Adjustable support for panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11242952-B1
Application number	US-202017095398-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Nov 11, 2020
Priority date	Nov 11, 2020
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

An adjustable support for a panel is provided to allow control of the height and the tilt angle of the panel. The support includes a hollow cylindrical base having an outer diameter D1; a first hollow piston having an outer diameter D2 threadably engaged with the base; a second hollow piston having an outer diameter D3 threadably engaged with the first piston; a third piston having an outer diameter D4 threadably engaged with the second piston, such that D1>D2>D3>D4. A ball pod extends from the third piston and accommodates a ball attached to the panel. One or more stepper motors are provided, where each stepper motor is coupled to a bottom portion of a respective piston, and a rotor of each stepper motor is configured to rotate the corresponding piston, thereby causing the piston to move along a longitudinal axis of the support.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An adjustable support for a panel, comprising:
a first and a second leg, each leg including:
a hollow cylindrical base having an outer diameter D1, an inner diameter D2 and a first closed end;
a first stage including a first hollow cylindrical piston of outer diameter D2, inner diameter D3 and a second closed end;
a first rotor of a first stepper motor located within a void space of the second closed end;
a second stage including a second hollow cylindrical piston of outer diameter D3, inner diameter D4 and a third closed end;
a second rotor of a second stepper motor located within a void space of the third closed end;
a third stage including a third hollow cylindrical piston of outer diameter D4 and a fourth closed end;
a third rotor of a third stepper motor located within a void space of the fourth closed end;
a ball pod socket connected to an open end of the third cylindrical piston;
a ball connected to a mounting plate, wherein the ball is configured to be rotatably supported within the pod socket; and
wherein D1>D2>D3>D4.

2. The adjustable support of claim 1 , wherein:
each of the first, second and third hollow cylindrical pistons includes an outer threaded cylindrical surface;
each of the hollow cylindrical base, the first hollow cylindrical piston and second hollow cylindrical pistons include an inner threaded cylindrical surface;
the threads of the inner cylindrical surface of the base stage hollow cylindrical base are configured to intermesh with the threads of the outer cylindrical surface of the second stage;
the threads of the inner cylindrical surface of the second stage are configured to intermesh with the threads of the outer cylindrical surface of the third stage; and
the threads of the inner cylindrical surface of the third stage are configured to intermesh with the threads of an outer cylindrical surface of a fourth stage.

3. The adjustable support of claim 2 , wherein:
each stepper motor includes a shaft;
each stepper motor has a circumference and a depth, and the void space of each of the first, second and third pistons has dimensions configured to secure its respective rotor and shaft within the void space.

4. The adjustable support of claim 3 , wherein:
the first stepper motor is configured to rotate the first hollow cylindrical piston within the hollow cylindrical base to raise or lower the second stage;
the second stepper motor is configured to rotate the second hollow cylindrical piston within the first stage to raise or lower the third stage; and
the third stepper motor is configured to rotate the third cylindrical piston within the second stage to raise or lower the fourth stage.

5. The adjustable support of claim 4 , further comprising:
a first stator operatively connected to the first rotor;
a first stator plate connected to the first stator;
a second stator operatively connected to the second rotor;
a second stator plate connected to the second stator;
a third stator operatively connected to the third rotor;
a third stator plate connected to the third stator;
wherein each stator plate has four equally spaced arms extending in the plane of the stator plate;
wherein each of the hollow cylindrical base and each hollow cylindrical piston has four equally spaced grooves in its inner surface, wherein each groove is parallel to the height of each stage;
wherein an end of each arm of the first stator plate is configured to engage within a respective groove of the hollow cylindrical base;
wherein each end of each arm of the second stator plate is configured to engage within a respective groove of the first hollow cylindrical piston; and
wherein each end of each arm of the third stator plate is configured to engage within a respective groove of the second hollow cylindrical piston.

6. The adjustable support of claim 2 , wherein:
the base stage has a height H1;
the second stage has a height H2;
the third stage has a height H3;
the fourth stage has a height H4;
the ball pod plus ball has a height H5;
H1>H2>H3>H4; and
H4=H5.

7. The adjustable support of claim 6 , wherein:
the panel is attached to the mounting plate of the first leg at a first location and to the mounting plate of the second leg at a second location; and
the stepper motors are configured to raise or lower each stage of the first leg and the second leg to adjust a tilt of the panel.

8. The adjustable support of claim 7 , further comprising a computing device including a computer-readable medium comprising program instructions, executable by processing circuitry, to cause the processing circuitry to
provide drive signals to each stepper motor to adjust the tilt of the panel.

9. The adjustable support of claim 8 , wherein:
the panel is a solar panel; and
the processing circuitry is further configured to perform solar tracking and provide drive signals to each stepper motor to adjust the tilt of the solar panel based on the solar tracking.

10. The adjustable support of claim 8 , wherein:
the panel is a mirror attached to the mounting plate of the first leg at a first location and to the mounting plate of the second leg at a second location; and
the stepper motors are configured to raise or lower each stage of the first leg and the second leg to adjust the tilt of the mirror.

11. The adjustable support of claim 8 , wherein:
the panel is a sun shading device;
the processing circuitry is further configured to perform solar tracking and provide drive signals to each stepper motor to adjust the tilt of the sun shading device based on the solar tracking.

12. The adjustable support of claim 6 , wherein:
D2=0.75D1;
D3=0.5D1;
D4=0.25D1;
H2=5/6 H1;
H3=2/3 H1; and
H4=H5=0.5 H1.

13. A method of adjustably supporting a panel, comprising:
mounting the panel to a first mounting plate near a first corner of the panel, wherein the first mounting plate is connected to a first ball;
mounting the panel to a second mounting plate near a diametrically opposed second corner of the panel, wherein the second mounting plate is connected to a second ball;
connecting the first ball to a first ball pod socket;
connecting the second ball to a second ball pod socket;
connecting the first ball pod socket to a first piston of a first series of cylindrical threaded pistons;
connecting the second ball pod socket to a first piston of a second series of cylindrical threaded pistons;
installing a rotor of a stepper motor within a void space beneath each cylindrical threaded piston, wherein each rotor is operatively connected to a stator which is outside of the void space;
installing a first cylindrical base beneath the first series of cylindrical threaded pistons;
installing a second cylindrical base beneath the second series of cylindrical threaded pistons;
connecting each stepper motor to a computing device including a computer-readable medium comprising program instructions, executable by processing circuitry, to cause the processing circuitry to generate drive signals;
adjusting an orientation of the panel by providing the drive signals to each stepper motor to raise or lower the first or the second series of cylindrical threaded pistons.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
connecting the first ball pod socket to a top of the first piston of the first series at a non-threaded outer surface;
providing the first piston with threads on an outer surface;
drilling a first void space in a base of the first piston, wherein the first void space has dimensions configured to secure a first stepper motor and first shaft within the first void space

Assignees

• Univ King Abdulaziz

Inventors

• Bayoumi Mohannad

Classifications

• Y02E10/47

  Mountings or tracking · CPC title

• F24S30/40

  for rotary movement · CPC title

• F24S2030/17

  Spherical joints · CPC title

• F16M11/28

  Undercarriages for supports with one single telescoping pillar · CPC title

• E04F10/00

  Sunshades, {e.g. Florentine blinds or jalousies; Outside screens (E06B9/26 takes precedence)}; Awnings {or baldachins (for caravans B60P3/343)}; (trailer awnings E04H15/08; for tents E04H15/58) · CPC title