Fastening staple for a photovoltaic framework with mounting by insertion and then sliding into a slot of a support wall

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10530293-B2
Application number	US-201916374357-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 3, 2019
Priority date	Apr 4, 2018
Publication date	Jan 7, 2020
Grant date	Jan 7, 2020

Abstract

A fastening staple adapted for fastening of a photovoltaic framework against a front face of a support wall comprises a bearing head and a counter-support foot constituting a jaw likely to transversely receive both a segment of the support wall and a segment of the photovoltaic framework. The counter-support foot comprises at least one bearing lateral flange positioned longitudinally so as to bear longitudinally against a rear face of the support wall when the photovoltaic framework and the support wall are transversely engaged in the jaw. The bearing head comprises at least one hooking element adapted to hook the photovoltaic framework in order to transversely immobilize the photovoltaic framework in the jaw. The bearing head and/or the counter-support foot comprises at least one mechanical tensioning flange where an elastic deformation and/or a displacement thereof, resulting from the action of transverse engagement of the photovoltaic framework segment and of the support wall segment in the determined interval between the bearing head and the counter-support foot, enables the bearing head and the counter-support foot to exert a longitudinal tightening of the photovoltaic framework and of the support wall in the jaw.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fastening staple adapted for fastening of a photovoltaic framework against a front face of a support wall, the fastening staple consisting of an electrically-conductive metallic part integrally made in one piece shaped so as to delimit:
a bearing head;
a counter-support foot;
a linking body linking the counter-support foot to the bearing head so that the bearing head and the counter-support foot are shifted from each other along a longitudinal direction (X) of the fastening staple by a determined interval, the linking body being adapted to cross the thickness of the support wall through a slot formed in the support wall, by longitudinal insertion of the bearing head through the slot so as to position the bearing head and the counter-support foot respectively on either side of the support wall, and to slide along the slot by an overall sliding movement of the fastening staple in a transverse direction (Z) of the fastening staple;
wherein the determined interval between the bearing head and the counter-support foot is adapted such that the bearing head and the counter-support foot constitute a jaw likely to transversely receive both a segment of the support wall and a segment of the photovoltaic framework in a configuration where the photovoltaic framework bears against the front face of the support wall,
wherein the counter-support foot comprises at least one bearing lateral flange positioned longitudinally so as to bear longitudinally against a rear face of the support wall when the photovoltaic framework and the support wall are transversely engaged in the jaw,
wherein the bearing head comprises at least one hooking element adapted to hook the photovoltaic framework in order to transversely immobilize the photovoltaic framework in the jaw,
wherein the bearing head and/or the counter-support foot comprises at least one mechanical tensioning flange where an elastic deformation and/or a displacement thereof, resulting from the action of transverse engagement of the photovoltaic framework segment and of the support wall segment in the determined interval between the bearing head and the counter-support foot, enables the bearing head and the counter-support foot to exert a longitudinal tightening of the photovoltaic framework and of the support wall in the jaw,
wherein the linking body is constituted by two lateral walls delimited by the fastening staple, shifted from each other in a lateral direction (Y) of the fastening staple and connected to each other at one of their longitudinal ends at the bearing head by a folding area, their opposite longitudinal ends being independent of each other at the counter-support foot, said at least one bearing lateral flange being secured to one of the lateral walls so as to extend laterally in projection with respect to the lateral wall to which it is secured.

2. The fastening staple according to claim 1 , wherein the bearing head comprises an upper arm extending transversely in a cantilevered manner from the folding area and directly below the counter-support foot in the longitudinal direction (X).

3. The fastening staple according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one mechanical tensioning flange is constituted by said at least one bearing lateral flange and in that said at least one bearing lateral flange is inclined so as to form an angle with respect to the lateral direction (Y) and is connected to the lateral wall to which it is secured by an elastically-deformable curved area such that the bearing lateral flange is likely to come down longitudinally, at least by elastic deformation of said elastically-deformable curved area, under the action of the transverse engagement of the photovoltaic framework segment and of the support wall segment in the determined interval between the bearing head and the counter-support foot.

4. The fastening staple according to claim 3 , wherein each of the bearing lateral flanges is split in the transverse direction (Z) into at least one upper bearing lateral flange and into at least one lower bearing lateral flange, said at least one upper bearing lateral flange projecting on the bearing head side, in the longitudinal direction (X), with respect to said at least one lower bearing lateral flange.

5. The fastening staple according to claim 3 , wherein the hooking element comprises a retaining lug and a shoulder secured to the upper arm while being shifted from each other in the transverse direction (Z) along the upper arm, and delimiting therebetween a notch which opens onto the inside of the jaw and adapted to receive a rib of the photovoltaic framework.

6. The fastening staple according to claim 3 , wherein the lateral walls are inclined so as to form an angle with the longitudinal direction (X) so as to get close to each other by getting close to the folding area, the lateral walls being likely to laterally approach each other by elastic deformation of the folding area, the elastic return of the material of the folding area ensuring a lateral return of the lateral walls outwardly in the lateral direction (Y).

7. The fastening staple according to claim 6 , wherein each lateral wall comprises a holding lateral projection likely to abut against the front face of the support wall, at the edges of the slot, after the longitudinal insertion of the bearing head through the slot.

8. The fastening staple according to claim 2 , wherein the bearing head comprises two flexible flanges independent of each other where each flexible flange is connected to the upper arm by a folded area so as to extend each towards the counter-support foot in an inclined manner by forming an angle with the longitudinal direction (X), the two flexible flanges converging towards each other by getting close to the upper arm, each flexible flange being likely to be separated laterally, by elastic deformation of said folded area and/or by intrinsic elastic deformation of the flexible flange, under the action of the transverse engagement of the photovoltaic framework segment and of the support wall segment in the determined interval between the bearing head and the counter-support foot and in that said at least one mechanical tensioning flange is constituted by the two flexible flanges.

9. The fastening staple according to claim 8 , wherein the hooking element comprises a series of hooking teeth transversely staggered along a distal edge of the flexible flange opposite to its proximal edge linked to the folded area, the hooking teeth being adapted to cut into the photovoltaic framework segment under the action of the transverse engagement of the photovoltaic framework segment in the determined interval between the bearing head and the counter-support foot.

10. The fastening staple according to claim 2 , wherein said at least one mechanical tensioning flange is constituted by said at least one bearing lateral flange and in that said at least one bearing lateral flange is inclined so as to form an angle with respect to the lateral direction (Y) and is connected to the lateral wall to which it is secured by an elastically-deformable curved area such that the bearing lateral flange is likely to come down longitudinally, at least by elastic deformation of said elastically-deformable curved area, under the action of the transverse engagement of the photovoltaic framework segment and of the support wall segment in the determined interval between the bearing head and the counter-support foot.

11. The fastening staple according to claim 10 , wherein each of the bearing lateral flanges is split in the transverse direction (Z) into at least one upper bearing lateral flange and into at least one lower bearing lateral flange, said at least one upper bearing late

Assignees

• A Raymond Et Cie

Inventors

• Legall Antoine
• Turlot Emmanuel
• Chevrier Jean-Baptiste

Classifications

• H02S30/00

  Structural details of PV modules other than those related to light conversion (semiconductor device aspects of modules of electrolytic light sensitive devices H01G9/20, of inorganic PV modules H10F10/00, H10F19/00, of organic PV modules H10K30/00) · CPC title

• H02S20/10

  Supporting structures directly fixed to the ground (H02S20/30 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F24S25/634

  Clamps; Clips · CPC title

• F16B2/241 Primary

  of sheet metal · CPC title

• H02S30/10 Primary

  Frame structures · CPC title