange having a plurality of ports, and
a second section of the first wall top flange coplanar with the first section of the first wall top flange and defining a first top flange space, the first top flange space disposed between the first section of the first wall top flange and the second section of the first wall top flange,
a bottom flange extending from the first arm wall at the bottom end in the second direction toward the central member, the first arm bottom flange comprising:
a first section of the first arm bottom flange, and
a second section of the first arm bottom flange coplanar with the first section of the first arm bottom flange and defining a first bottom flange space disposed between the first section of the first arm bottom flange and the second section of the first arm bottom flange,
wherein the top flange of the first arm and the planar projectio

Assignees

• Sunpower Corp

Inventors

• Grushkowitz Tyler
• Wares Brian
• Ripoll Agullo Vicent
• Bachart Shannon Mark
• Lambert Matthew Scott

Classifications

• F24S25/00

  Arrangement of stationary mountings or supports for solar heat collector modules · CPC title

• H02G3/263

  Installation, e.g. suspension, of conduit channels or other supports · CPC title

• F16L3/23

  for a bundle of pipes or a plurality of pipes placed side by side in contact with each other (F16L3/237 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02G3/0437

  Channels · CPC title

• H02S40/34 Primary

  comprising specially adapted electrical connection means to be structurally associated with the PV module, e.g. junction boxes · CPC title